Polished Concrete Residue

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Author Message JB Lane (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2014 - 01:29 am:    My wife, who has severe allergies, and I recently had our condo's concrete floor stained and polished to cut down on allergens. I think it's sealed, but don't know the specifics of what was used. The issue is I've spent the past 2 weeks cleaning concrete dust from every nook and cranny. The floor itself seems to be a neverending source of concrete dust, and it stains everything I wipe it with a light brown. The installer mentioned it took 72 hrs to cure, and that the color was just dust and stain residue that would go away. I've cleaned the floors with water and towels at least 5 times now, and while the color on the towels isn't as dark, it still turns the bottom of my socks brown. My main question is if the floor was installed properly, or if this is normal and it will go away? How many cleanings does it take? (Especially considering our reason for the concrete was to reduce dust, not increase it.) Any other advice is much appreciated. anon (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2014 - 11:39 am:    From what you describe, it seems that your stained floor was not sealed. Stained concrete floors require a clear sealer - acrylic is inexpensive and common in residential construction, but not as durable as epoxy/urethane systems. I recommend [company name removed as this was an anonymous posting]. They are an excellent information resource and sell excellent products - which I specify for large commercial projects with greta success. Richard Gonser AIA CSI CCCA SCIP Senior Member Username: rich_gonser Post Number: 78 Registered: 11-2008 Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2014 - 01:50 pm:    Based on what you've said, this should not be the case. Get that installer to get his tail back there and fix it. This is not normal. Is that simple enough? George A. Everding, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: geverding Post Number: 764 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2014 - 02:17 pm:    Doesn't sound normal to me either. Three organizations that deal with concrete polishing - visit their websites to see if they have any FAQ or if they can refer you to experts in your area: http://www.icpsc365.com http://www.concretepolishingassociation.com http://www.ipcionline.org Unregistered Guest (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2014 - 02:29 pm:    The company I referenced in my earlier post, which was removed, is located in Arizona. They do Polymer coatings for Flooring. If you do a web search for arizona + polymer + flooring, you will go right to it. I do not work for this company. I am a specifier and I specify their products for projects that I work on. J. Peter Jordan Senior Member Username: jpjordan Post Number: 765 Registered: 05-2004 Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2014 - 03:58 pm:    Concrete polishing is not necessarily a defined process with generally accepted standards. I would agree with Mr. Gonser and suggest that you have not gotten what you paid for. I would suggest you look at the penetrating siliconate densifiers (also described as sealers). These will penetrate the concrete, reduce dusting, and should not require reapplication. "Ashford Formula" and "LiquidHard" are two brands that I specify, but there are about 10 to 12 comparable products on the market. anon (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Tuesday, September 16, 2014 - 04:13 pm:    if the stain is coming off the surface of the floor, as indicated, then a penetrating sealer will do little to prevent this from continuing to happen. A film-former is required for this situation. This is how a stained concrete floor is done - stain plus a film-forming sealer. John,Oregon (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 - 04:09 am:    I certainly hope that by this time you have had your floor fixed. If you haven't, the situation of brown residue is coming from the dye not being removed from the surface completely. This would also be an indicator that there isn't a surface sealer. If you have to deal with this yourself you can buy a gallon of sealer and usually it is cut with water at a 1 to 1 ratio and applied with a wax applicator doing two coats one in both directions to make the sealer blend better. However don't just buy any concrete sealer make sure its designed for polish concrete. Also ask the manufacturer for application instructions and make absolutely certain that your water is nice and clean or it can affect your sealer. Hopefully the installer of the floor took care of you but sometimes they don't.