Refinishing Concrete Floor

[gvblake22]

We ripped out all of the old, dirty carpet in our 3 bedroom 1563sqft house and would like to finish the concrete floor underneath with as little cost as possible. The house was built in 1960 and the floor looks like it has been previously finished. It has a solid, dark brown color, almost like it was painted or deeply stained. It looks similar to this but is not as clean. There is some mild adhesive lines from the carpet pad and lots of areas that have white paint drips and overspray. There are also a few existing cracks and lots of shallow chunks missing from removing the carpet tack strips.

I've tried to do some research and it seems self leveling overlays are pretty common. However, because the floor already has color to it, we'd like to save some money and just refinish what we have. What do you recommend for a project like this? I can get some pictures if that would help.

 

[Floorist]

Pictures are always good.

 

[gvblake22]

Sorry for the strange purple glow, my phone's camera is crap. I tried to dull the effect in Photoshop, but you'll just have to trust me that the floor is a solid brown color (like my original link). In the last (Alt) picture, you can see one room that must have been previously covered with some kind of adhesive tile. The black stuff left behind is no longer sticky, but you can definitely see what was happening. I'm less concerned with the visual look of it and more concerned with finishing it properly.

 

[Ernesto]

Oh yeah, I fix those all the time. Where do you live.

 

[gvblake22]

Thanks for checking, Ernesto. I'm in Scottsdale, AZ. Do you have any advice for me? I see you're in Tucson. Do you ever do work in the Phoenix area?

 

[Ernesto]

I go up once in awhile. Here's a couple photos I took of one in old town, Sam Hughes in Tucson. I thought I posted this here but couldnt find it. It was on my FB photos though.

The color board - checking for various types of fillers and color additives for the tackstrip holes. Then trying to strip off old adhesive residue with the red pad and some different chemicals - not to toxic or flammable. Some adhesives etch the color so they cant come out. But we call it character. Then finishing up with a hard wax buffed in. Looks great.

 

[Floorist]

Looks good.

 

[gvblake22]

I go up once in awhile. Here's a couple photos I took of one in old town, Sam Hughes in Tucson. I thought I posted this here but couldnt find it. It was on my FB photos though.

The color board - checking for various types of fillers and color additives for the tackstrip holes. Then trying to strip off old adhesive residue with the red pad and some different chemicals - not to toxic or flammable. Some adhesives etch the color so they cant come out. But we call it character. Then finishing up with a hard wax buffed in. Looks great.

It looks very similar to my situation except it doesn't look like there are any paint spills on your floor. Could you please describe the equipment and products you used on this job?

I've continued my research and it seems that a concrete primer and paint might be a good option for a floor like mine that has some damage. Do you guys have any experience painting over a concrete floor like this? I'd probably go with plain white. I did find this guide on painting a concrete floor and noticed they used an enamel paint that doesn't require a primer but they sanded the floor pretty heavily. They also used a we look concrete sealer. Is the sealer necessary to keep a durable surface on the paint? If so, it seems that getting a satin finish paint would be the way to go because the "wet look" sealer will make it appear glossy.

As you can see, I really need some advice and guidance. Anything you can provide is helpful.

 

[Nick]

Nice job E .

 

[Ernesto]

First I scrape off any paint or adhesive residue with my 6 inch razor scraper, then hit it with a black pad on the buffer with water to release any water based paint. Water based paint comes off it very easy. Then go after the solvent based residue with orange oil or similar, non-flammable green mineral spirits/stripper. Anything stronger can pull out pigment in the floor.
Should come out pretty clean.
Then I use a color matching non-sanded grout to fill holes, twice to get it nice and flat and smooth. Then a red pad to clean it up more, then I use a wax such as BriWax with pigment (light brown or clear) with a white pad to buff. I hand rub in the wax.
The thing is that nothing really sticks to those old colored concrete slabs because they are so smooth. The newer glue for carpet padding etches it a little. The old brown pad adhesive usually comes off pretty clean.

I've seen painted floors they look ick.

 

[gvblake22]

First I scrape off any paint or adhesive residue with my 6 inch razor scraper, then hit it with a black pad on the buffer with water to release any water based paint. Water based paint comes off it very easy. Then go after the solvent based residue with orange oil or similar, non-flammable green mineral spirits/stripper. Anything stronger can pull out pigment in the floor.
Should come out pretty clean.
Then I use a color matching non-sanded grout to fill holes, twice to get it nice and flat and smooth. Then a red pad to clean it up more, then I use a wax such as BriWax with pigment (light brown or clear) with a white pad to buff. I hand rub in the wax.
The thing is that nothing really sticks to those old colored concrete slabs because they are so smooth. The newer glue for carpet padding etches it a little. The old brown pad adhesive usually comes off pretty clean.

I've seen painted floors they look ick.

Thank you very much, Ernesto. That was helpful. I got some better quality photos of the floor. I saw that Lowe's has a 17" floor buffer available for rent. Could I use that with the black pad/red pad work?

I also noticed that the quality of the concrete seems questionable along the edges of the room and near areas where it has been damaged (like cracks and tack strip holes). It feels very brittle and dry. Is that normal? Will the non-sanded grout take care of that?

There's also a small, angled corner area where the original linoleum still exists between the tiled kitchen and the concrete floor of the rest of the house. Any advice on this spot?

 

[Ernesto]

As always be careful with removing any vinyl that may have asbestos. This is why I recommend using liquids such as water, orange oil or non-flammable products as to not make any particles airborne. You can take a small piece of that tile to a lab to test for asbestos. Looks like the ceramic tile is set over top?

Concrete is always dusty and the end product after restorative actions are taken may or may not be be to you standard. All you can do is try. Then if you don't like it you can try an acid wash and or stain which is very toxic and dangerous.
Then there's always the concrete based toppings which can give you the same look, costs alot more though.

 

[gvblake22]

Looks like the ceramic tile is set over top?

Yes, the new tile was set right over top of the old stuff.

 

[francessmith]

Hey Ernesto, The work done by you is really appreciable. Yes!! Paint on concrete would be a good option you can try to hide the damage pink part occurred on the floor. concrete is porous, regular cleaning is necessary to prevent mold and dirt from building up. One of my friends recently had paving driveway with concrete after taking helpful hints The experts helped a lot for giving a wonderful look over driveways.