My Nohr-S acid stain project

[JonM]

I put down four coats of Nohr-S, last night and into this morning, and I'm looking forward to moving into the garage on Sunday. I've been pretty focused on the project, so unlike most threads, you guys won't have to wait for the final results.

The back story is that I originally intended to do a basic epoxy floor, but kept seeing acid stained floors in my searches that looked so much cooler than a straight epoxy or epoxy flake finish. Since the acid stain process wouldn't require much more work, I decided to pull the trigger.

As a lift is going in, and the slab is post-tensioned, I had to locate the cables using a local ground penetrating radar service. With the cables mapped, I decided to make the underlying structure a permanent part of my surface finish.

Saw cuts were the first step:




Once the saw cuts were layed out, I went over the concrete multiple times with Simple Green and a pressure washer. Unfortunately, I ended up storing the cars and bikes in the garage for a short while, which caused some stains.



Getting organized:


As I wanted to go with two colors, and really highlight the map, I masked off the saw cut areas:

 

[JonM]

The initial stain with Malayan Buff (I loved this color):


After removing the masking tape, I applied the Azure Blue:


I didn't realize that I went to heavy on laying it down, which caused some awkward pooling. Rather than let it create a huge puddle near the door, I said "WTF?" and used a dust brush to carry the stain up the grid:



During the neutralizing and rinsing process:


From the other side:


After drying out:

 

[JonM]

And, finally, with 4 coats of Nohr-S applied:

 

[JonM]

I sourced the stain and the sealer from Scotty at Legacy, and so far, I'm very pleased with the results. I obviously want to get some real use on it, before passing final judgement, so I'll report back after I get through a couple of projects.

I'd call it an 85% project, which I'm happy with, as I've never attempted anything like this with concrete. My goal was to have a place that I would enjoy working on cars in, as well as hanging out a drinking with friends. Nothing in the floor will trigger my OCD, which is key.

To be a 95% project, I would have changed the following:
1) Use a saw guide for the first round of cuts. For some reason, I had a complete brain fart, and tried to freehand them with a pencil line. Rookie mistake.
2) Go lighter with the second color of stain, and start from the high point in the floor, instead of the low.
3) Triple tape the masked sections. I ended up with bleed through of the Malayan Buff on the center tape line, even though the two pieces of tape overlapped. So make sure you have an extra layer of tape over every seam.
4)Use an adhesive remover or equivalent, before applying the second stain color, and after removing the masking tape. I didn't think the 3M tape would leave any residue, but there are clearly spots where the acid stain didn't penetrate as well due to the tape.

Other than those suggestions, I can't think of anything that I'd change. IMO the staining process isn't intended to be perfect, it's a more organic process, and I feel like you should expect some "surprises."

 

[ShadowRuleZ]

Very interested in hearing about your updates after some use!

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Wow. This was a very ambitious project for a DIY and I am sure it was rewarding to see your vision come together. Great job and the Nohr-S looks great, you will have awesome protection for years to come.

 

[Zogman]

Looks fantastic. Is this a new slab and or was it sealed before? Did you have to grind it at all? I have a new slab that's been power troweled and I'm looking for options.

 

[JonM]

This was a new slab with a power trowel finish. No grinding required, I just hit it with the pressure washer and Simple Green. Clearly, be careful with the pressure washer, as you can damage the surface.