How to Clean Concrete | Part 1 - Sealing Concrete - DIY Cleaning & Sealing
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- čas přidán 8. 07. 2024
- How to Clean Concrete - Cleaning Concrete - Part 1 - Sealing Concrete - DIY Cleaning & Sealing
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Cleaning concrete is a pain, but let’s make it easier by choosing the right cleaner. Let’s make it even easier in the future by sealing the concrete when we’re done! This is a helpful video in and of itself, but it is also the 1st of three video on sealing concrete:
Part 1 - Cleaning Concrete
Part 2 - Choosing a Concrete Sealer ( • Choosing a Concrete Se... )
Part 3 - Sealing Your Concrete ( • Applying Concrete Seal... )
Bonus - Sealing New Concrete ( • Sealing New Concrete |... )
#SealingConcrete
#Whatisusedtosealconcrete
#HowtoSealConcrete
#HowtoCleanConcreteFloors
#howtosealconcretedriveway
#howtosealconcretepatio
#howtosealconcretecracks
#whatisthebestconcretesealer
#howtosealconcretebasement
#sealingconcretegaragefloors
#shouldisealmyconcretepatio
#howtosealconcretefloors
#BestConcreteCleaner
In this video we’ll cover the four primary types of cleaners on the market:
1. pH neutral
2. Acidic
3. Alkaline
4. Enzymatic or bacterial
And we’ll give some unorthodox advice…don’t pressure wash!...unless you have no other choice. Watch to learn why! If you must pressure wash, keep the pressure as low as possible.
If you have any tough stains like latex paint or wood stain, try a paint stripper, gel preferred, on the paint. For oil based wood stains or paints, first rinse with water to saturate the concrete. After it’s mostly soaked it, pour some mineral spirits on the stain and scrub away. Rinse liberally to wash away the mineral spirits.
Chapter Links
0:34 Important Info on Cleaning Concrete
1:32 Concrete Cleaner Types
1:40 pH Neutral Cleaners
1:52 Acidic Cleaners
2:15 Alkaline Cleaners
2:42 Enzymatic/Bacterial Cleaners
3:35 Buying Cleaners
4:17 Cleaning Demonstration
6:38 Conclusion and Results
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👍🏻👍🏻 Great series of videos. Thanks for breaking down the process simply and thoroughly.
Good videos, saw all three. What would you recommend for the outside front door steps and walkway? I get a lot of mold and dark stains from the door mat. Thanks and regards
Nice job, thanks for sharing!
GREAT VIDEO THANKS! HE KNOWS HIS STUFF! 👍
So helpful! Thank you. If my concrete is new and clean with a very smooth surface (architectural exposed walls) do I need to wash before sealing?
Toolbox: Dear Sir: I need to clean off the sidewalk and concrete walkway, a few yards, from mud and soil. Could I use a stiff brush or a softer broom? Will a stiff non-metallic broom help or hurt?
Question Sir.
I have a concrete bench in my back yard and it's starting to show efflorescence. What do you recommend for the removal of the efflorescence and to seal the bench. It's a small bench about 1 foot x 3 feet. Thanks for your video.
You have taught me so much from this one video alone. Thankyou so much
Well done, great vid. super informative.
Any insight would be helpful! Looking to get this done tomorrow
Basement with mice and critter droppings and residual odor. I'm planning to use the enzymatic cleaner. Is that what you would suggest? Also, no drainage in the basement, is it possible to not have to rinse that cleaner? Any ideas I would very much appreciate.
You mentioned there is siding stain remaining after you cleaned the concrete.What would happen if you misted the concrete with a diluted solution of more of the same color of stain? Would the stain cause problems for the concrete or sealer?
How can I get the granite look ( color, gloss, pattern) on a 5 month old covered patio in N Florida, it's now just a dusty white slab?
Thank you, so informative. I have a bad problem -- the contractor who re-surfaced my concrete porch (stoop - outdoors) put Thoroughcoat all over it to "seal" it. It was the wrong stuff. How do we get this off, and what is the proper way to seal our concrete stoop? Please help.
The man for the job right here!
Thanks for teaching me about these different applications I've learned a lot through your videos. Thanks again.
My pleasure!
Great videos, love the complete list of available products. A question: I have linoleum covering concrete floors inside my home. After cleaning and prepping the concrete, what sealer would you recommend? I'm not interested in a high gloss finish, just something transparent that will hopefully last as long as possible and make it easy to clean. Thanks!
Where can I find the list of products?
Thanks, I was about to buy an alkaline cleaner but don't have oil stains. Based on your video, I will be using an acidic cleaner. What was the cleaner you used? Something Easy was all I could read on the label.
Keep making good content!
Great vid Thanks.
Good one....Thanks!
I have a shop on the back of my garage that has a floor that was just poured last year. There are a couple of small areas that have oil stains but most of the concrete is fairly clean. I was thinking of just using a good detergent to clean any dirt that's on the floor and then after it dries, seal it with Majic Dust Free Concrete Sealer. I bought a bottle of Transchem Muriatic Acid but from what you have said in your video, it seems like that may be overkill. Any thoughts?
Cat litter aka filter clay. Rub it in and sweep it up.
@@CompostWatcher Thank you.
Can you put a acrylic sealer on top of a penatrating sealer?
I had a basement flood, emptied the basement and was left with black mold stains on the floor. Used mold control fogging to kill mold and smell. But left when contents were removed.
Please help me with what to use to remove my stains.
Great video. I have a question. I have a concrete floor in the basement that has a lot of dirt from the construction build. We moved in about a year ago and every time I go to the basement I track the concrete dirt, residue thru the house. We want to finish the basement and stain the concrete floor. What do you recommend for cleaning an entire basement floor that would be ok to use so we can stain the concrete afterwards?
GlockFan leave it alone, call a professional epoxy company and pick out a pattern you like.
Can you tint penetrating sealer gray
Thank you for this series. A question for you. I am trying to seal my concrete driveway this year using a penetrating sealer. Do I need to clean/strip out last year's acrylic-based sealer knowing that it almost gone anyway? If so what/how do you recommend. Thanks.
Since an acrylic sealer is film forming, you will need to remove it. You have a few options. The first is mechanical removal which would be grinding, sanding, or sand blasting off the sealer. If it isn't adhered very well, you might be able to get it off with a pressure washer. Then you have the chemical stripper options. There are three types: biochemical, caustic, and solvent-based. All three need to be handled with care and the manufacturer's safety precautions followed. Generally, the solvent-based will be the strongest followed by caustic then biochemical. I would lean towards the biochemical but just know that it may not be strong enough to remove it with one application. Unfortunately, I don't have enough experience with these to offer up any product recommendations. You might try calling a concrete supply store and asking them for a recommendation.
@@ToolboxDIY What is the Biochemical option?
What are you using to scrub?
Are there any tips for cleaning, prepping for and applying sealer when you have concrete that is badly dusting already?
Coincidentally, I just went through this with a driveway. I applied a siliconate sealer to the driveway six days after it was poured. Unbeknownst to me, they poured it in a light rain which resulted in the slab badly dusting. The concrete foreman said they would remove the top layer that was dusting by using a pressure washer and if that didn't work, they would tear it out and repour it.
Luckily, pressure washing worked. They did it with about 2500 psi and went slowly. This removed the top layer which only slightly impacted the appearance of the slab. After I was satisfied that the pressure washing had worked, I then applied another coat of siliconate sealer. Everything worked out well.
So in short, take a pressure washer to it first then apply a siliconate sealer.
How to clean store conectarte
I had my patio poured this spring. There is no stains so do you recommend just hosing it off and leaf blowing it dry?
I think that would be adequate.
Yeah man you totally helped me out with all these videos cleaning and sealing my concrete
FYI I took this advice and ordered the siliconate sealer from the home depot which was Foundation Armor SC25 and regretted it. The instructions said use only for very light concrete. I called the company and they were very helpful. They said their SX5000-WB (Silane-Siloxane) product was better because it didn't leave white stains. They said the SC25 could be ok for bare light concrete, but definitely not over any coloring or anything. They also said they recommend applying with a sprayer, and said not to roll it. I just used the SC25 since I had already waited 2 weeks for it to arrive and it did indeed leave lots of white areas. I would definitely be careful with the siliconate recommendation and will try the silane-siloxane one next time.
I'm sorry to hear that. I haven't heard anything good things about Foundation Armor. If you do try the silane-siloxane, it might be best to avoid FA. The fact that they said their silance-siloxane product doesn't leave white stains sounds like an implicit admission their siliconate product isn't very good. However, I've seen other siliconate sealers leave white stains but only when applied in excess and not addressed immediately. I hope you have better luck with the next product. (BTW, I use Vseal - I have no affiliation with them, but have had success with those products).
Great videos. I’m trying to remove the final bits and pieces of carpet glue on my front porch. I tried goof off and paint thinner but didn’t have the best result. What remover and method do you recommend? Also, I like sealing you used in video 2, what do you suggest I use if I want to seal but also like a matte look? Again this is for my front porch. Thanks!!
You might try applying steam or boiling water to the adhesive and then scraping it off after it softens up. You might not get all of it, but if it's no longer sticky you could try sanding it off with a random orbit sander. For a sealer with a matte look, I prefer Vseal 101.
ToolboxDIY thanks!! I can’t find where to buy VSEAL, any ideas?
@@brady9561 vseal dot com
If my concrete is surrounded by grass and ground cover, which cleaner would be the best? I do have some light rust stains. The concrete is four months old and I’m planning to seal it after cleaning it.
You might want to look at Safe 'n Easy Masonry Rust Remover. It's an environmentally friendly cleaner. With any cleaner, I recommend hosing down the surrounding grass/plants before applying the cleaner. If the cleaner is harmful to vegetation, hosing down the vegetation first will dramatically dilute the cleaner that gets absorbed. I then hose it down again when I'm done for further dilution. (No dead grass, yet!)
What type of cleaner would u recommend cleaning a concrete patio around my unground pool? Just has nature stains.
Great series! Can I you this inside my garage? I am trying to clean and seal our garage for my wife to have a studio space. Will the cleaner you use remove oils?
It will work on interior concrete like your garage. I really like epoxy coating on interior concrete, but it's more expensive and more work. A penetrating sealer will provide you with water protection and keep a natural concrete look if that's what you desire. For removing oils, I would recommend an alkaline cleaner. You might try Safe N' Easy Oil and Grease Remover. A stiff nylon bristle brush and elbow grease will come in handy as well. Oils stains can require some patience depending on how deep they are.
ToolboxDIY thank you for responding. I do want to keep the natural look. Do I decrease before using a cleaner like you mentioned?
Degrease first! You might find that the degreaser cleans it enough that a secondary cleaner is not needed. The good thing about most degreasers is they are alkaline (concrete is naturally alkaline) so they don't impact the pH of the concrete.
Great detailed videos. Thank you.
Pressure washed the driveway before I saw your videos (oops). I was trying to see what sealer to use and how. Question: I still have stains from acorn and berry droppings from a pin oak and crab apple tree - what should I use to remove these prior to using the penetrating siliconate sealer that you used in your video.? Thanks.
Try bleach (1 cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water) or oxiclean. With the oxiclean, wet the concrete liberally then sprinkle the oxiclean on the area. Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. Then use a stiff nylon brush to scrub the area. When using bleach, scrub with the brush as well.
Rinse the area well to remove either cleaner.
ToolboxDIY Thank you. Will follow your advice.
Pay a professional to clean it and then seal it yourself or leave it alone because sealers tend to fail and look horrible because you can’t get them off without grinding the surface.
Hi, will any of the cleaners you listed be good for cleaning interior concrete basement floor, it does not have oil, I just want to clean and freshen it, We use to just hose it down with water and lysol but they do not make that (hospital strength) kind of lysol any more.
@Luanne - For interior concrete like a basement floor, a pH neutral cleaner is probably best unless you have stains you want to remove. It sounds like you don't have stains so you could go with a soap (dish soap or a floor cleaning soap) and water mixture. You could go slightly acidic with 1 Tbsp of dish soap, 1 cup of distilled vinegar, and 1 gallon of warm water. If you do have light stains you want to remove, a diluted bleach solution might work or you could apply an ammonia mixture. Just don't mix bleach and ammonia - it's very bad!
I recommend trying the dish soap/vinegar mixture first. If that doesn't work for your needs, you might try something like Zep's Neutral Floor Cleaner. Bleach or ammonia would be my last resort (in that order) since you'll need to ventilate those fumes.
Secret Machines Rock!!!
Yes they do! 🤘
Good point not to pressure washer. As I have an old porous sidewalk, I want to do a brick pattern with concrete paint.
My patio is only a week old. It is only a little soiled. Could I just blast it with the hose? I am planning to use a water based siliconate penetrating sealer.
I would just blast it with a hose. If you can't get it off with a hose and a brush, a low PSI pressure washer from a safe distance (12+ inches) won't cause any damage, but I would wait until you reach the 30 day mark to do that.
Which cleaner would be best to clean up a melted wax candle off a painted concrete patio? My candle blew off my picnic table and here in Las Vegas, the triple digit heat melted it everywhere!
I can't think of a good chemical cleaner for that. But I can think of a good mechanical cleaner...a blow dryer! Heat up spots with the blow dryer and use a towel to wipe it up. You may need to blot it rather than wiping if the concrete isn't smooth. It's possible that any residual wax could be removed with acetone but I've never tried it so no promises on that one. Good luck!
Had a piss poor painter leave a lot of paint drops on the concrete driveway after painting house. Was thinking about using a wire brush with paint remover but after your advice against using wire brushes... well, have any advice?
Oh, you have one of those painters too?! Test this in one spot first...pour some denatured alcohol on a paint spot and use a non-metallic stiff, bristled brush. The paint should come off easily. I say test first because it might brighten that spot too much for your taste. If the alcohol doesn't work, that orange gel paint remover usually works. You can mix it with diatomaceous earth to make a paste and let it sit for a couple of hours then it should come off easily with a brush. It might even come off with a hose and a concentrated stream nozzle.
@@ToolboxDIY Will do... thnx very much :)
If you’ve already pressure washed, do you need to do additional cleaning before sealing?
No additional cleaning required before sealing. If the pressure washing took care of everything, you're ready to seal!
@@ToolboxDIY do u think the physical etchers are massive overkill and if available, most ppl could get by w/ power-washing only?
I'm just trying to clean dust/dirt off of concrete what should I use?
A broom
will acidic take up paint spills?
Not really. Non of the cleaners mentioned are very effective with paint spills. If it's machined troweled concrete (very smooth), you can try a floor scraper. Otherwise, start by cleaning that spot with TSP and stiff bristled brush (non-metallic). That may loosen it enough to then scrape it off. If that doesn't work, take paint stripper (the orange gel stuff works well) and mix it with sawdust or kitty litter or diatomaceous earth. Make a paste out of this and put it on the spill for about 4 hours and the scrape and/or brush it off. Use gloves!
The pressure washer using straight water did not blast away the ring spots where flower planters used to be. I wonder what kind of stain that is? Anyway, I'll try the less toxic options first by rubbing white or grey brick over the stain like a scouring pad. Also, I will try coca-cola and brushing or rubbing with either a brick or nylon stiff brush.
Jason - If the planter is wooden, the stains could be caused from tannins leaching out of the wood. Oxalic acid is good for removing these (mix 1lb of oxalic acid with 1 gallon warm water), but you'll want to wash the entire concrete surface with this stuff so you maintain a uniform look. It's an excellent cleaner so it would be obvious if you only used it on one spot. Yes, it's toxic, but only if you ingest it. A thorough rinsing will dilute it past the point of concern.
If the planters are not wooded, it's probably just dirt and mold. If you want to stick with non-toxic options, try the Safe-n-Easy line of cleaners from Dumond. I've had success with those. I'd love to hear what you end up trying and what works
Thanks for your reply. Yesterday I used a grey-ish colored brick from Menards called "tumbled autumn blend with 3"x 6" dimensions and it got all the heavy dirt spots out that the pressure water using just water didn't get. When the tumbled bricks grind on the concrete they leave a very fine air-floatable rock dust powder, which is not good to breathe, but the results are very nice on the concrete. It blends in all the color inconsistencies on the face of the patio as well, which helps with curb appeal. I like it better than the original concrete b/c it has this chalky white marble look to it. By the way this is all under a covered 4 pad long front porch 2400 sq ft farm house style. The only thing negative is that I might be stripping off an original sealer from 40 years ago when the house was built, but that sealer is probably worn off long ago anyway. I don't know much about sealers and their lifespan. What do you think?
Fascinating about the tumbled brick! I've used a concrete rubbing brick before to remove rough spots, but never to remove stains. Makes sense that it would work. Glad you had good results with it.
A sealer from 40 years ago has got to be toast by now. I don't know of any sealers that last that long. I don't know what you want to achieve with the sealer, but if it's to repel water and protect against freeze/thaw, I'd go with a penetrating sealer. Gives you protection without significantly altering the appearance. I go through the various sealer types in this video: czcams.com/video/pXGfoRfoYBk/video.html
I just use vinegar or bleach, then soap and water. does it have negative effect?
As long as you rinse thoroughly, it won't have a negative effect.
Have you used 30 second outdoor cleaner on concrete.
I have not. I'm skeptical just by the name but would love to hear from anyone who has used it.
Have a newhouse being built now
When complete what do I need to do before sealing garage floor & patio?
Will seal before moving in
Trying to seal from dog stains on patio & would like high shine in garage
Just make sure the concrete is clean before sealing. There's not much else prep work that you'll need to do. If you are using a sealer that is a hardener, this has to be applied before the concrete cures completely. Every product is different, but most just require that the concrete is set enough to walk on before applying and should be done within the first week after the pour.
Is it my imagination, or did we have concrete that lasted practically forever in the 60's-70's, without ANY of this maintenance?
It's your imagination. The concrete at my house from the 60s is ROYALLY screwed. Water has eroded the concrete to the point some of the larger aggregate materials are showing. Looks like hell.
Yup your 100% right laws have stoped company using “river sand” & is made with sea sand as why it’s not as strong 😢but #savetherivers 😅
I have just watched your 3 excellent videos on concrete sealing and wish I had done so before cleaning a 6000 sq feet industrial concrete floor. The floor is in an unused section of a commercial building next to a woodworking operation. We removed a vast amount of dirt from the floor with a pressure washer and sealed off the wood working shop. We now us the area for playing pickleball but the floor is covered with a dirty gray dust. My pals think that the dust is sawdust from the woodshop but it is gray ... the same color as the floor. Is it more likely to be dust and dirt coming up from the concrete floor itself? If so I assume a sealer will significantly improve the situation. What is your advice.
nibrac
Gray dust is likely the top layer of the concrete breaking down. I had the same issue on my driveway. We pressure washed it with relatively high PSI (3200, I think) to remove as much of that top layer as possible (it's a very thin layer and not noticeable). Then I sealed it and now it doesn't dust at all.
@@ToolboxDIY many thanks ... What type ofsealer did you use?
On the exterior, I use MasterSeal NP-1 which is not paintable but they do have 12 colors to choose from. If I need it to be paintable, I use OSI Quad.
@@ToolboxDIY getting ready to prep my garage floor for sealing and i do own a 3000 psi pressure washer w/ a concrete surface cleaning attachment. are u thinking it does a better job than the acid-based prepping?
Great great video I have to clean my friends back yard tomorrow full of poop
Are there tips for cleaning concrete that has algae? It's not mold, it's algae that is green in the winter when it rains and turns black in the summer.
Bleach actually works very well for this. You can use it with a product called Jomax house cleaner. I don't recall the mixture ratio (it's on the Jomax directions), but this has worked well for me when cleaning algae off of stucco. I apply it and then scrub the heck out of it with a stiff bristle brush and then rinse. If you can't get it all off with this, try rinsing it with a pressure washer at a lower PSI (1000-1700psi).
if you have a power washer and can save money use it,. Car washes power wash their bays daily.
I've done my patio with this method but my double wide driveway is 60 feet long......no way
Sodium hypoclorite works
He talks like a scientist giving a research presentstion.
The last guy said to use a pressure washer. 😢
hit up
What if there is nowhere for the rinse water to flow out?
Epoxy pond liner.
A power washed would take out those stains 🙄😂
Israel Morales We wish. Just had new white stamped concrete poured around our pool and deck but due to the high clay content of our soil and the yard being torn up from the pool installation the new concrete is quite stained from clay. My husband spent two days power washing it and it is still very stained. He has a 2000 psi pressure washer.
Muy largo to video
Os\
too much info. boring.
@daniielle