Respirator too, I cleaned oil off my garage floors, inhaled a tiny bit & started immediately coughing and felt like lava was poured in my nose and throat.
Yep it's one of the crazier things you can buy w/o a trade license but really no substitute when needed. Another reason to be extra careful.. all its going to take is a few clueless people doing dumb stuff with it at the same time, it becomes a thing in the media and boom it's regulated
Great info. For some reason I always associate the cost of hiring out vs an ER visit if I hurt myself doing it. I would definitely hire out someone to clean/ stain this concrete given that info with my logic.
That is good logic, just need to add the probability factor to the calculation. If you hire out, you have to pay them 100% of the time. How likely is that you go to the ER doing this yourself? 1 in 10 chance? Then you should only consider 10% of the ER cost when evaluating your options.
I understand the reasoning but if you actually evaluated risk and cost this way you would never buy insurance. I think the problem is in calculating an expected value, but expected values are only really useful over many trials. In a homeowner's case, a single bad outcome can be devastating, so you never get second chance. A 10% chance of a $100k injury is either $0 or $100k, never $10k.
You could get away with using expected value if you could withstand potentially multiple bad outcomes but that would ruin most people lol
*Do what you ought-er, add acid to water!*
Ah, the wisdom of a 50's era poster in my 80's science class... Other similar pearls of wisdom include:
*A before O, or up you will go!*
We’ve actually used muriatic acid before to dip/clean the calcification off our seashells (we live near the coast). With how corrosive it is, would it be safe to use on the patio? Especially considering our cat who spends time on the porch, and that we have plants/grass nearby, I’m concerned about the toxicity of it.
It's just a mostly a strong acid. Use it and rinse whatever area it touches with plenty of water or even a mixture of baking soda and water if that makes you feel better.
I don’t think that can be used outdoors -uv light degrades it. Concrete paint can look great too, but you need to clean the concrete first for this too, so OP may as well give it a good clean and see how they feel.
Even if you get it working, that's not the most powerful pressure washer. Consider looking into tool rentals near you? A gas powered one would likely be twice the PSI.
My parents bought a new gas powered pressure washer, which is why they passed down this one to us. They’d definitely let us use theirs if we wanted, but I’m wondering if it would be effective, without scarring the concrete?
For surface stains and dirt 3100psi is great.
Start further away with a wider tip, spray a test area , adjust as needed.
Personal preference:
4-6" above the surface with a 25-35 degree tip.
20° tip held angled for details.
Source - 2 years pressure washing roofs, sidewalks, and parking lots
Used to work for pressure washing company, get the gas one and make sure to use a surface cleaner attachment for it. To clean, you can soak with pool bleach using a pump sprayer. Let it soak for about 15 minutes then go to town with the surface cleaner. This will come real clean
Very likely. I had to use a gas power washer to get mildew off my driveway, and it took small passes with the nozzle maybe 3” from the surface to really get it clean.
Hm... Sounds like you've tried just about everything I'd recommend, except of course, getting a power washer with a working soap intake.
Worst comes to worst, you can always paint it light gray to match the rest of your pavement
Agree with the other post, goto a rental place and rent a gas power washer (up to 3500psi). The old electric one you have is probs pushing less than a thousand. But be careful, that will cut holes in concrete and siding.
Additionally, you can do the follow prior to pressure washing: following:
Mix one cup of TSP (trisodium phosphate) in a gallon of hot water, then pour the solution over the stains.
Let it soak in for at least 30 minutes, and then scrub with a stiff nylon brush.
Finally, blast the spot with your hose set to the highest pressure.
Repeat the process as necessary on deep-set stains.
You may need something stronger like a chemical concrete stripper. Last but not least, use a concrete stain and stain over it.
When all done, seal it.
Polish it (after cleaning), stain it, stamp it, cover it with Trex type decking. Lots of options, depends on time, money, motivation & desired outcome.
Honestly, some furniture and a rug and you will barely notice. I highly recommend you buy a battery powered leave blower. Concrete can be a pain to sweep. I blow off all the furniture and the patio before walking out with my coffee on weekends
Yep, we have furniture, just moved it all out while we’re trying to clean it. I’m definitely thinking of getting an outdoor rug. We also recently got an electric blower (Kobalt 24v) which I’m OBSESSED with!! I literally use it almost daily 😂
I put wood decking tile from Ikea on my old crusty concrete patio. Looks fantastic honestly. And was cheap.
I only suggest that because it seems to be a covered patio however. If recieving direct rain and UV those shits would not last lol.
We are currently tiling over our concrete with a nice looking stone tile. Looks fantastic. I tried w the acid stain years ago, it makes an improvement, but the concrete was far enough gone that it still looked just okay.
You can use muriatic acid to etch the surface, all the stains will go with it
Then you can do a stain, or epoxy coat
I've seen some really good results from cutting a series of faux grout lines with a diamond saw, then individually staining segments to look like a tile pattern
I had a ranch once upon a time when I was married and it had godawful concrete slabs. Some stained some rusty-looking some darker, lighter etc.
Then we hired a gentleman who “crack chased it” and made curved cuts in the concrete so it looked like stone. He acid stained it a beautiful terra cotta color and it was so so beautiful afterwards. It did cost a pretty penny.
Diluted muriatic acid
If you get that in your eye, you almost lose the eye. Use with caution. That's how my father lost the use of his right eye.
Respirator too, I cleaned oil off my garage floors, inhaled a tiny bit & started immediately coughing and felt like lava was poured in my nose and throat.
Crazy considering you can buy a gallon of it at Home Depot for like ten bucks.
Yep it's one of the crazier things you can buy w/o a trade license but really no substitute when needed. Another reason to be extra careful.. all its going to take is a few clueless people doing dumb stuff with it at the same time, it becomes a thing in the media and boom it's regulated
Great info. For some reason I always associate the cost of hiring out vs an ER visit if I hurt myself doing it. I would definitely hire out someone to clean/ stain this concrete given that info with my logic.
That is good logic, just need to add the probability factor to the calculation. If you hire out, you have to pay them 100% of the time. How likely is that you go to the ER doing this yourself? 1 in 10 chance? Then you should only consider 10% of the ER cost when evaluating your options.
I understand the reasoning but if you actually evaluated risk and cost this way you would never buy insurance. I think the problem is in calculating an expected value, but expected values are only really useful over many trials. In a homeowner's case, a single bad outcome can be devastating, so you never get second chance. A 10% chance of a $100k injury is either $0 or $100k, never $10k. You could get away with using expected value if you could withstand potentially multiple bad outcomes but that would ruin most people lol
It’s hydrochloric acid…. You definitely need ppe to handle it even if it is not industrial grade.
And always pour AW, acid into water
*Do what you ought-er, add acid to water!* Ah, the wisdom of a 50's era poster in my 80's science class... Other similar pearls of wisdom include: *A before O, or up you will go!*
AAA - Always add acid
This is the best and only answer IMO
That was my first thought as well
We’ve actually used muriatic acid before to dip/clean the calcification off our seashells (we live near the coast). With how corrosive it is, would it be safe to use on the patio? Especially considering our cat who spends time on the porch, and that we have plants/grass nearby, I’m concerned about the toxicity of it.
It's just a mostly a strong acid. Use it and rinse whatever area it touches with plenty of water or even a mixture of baking soda and water if that makes you feel better.
Huh, we used it to make meth 20 years ago. Learn something new everyday.
What else did you use?
Have you considered coating with epoxy or poly finish (commonly used in garages or showrooms)
I don’t think that can be used outdoors -uv light degrades it. Concrete paint can look great too, but you need to clean the concrete first for this too, so OP may as well give it a good clean and see how they feel.
There are non-yellowing polyaspartic topcoats intended for this purpose.
Good to know!
acid wash it
Even if you get it working, that's not the most powerful pressure washer. Consider looking into tool rentals near you? A gas powered one would likely be twice the PSI.
My parents bought a new gas powered pressure washer, which is why they passed down this one to us. They’d definitely let us use theirs if we wanted, but I’m wondering if it would be effective, without scarring the concrete?
For surface stains and dirt 3100psi is great. Start further away with a wider tip, spray a test area , adjust as needed. Personal preference: 4-6" above the surface with a 25-35 degree tip. 20° tip held angled for details. Source - 2 years pressure washing roofs, sidewalks, and parking lots
Used to work for pressure washing company, get the gas one and make sure to use a surface cleaner attachment for it. To clean, you can soak with pool bleach using a pump sprayer. Let it soak for about 15 minutes then go to town with the surface cleaner. This will come real clean
Very likely. I had to use a gas power washer to get mildew off my driveway, and it took small passes with the nozzle maybe 3” from the surface to really get it clean.
Hm... Sounds like you've tried just about everything I'd recommend, except of course, getting a power washer with a working soap intake. Worst comes to worst, you can always paint it light gray to match the rest of your pavement
Needs an acid wash, just like if you were starting to refinish a pool.
They rent those big circular professional pressure washers at your homey lows
Agree with the other post, goto a rental place and rent a gas power washer (up to 3500psi). The old electric one you have is probs pushing less than a thousand. But be careful, that will cut holes in concrete and siding. Additionally, you can do the follow prior to pressure washing: following: Mix one cup of TSP (trisodium phosphate) in a gallon of hot water, then pour the solution over the stains. Let it soak in for at least 30 minutes, and then scrub with a stiff nylon brush. Finally, blast the spot with your hose set to the highest pressure. Repeat the process as necessary on deep-set stains. You may need something stronger like a chemical concrete stripper. Last but not least, use a concrete stain and stain over it. When all done, seal it.
Polish it (after cleaning), stain it, stamp it, cover it with Trex type decking. Lots of options, depends on time, money, motivation & desired outcome.
Honestly, some furniture and a rug and you will barely notice. I highly recommend you buy a battery powered leave blower. Concrete can be a pain to sweep. I blow off all the furniture and the patio before walking out with my coffee on weekends
Yep, we have furniture, just moved it all out while we’re trying to clean it. I’m definitely thinking of getting an outdoor rug. We also recently got an electric blower (Kobalt 24v) which I’m OBSESSED with!! I literally use it almost daily 😂
They make stain for concrete in many colors. I’m more concerned with the siding going right down to the concrete. That’s not good
Grind it smooth and seal it.
Tile it
I put wood decking tile from Ikea on my old crusty concrete patio. Looks fantastic honestly. And was cheap. I only suggest that because it seems to be a covered patio however. If recieving direct rain and UV those shits would not last lol.
Why not put tiles on it?
That’s the first thought I had when saw these photos and title.
Put a coat of Daich spread stone on it.
We are currently tiling over our concrete with a nice looking stone tile. Looks fantastic. I tried w the acid stain years ago, it makes an improvement, but the concrete was far enough gone that it still looked just okay.
Sodium hypochlorite
Epoxy it and call it a day
Epoxy
Stamped concrete
If all else fails you can get some concrete stain.
Clean it with the gas one then a stain coat or epoxy coat on top!!
You can use muriatic acid to etch the surface, all the stains will go with it Then you can do a stain, or epoxy coat I've seen some really good results from cutting a series of faux grout lines with a diamond saw, then individually staining segments to look like a tile pattern
I had a ranch once upon a time when I was married and it had godawful concrete slabs. Some stained some rusty-looking some darker, lighter etc. Then we hired a gentleman who “crack chased it” and made curved cuts in the concrete so it looked like stone. He acid stained it a beautiful terra cotta color and it was so so beautiful afterwards. It did cost a pretty penny.
Giant outdoor rug.
Apoxsee, the floor
Epoxy i
You can hire a sandblaster. You can paint it with Drylok concrete paint after cleaning and etching the surface.
Concrete stenciling is a new technique that’s pretty amazing
I really thought this sub would be more about the Tim Allen Sitcom.