Information on Mix, Finishing and Pre-Stain Care/ Stained concrete

   Please print and give this instruction sheet to your builder before the slab is poured.  The instructions and advice given here will help to ensure your stained concrete floor will look its best.        Note - An Under-Slab Vapor or Moisture Barrier should be used on all homes to prevent rising moisture from affecting all your floor choices and to also help maintain a Healthy Home.  Under-Slab Vapor Barrier material in 10 or 15 mil Polyethylene should be placed before the concrete slab is poured.  Vapor barriers can be purchased in rolls at concrete supply stores, or Big Box stores like Home Depot or Lowes.

1. A quality batch of concrete should consist of at least a 5-sack mix with low fly ash and no retarder, curing compounds or chloride accelerators.  Do not pour below 40F. Do not use fly-ash below 80F. Use no more than 15% fly-ash above 80F.  The slab should be hard troweled by machine to a smooth finish.  It is NOT necessary to burnish the surface to a slick, mirror finish.  "Burning" the slab to an ultra smooth surface will close off the pours of the slab and cause the stain to sit on top of the concrete and not penetrate.  Make sure the Finishers dont get "burrs" or trash caught under the blades which can cut swirl marks into the slab. 

2. It is important that the concrete be thoroughly finished with hand tools where needed around the plumbing, risers, floor outlets, or any other element which is not accessible by the machine.  Special care should be taken to blend in the areas at the edge of the slab.  If the finish is smooth in the center and rough finished at the edges, there will be a noticeable difference of color and tone between these areas.

3. Silicone chalks should NOT be used if at all possible.  The RED and yellow chalks are PERMANENT DYES.  RED Chalk should NOT be used for framing.  White or Blue chalks are OK.  Do not over mark for the framing.  Do NOT use silicone sprays to "Hold" the lines.  The sprays repel the stain and leave harsh, permanent scars on the floor.

4. It is important that wood, sheet goods, sections of framing and the like not lay on the slab for extended periods of time.  They can transfer resins and tannins into the slab.  This will alter the moisture content in the slab which leaves a pattern in the finished floor.  Cardboard should be placed between the slab and the stacked material to minimize any unwanted transfers.

5. The floor should be protected from the following:   Plumbers Glue, Foam Insulation, Bond Release Agents, Flux, Oils, Grease, Polyurethane, Paint, Markers (framers often write dimensions of doorways in marker on the slab.  Ask them to make that note on the wood framing the doorway), Grease Sticks, Spray Paints, Crayons, Muratic Acid, and other chemicals both before and after staining.

6. The framers should brace the wall to the outside and not to the slab.  Door plates should be cut away immediately.

7. The floors should be clean and the room empty, with absolutely nothing on the floors prior to the arrival of our crew.  Our fees do not include removing paper, moving furniture, tools, equipment, fixtures, building materials, or items.  Additional moving and cleaning will be charged as additional labor.

8. It is extremely important that you do not tape the floor!  When covering the floor, overlap sheets of builders paper.  Tape the first sheet to the wall then overlap the second sheet to the first and tape it to the paper.  DO NOT TAPE TO THE FLOOR.  Duct Tape, Masking Tape, Packaging Tape, Strap Tape, Blue Tape, Green Tape, and Electrical Tape there are NO exceptions.  The tape alters the natural curing process and transfers chemicals to and from the slab.  Tape, Plastics and other Adhesives can contribute to Plasticizer Migration.   This WILL SHOW in the finished product.  Learn more about Plasticizer Migration on the Floor Care page.

9. When covering the floor, you may use sheets of masonite or single faced cardboard on top of the builders paper, however do not cover the floor with plastic at any time!  It prevents the slab from breathing which inhibits proper curing.  It can result in efflorescence.

10. There must be two 110volt outlets on two separate 20amp breakers not more than 150 feet from the furthest point of the slab available to our crew alone.  Additionally, running water and trash receptacles must be available.

Scoring Patterns           

1. We can do scoring in any pattern, size, and shape desired.  Scoring is done after framing is complete.  

a.  Advantage Each room can have a perfectly placed/centered tile look.  Different rooms can have tiles on a square or on a 45 degree angle.  Different rooms can have unique sizes of tile (standard is 24" tile with smaller sizes costing more).

b. Disadvantage A border has to be marked off 10" from each wall.  This will allow a starting point for the centering of the pattern.  A border means the grout lines will not disappear under the walls because there is no way to saw-cut up to the studs without cutting into them (or your sheet rock). 

2.  To insure proper scheduling and availability, please contact us at least 1 weeks in advance.  We work diligently to accommodate many schedules at the same time.  We operate on a First-Signed, First-Scheduled basis.  We ask that you communicate your project status to us as far in advance as possible.  We are committed to providing the finest floor possible and are sure you want the same.     

Staining Schedule   We will need exclusive use of the area(s) to be stained for a 3-day period.  The good news here is:  We work weekends.  Often times Friday is a slow to no work day on construction sites.  We can come in and do our work and be gone before Monday morning.  The 3-day schedule is as follows:   Day 1 Surface preparation/Staining.   We will remove the protective paper you have used and store it in an area of the house that will not be stained so it can be re-used after the floor is sealed.  Spot cleanup of areas that may it is done.  This is not intended to be a major clean-up on our part.  The owner and Builder are responsible for protecting the floor up to and after the staining.  If scoring is desired and not done earlier, it can be done on this day.   Day 2 Sealing day. One coat of sealer is applied to give the surface protection for the remainder of the construction process.  The same rules of NO tape on the floor still applies. Day 3 We cover the floors using 15 # Felt and solid tape all seams..  DO NOT PUT TAPE DIRECTLY ON FLOOR!!     When all construction is complete we will return, remove paper, and apply final seal.