is there anyone in here that is an expert in prepping and staining concrete floors?

[Gato Moteado]

I need to do this.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. I'm not an expert, but I can play one on the internet...

I've done it a few times, and researched all about it.

Garage? Basement? Outdoor?

[Gato Moteado]

2. indoor of a house i am building....

the concrete wasn't absorbent enough because it was hand troweled. I applied muriatic acid and it's more absorbent now. have about 4 or 5 light oil stains I need to get out. also need to remove sediment left from the rinse after the acid treatment.

so:

what's the best way to remove the grease stains?
what's the best way to remove the dusty sediment (I don't want to wet the floor again for fear the sediment will clog the pores)?

the floor is scored....should I fill the scores with grout before I stain or after I stain?

I have a non-toxic soy based stain that I flew in from the US. It's called soycrete. ever used this stuff before? is an acrylic sealer ok to apply after the stain?

here's the floor after the acid treatment:

[Gato Moteado]

3. here's what the house looks like from the outside.....

....it's a custom concrete prefab design of mine that has a lot of glass in place of concrete panels all the way around. we're up on one of my properties overlooking the pacific ocean with the rain forest behind us. I want to stain the floors ocean blue to echo the pacific. it's about 2400 sq feet inside and I don't want to start putting up the walls until I have the whole floor stained.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

6. omg that's gorgeous!

It sounds like you've done most of what you need to. Work on the grease stains with a scrub brush and regular dish soap... rinse and repeat as necessary.

when you mop (for dust) change the water frequently and repeat until it stays clear. Final mop is with a special solution before staining.

spray on the stain, then roll on the sealant.

[Gato Moteado]

7. it's possible that most of the sediment is undisolved baking soda from when i neutralized the acid..

...treatment. you don't think mopping will force sediment into the pores of the concrete?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

8. you should 'flood mop' after a vigorous sweep with a stiff broom

the extra water will just wash the baking soda away. did you sand the surface, or leave it rough?

[Gato Moteado]

10. i did not sand the surface.....

....it's pretty smooth already.

[OriginalGeek]

4. I was just researching this last week

was thinking about doing it for a floor in MIL's house. Found a lot of stuff:
http://www.solcrete.com/decorative-concrete-information/diy-acid-staining-guide.html
http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-add-acid-stain-to-a-concrete-floor/index.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Acid-Stain-Concrete

&noredirect=1

And ten things NOT to do:
http://www.ebay.com/gds/Acid-Stained-Concrete-Floors-/10000000013339142/g.html

I love the look but I'm not completely sure of my ability so please let us know how you get on! Good luck!

[Gato Moteado]

5. the one difference is that i'm using a non-acid, soy based stain.....

...so the application is a bit different. but, I need to do a little more prep work on the floor to reove some grease stains and remove some sediment from the surface of the floor.

here is what i'll be staining with:

http://www.ecoprocote.com/SoyCrete-Concrete-Stain-s/92.htm

[NightWatcher]

9. the people who did ours SUCKED

and now just a few years later we are going to have to either put up with it looking like shit or tile over it.

I wanted it to look like the floors at Home Depot but it came out looking horrible. If you go with a pro, check their work and call references.