LOL! You guys are making me blush!
Ok...let's see about the directions. First thing to remember is there is really no right or wrong way to do it...mearly some guidlines to follow. This was tough for me because I always want to know the EXACT way to do something.
Here's what you'll need:
--1 five gallon plastic bucket
--1 small container (old jar, sturdy margerine container, old mug, etc)
--1 or 2 boxes of iron sulphate (got mine at Ace but you can get it at any garden supply store...it's used to kill moss)
--1 stiff bristle brush attached to a pole
--water
--1 foam type painting pad (to be attached to pole later)
--1 painting/roller pan
--1 or 2 jugs of "Glaze N' Seal" concrete sealer...depending on your coverage needed. I used up one and a 1/2 jugs on two 10x12 bedrooms, a bathroom and the laundry room...all of which had 2 or more coats. This stuff is expensive (I think I paid $80 a jug) but it's what will protect your color.
I did mine before framing so I didn't have to be carefull with the whole process but I know a guy who did it after sheetrock was up so it can be done. The iron sulphate WILL stain anything it comes in contact with (
just a warning) and will turn wood black.
Step 1: clean you floors...leave them wet if you want.
step 2: mix the box of the iron sulphate into the bucket of water.....stir until it's desolved. The mixture will look like very rusty water. You'll want to have a stick handy to stir the mixture periodically. The box I bought was roughly the size of a small ceral box.
step three:gently pour the mixture on to the floor using your small container, covering the entire surface. Let sit.
step four: wait....wait....wait....some folks leave it on 2 hours, some folks leave it on 24 hours. The longer you leave it on the darker it will be. It may turn yellow...this is normal. Keep your eyes open for black looking areas...these areas will be very dark and may need to be diluted to slow down the process and let the other areas catch up. The color also depends on how new your concrete is....just watch it and see how it reacts. Remember, you can always make it darker but you can't make it lighter.
step five: rinse. When I did mine, I just hosed it off. You'll have to do some mopping to get up the residual mixture. Some areas may have a yellow haze over them...this is where the brush comes in...use it and some water to expose the rich colors underneath the yellow haze...then rinse again.
Step six:let floor dry at least 24 hours before sealing.
step seven: pour some Glaze n' Seal into the pan, put the pad onto the stick and apply the Glaze n' Seal. This part is the best part sonce you'll get to see how pretty your floor will be. I would do 2 coats or more in high traffic areas. Let it dry a few hours between coats and keep the pets away from the floors (stray hairs stick).
And that's it!
I clean mine with all sorts of nasty stuff but it seems to hold up...best thing to keep it looking good is water and vinegar. The shine will dull some and you'll get some wearing but to me that's what makes it cool. If you start to get too many scratches, just throw another coat of Glaze n' Seal on it and it looks brand new.
Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!
--f.g.
I intend to try it out once construction is done here. You have given me hope of one day having a floor I can stand.
