I made a lot of mistakes when I was finishing my basement, but this one really hurt.
This one cost me a couple hundred bucks.
But more than that it was a complete waste of 2 straight weekends!
And to top it all off, at first, it looked like I hadn't made a mistake at all. In fact for about 3 months I thought I was the "Mac Daddy" of basement finishing. I thought HGTV might be calling my number to host my own show. Everyone who saw my work was singing my praises.
Then one day I started to notice some problems. Aaaahhh, that' s nothing a little bit of brown Sharpie pen can't fix. I'll just touch that up, no problem. Yes, I fix lots of dings with Sharpie pens. But two days later… another ding and then another.
It was at that moment that I knew. My 25 hours of work staining my concrete basement floor would all be for nothing.
You're the lucky one! You get to learn from my mistake. And for less than $5, know exactly how to stain your basement floor. More on that in a minute.
Staining a Concrete Basement Floor - (The wrong way)
It's not like I didn't do any research. I looked around on the internet for hours. I just couldn't find any good resources. I saw tons of awesome pictures of stained concrete floors but no one really went over how to do it.
Yet, I was determined. I wanted that really cool stained concrete look. Plus I wanted the kids to be able to right their little cars and bikes in the basement.
I moved everything back into the storage area. Not an easy undertaking. I bought several gallons worth of concrete cleaner solution. I bought steel brushes and nylon brushes to really make sure I removed all possible dirt and cat poop stains (disgusting but true).
I literally got on my hands and knees and scrubbed every square inch of the floor. Then I sucked it up with a wet-vac. Then poured fresh water on the floor and washed it again. Then sucked it up with the wet-vac and so on. (the wet-vac was a real time saver!)
Finally, I bought the stain, the rollers, and a bunch of other misc supplies. I rolled the stain on. It looked awesome! I thought I might cry.
Basement Floor Problems Start to Creep In
About two weeks after I finished the kids complained that they were slipping all over the place. Sure enough, the floor was really slippery. I almost broke my arm. Not wanting a huge hospital bill I had to wipe the floor down again and seal it with some grippy anti-slip sandy stuff.
Slippy problem solved, it was still looking like the best finished basement floor ever. I was king of the basement. Lord of home improvement. And I reigned as king for several weeks, a month even.
Then chips in the floor finish started to appear. I fixed the first few with my brown Sharpie pen but it soon became a lost cause as more and more chips appeared.
The stain had not penetrated the concrete. I had not prepped it correctly.
"Disappointed" isn't a strong enough word. Is heart-stricken a word? That's what I was, real word or not. It felt like someone had poked a hole in my basement heart.
Now What?
I still haven't decided what to do. The kids want carpet. I think I want a vinyl strip wood product or take another crack at staining it. But this time, do it the right way.
Now this is where you can benefit from my mistakes. I finally found a great resource for how to do it right - Concrete Network
Good resource which explains cost, links on how to apply, design ideas, and FAQs
Still Young Enough to Cut Corners
At least I learned something. I learned that I'm still young enough to think that I can take shortcuts, even though I know doing it the right way from the start is the only real answer.
The corner I cut was not continuing my research just because I didn't find something right away. I knew I didn't have the write info, but I pushed ahead anyway. A touch more patience and I'd have a perfect stained floor right now.
At least I no longer have cat poop stains on my basement floor.
Have you ever stained a concrete floor? How did it turn out? Check out Chris's website and let us know if you decide to try it.
Cheers - Jason
Linktastic Links :
- Are you ready to finish your own basement?
- For more basement design ideas check out the basement ideas page.
- Are you ready to buy trim, check out my trim tips.
At what point did you stain the concrete floors? We're all framed out and was thinking about doing it prior to electrical and drywall. Then just cover the floors with black felt paper when it was all complete. Figured we could be 'sloppy' and not have to worry about walls, and would also make cleanup of the drywall dust easier since we could just throw away the paper when done. Thoughts?
Barclay - Sorry this reply is a little late. For some reason my comment alert didn't come through. I suggestion is to do it after drywall and painting. As you mentioned you'll have to cover the floors otherwise. The only part that would be easier after staining would be the base trim. I would put the base trim on last. - Jason
We stained the floor prior to renovation work. Red Rhino advised that once floor is stained, anything that falls onto it is easy to clean up.
I am looking at staining my basement floor that I just removed carpet from. What is the best way to get the glue off of the floor so that the stain will work properly?
We had someone come in & "grind" it off. It creates a massive amount of dust, so be prepared, but it leaves the concrete ready for sealing/staining/etc. We have decided to seal & stain ours.
I had a contractor stain my basement floor last week. It is already chipping. He didn't etch it. How would he get the product up now to start over?!
Thanks for your help!
Good question Matt, you would probably need a solvent of some sort. Sorry to hear about the chipping. - Jason
You never specifically indicate what you did wrong. Did you not clean, etch? Was the wrong stain or sealer used? Do you have moisture in the floor that caused it to chip? What was the reason the floor chipped? I did not find this article useful as more a tool to recommend another site and book.
Hi Rose. I'm not 100% sure what I did wrong, but I believe it was the lack of etching the concrete first so that it could receive the stain properly. - Jason
My concrete is shiny, has a coat of clear already on it. Do I. Red to take that off with etch? Making sure there is no shiny so that the stain will seap into the concrete?
Hi Robin - Yes, unfortunately that clear top coat has to come off. Cheers - Jason
When I saw the sharpie I just had to laugh, i dread to think how much paintwork/leather scuffs/ floor chips are covered up in my house by the magic sharpie. I have to admit I am a self confessed corner cutter when it comes to home improvement.
Great article. I talk to people everyday about their attempts at staining concrete. I have stained floors professionally for the last 15 years. Hoping I can help steer some in the right direction with a few comments. I think its important to point out a few things. Concrete prep involves removing mastic and opening floor porosity. In my opinion mechanical means is best. (have a dust mitigation plan) concrete silica dust is very bad for your lungs. A true stain or dye, penetrates the concrete rather than coats it like a latex or acrylic (behr) . Concrete basements are subterranean which means if building is pre 90's there is probably not a moisture barrier. This can lead to delamination of work from hydro-stactic pressure. Humidity in basements can create sweaty slab syndrome(dew on floor) If using a "sealer" DO NOT use a solvent, I have known of people dying from fuming out basements and pilot lights setting off a flash fire. Just be careful
There you have it folks. Sick wisdom from a 15 year vet.
Thanks Steve!
Hi, Jason awesome write! I saw you tried to fix the issue with Sharpie pen and I did the same thing too on myself, this pen is worth less. But I found something is very important on your post. Your basement floor looks great after concrete staining solution, Nice work.