Friday, March 23, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Masking Tape Marauders
With the first coat of stain applied, we begin the waiting period before we can recoat.
Notice the kitchen appliances are gone? We had to remove them and store them for this period of time. The refrigerator is plugged into the kitchen outlet (20 amp circuit) but the frige itself is in the blue bedroom.
Great Room Floor
Our cat's view of these proceedings is a little different than our own; I am sure he thinks we are batty!
We did the areas behind and under the appliances first, that way we can re-arm the kitchen sooner. Working in the kitchenn when it looks like this is very discouraging, especially with the refrigerator in the South bedroom! Here you can see that we masked off the areas we didn't want to stain, once the first squares are sealed and finished, we will strip off the plastic and tape from them for transfer to the squares we just completed. Don't worry, we are confused, too.
Once the kitchen was done, we turned our attention to the rest of the room. The combo set up, with the vacuum cleaner, the scoring tool and the scoring guide are set up here, ready for action!
Grade the Driveway
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Saturday, March 03, 2007
The Back Hall & Laundry
In this sequence of photos you can see the process of having the floor grinded (ground?), stained, scored, washed, sealed, and, finally, grouted.
The first two images are of the back hall & laundry area, prior to the work of the grinding tool. Notice the waves in the floor surface? That is how the last guys left the floor, unfinished, mostly because it was the end of the day.
These photos can be enlarged sometimes to full screen (yours) by clicking on the image, try it!
The next shots here are taken after the staining and scoring has been done, what needs doin' now is the wash off of the slightly acidic stain residue. I use a baking soda and water solution for this process. After this is done, the floor can be sealed for posterity.. If washing these floors is the least fun, sealing them is the most rewarding by far of all the processes, or maybe it's the grouting. I can't decide.....
Master Bedroom
The scoring tool and the jig I used to ensure straight lines, simply two pieces of 1/4" masonite, attached together so as they lay parallel to each other and spread apart at 1-1/2" to allow for the saws width.
The blue tape and string are used to mark out the "tiles" for scoring. I used the blue tape, instead of marking the floor with a pencil, simply because it's easier to see and it doesn't leave a mark that must be erased off.
In the last photo, you can see the semi-finished product, with the scored joints and the addtional concrete stain applied. Now we wait for an addtional time period to allow the stain to burn into the concrete surface, tomorrow we wash and seal!