NicksPizza
New member
I have finished the flooring project in time for our re-opening party on Saturday. I gotta say I’m way more impressed than I thought I’d be. It does take some time to get it all done, though. I will have pictures and/or video soon of the final look. I didn’t have time or inclination for in process pictures this time, sorry.
All told, I have laid down 7 layers of coating on the floors. 2 primer . . . 2 stain . . . 3 topcoat. The only hitch is that it requires a 4-hour drying period between coatings.
Dry to touch in 1 hour
Light traffic after 24 hours
Heavy traffic and furniture moving after 72 hours
800 +/- square feet total space.
PRIMER: put down with a roller. Took 2.5 gallons for the 2 coats. I went a little thin on the first one, so I went back for a second run at it.
STAIN: Water based stain product that is semi-transparent and brick red in color. The instructions indicate that you can use a pump sprayer and then back roll with high quality roller. I used a string mop to start, intending to get a cool swirly pattern. I abandoned that in three swirl tries, and went right to the roller. I used right at 2 gallons for the full two coats. First was a little thin in spots, so I reapplied a quick fill-in coating. Irregular coloration was what we wanted and what we got. occasional roller streaks, thin spots, heavy spots, all in all a really uneven look. Type and porosity of concrete makes a real difference. This coating made a noticeable difference in ease of sweeping . . . as opposed to the coarse concrete in some spots.
TOPCOAT: water based, low lustre coating. This is where the glory of this system came into play. I used a pump sprayer like you use for your garden . . . 1 gallon size with adjustable nozzle. I went for the $20 model over the $10 cheapie. I sprayed a 4X4 area, then rolled ONCE to even the coverage. Starts out milky white, then goes totally clear. The total 800 square feet would take about 1.5 hours to lay out. Dried to touch in 1 hour, apply next coat in 4 hours. Really nice glow after first layer, and by the end of three coatings, the warm lustre was incredible, and the depth of the coloration is really nice over the stain. Sweeping is an absolute breeze!! We will use dust mops to maintain daily and during night.
CLEANUP: Stain and topcoat are water cleanable, so sprayer was hot water wash to keep clean, and dispose of rollers. Kept rollers moist during drying periods by wrapping in moist paper towel, then in plastic wrap or plastic bag sort of tightly. Unwrap and use; rewrap.
NEXT STEPS: I have some dark gray/charcoal stain to use as highlights to get a sort of faux finish effect. I’ll use a pump sprayer and roller to do a sort of imitation granite/marbling with the dark over the brick. Once that is down, then one last topcoat layer over that (the fourth topcoat . . . their recommended limit).
DURABILITY WATCH: I will watch for the next month or two to see how it holds up. I fully expect occasional top coating maintenance once or twice a year if we get lots of traffic generated. Keep it swept, and less scuffing from dust scratches.
All told, I have laid down 7 layers of coating on the floors. 2 primer . . . 2 stain . . . 3 topcoat. The only hitch is that it requires a 4-hour drying period between coatings.
Dry to touch in 1 hour
Light traffic after 24 hours
Heavy traffic and furniture moving after 72 hours
800 +/- square feet total space.
PRIMER: put down with a roller. Took 2.5 gallons for the 2 coats. I went a little thin on the first one, so I went back for a second run at it.
STAIN: Water based stain product that is semi-transparent and brick red in color. The instructions indicate that you can use a pump sprayer and then back roll with high quality roller. I used a string mop to start, intending to get a cool swirly pattern. I abandoned that in three swirl tries, and went right to the roller. I used right at 2 gallons for the full two coats. First was a little thin in spots, so I reapplied a quick fill-in coating. Irregular coloration was what we wanted and what we got. occasional roller streaks, thin spots, heavy spots, all in all a really uneven look. Type and porosity of concrete makes a real difference. This coating made a noticeable difference in ease of sweeping . . . as opposed to the coarse concrete in some spots.
TOPCOAT: water based, low lustre coating. This is where the glory of this system came into play. I used a pump sprayer like you use for your garden . . . 1 gallon size with adjustable nozzle. I went for the $20 model over the $10 cheapie. I sprayed a 4X4 area, then rolled ONCE to even the coverage. Starts out milky white, then goes totally clear. The total 800 square feet would take about 1.5 hours to lay out. Dried to touch in 1 hour, apply next coat in 4 hours. Really nice glow after first layer, and by the end of three coatings, the warm lustre was incredible, and the depth of the coloration is really nice over the stain. Sweeping is an absolute breeze!! We will use dust mops to maintain daily and during night.
CLEANUP: Stain and topcoat are water cleanable, so sprayer was hot water wash to keep clean, and dispose of rollers. Kept rollers moist during drying periods by wrapping in moist paper towel, then in plastic wrap or plastic bag sort of tightly. Unwrap and use; rewrap.
NEXT STEPS: I have some dark gray/charcoal stain to use as highlights to get a sort of faux finish effect. I’ll use a pump sprayer and roller to do a sort of imitation granite/marbling with the dark over the brick. Once that is down, then one last topcoat layer over that (the fourth topcoat . . . their recommended limit).
DURABILITY WATCH: I will watch for the next month or two to see how it holds up. I fully expect occasional top coating maintenance once or twice a year if we get lots of traffic generated. Keep it swept, and less scuffing from dust scratches.
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