What’s on my floors

[Relly]

Hi everyone, this is my first post, really hoping this community can help!

I recently purchased a new home with “gorgeous, durable cement floors” in the first story. Turns out they are not so durable- if I pour water on the floor I can wipe stain up with a paper towel. At first I thought, ”they need to be sealed” but came to find out the seller put color down over a professional cement polishing job. Timeline goes like this:

1. Previous owner hires concrete polishing company to polish slab and add color
2. Previous owner becomes dissatisfied with pro job, Takes matter into own hands. He adds a dark stain over the pro job and according to him (uses sealer impregnator to seal)
3. sells the house to me
4. I cry over the floors

so here’s the deal. the color he added comes off on my dogs paws if they’re wet. It rubs off onto white socks noticeably. When I mop the floor, the water bucket I pour into my sink is stain-color.

do I just keep on mopping to get the rest of this **** off? Is there a cleaner I can use to take it off that won’t screw up the pro job underneath it too badly? Considering renting one of those commercial floor scrubbers from Home Depot to see if that helps. If stain is water-soluble does that mean it is water-based?

I would love some advice. We just moved in so budgets are tight and I’m looking to do whatever I can on my own before giving up and prepping the floor for tile.

 

[highup]

I'd be careful about using a cleaner. But sounds like your on the right track. I think you want something that leaves no residue. An ounce of Windex in a 5 gallon bucket of warm water might be a starting point.
I'd guess the stain is either water based or if it's not, the concrete finisher applied a sealer that wouldn't accept the additional stain.
Try the Windex and a non abrasive pad to see how easily it comes off. Not full strength Windex, but highly diluted like I mentioned.

 

[Relly]

I'd be careful about using a cleaner. But sounds like your on the right track. I think you want something that leaves no residue. An ounce of Windex in a 5 gallon bucket of warm water might be a starting point.
I'd guess the stain is either water based or if it's not, the concrete finisher applied a sealer that wouldn't accept the additional stain.
Try the Windex and a non abrasive pad to see how easily it comes off. Not full strength Windex, but highly diluted like I mentioned.

Thank you for the reply. I tried diluted windex and it didn’t make a noticeable difference. I tried a new spot, poured water on the floor and hit it with a mop and then put towels under my feet to get some friction while wiping up the water and a bunch of color came up. In some spots the water appears to bead up, others not at all. I was able to scrub the most off in the kitchen, and now there’s a weird cloudy film, unsure what that is. Also, underneath the sellers botched color job there are all these spots on the floor - possibly the handiwork of the person hired to polish the concrete?

with regards to the floor scrubber, I was thinking I’d just fill it with water - no cleaning solution. At least it would hit the floors at 1000rpms.Do you think that would damage the pro job underneath?

I attached a few photos, one of the filmy residue, one of the darker original color I’m scrubbing off, one of the weird dots.

 

[highup]

Those dots are stains left by old rubber carpet pad
It was called waffle pad. Oils in the rubber migrated into the concrete.
Looks like they polished the concrete without actually grinding it. The stain was to cover up those spots.
....just my guess.

 

[Csason]

I’d take a rotary sander to it with a heavy grit pad and strip it down and start over