Solvent concrete sealer indoors

[Jess regrets it]

Hello, my husband and I are opening a tattoo studio. The landlord left us the task of finishing the floors. We chose to do an acid stain (which turned out amazing) but when researching which sealer to use our research was not thorough enough. A couple of websites we were relying on laid out the pros and cons of solvent versus water based. We chose to go with the solvent based sealer for its durability and glossy finish. The website did warn the odor was higher with solvents but we did not understand the magnitude. Once the floors were sealed we left the doors open for a couple of hours for ventilation but had to lock it up for the night and head back home. The smell has been so strong since (it’s been a week and a half). We have gone in every day with two high powered fans and all of the doors open for several hours a day. We have a regular residential air purifier with a thin carbon filter running constantly and have just added another air purifier with 18 lbs of activated carbon in its filter. In the morning when we arrive the smell is still very strong. After opening both doors the smell weakens after about 30 minutes and it becomes tolerable to be there.
I have a feeling the smell is stuck in the ceiling insulation (which is just plastic covered insulation with no drywall over it)
It seems like it would hold the scent.

I’ve been wondering if from the first few days of strong concentrated odor if the hvac filter is saturated with the smell.

I am wanting to replace it with a carbon filter to more aggressively remove the smell.

It is 1,900 square feet with two hvac units.

What do you think about my predicament?

It’s really scary for me because I’ve started working in the space for about 4-6 hours at a time and am starting to have a sore throat. I can’t skip working because it is my livelihood.

I really regret not doing more research and feel very strongly that any website offering advice on sealing concrete floors should stress that solvent based sealers should NEVER be used indoors.

 

[dfiler2]

I had something similar happen quite a few years ago. I happened to have an ozone generator that someone had given me, I ran it for a couple of days and it seemed to do the trick or maybe it just finally dissipated on its own. I think some rental places do carry them.

Autel 1000: Small O3 Generator | OdorFree

The Autel 1000 is a small ozone generator with a compact, portable design- perfect for cars and hotel rooms, yet strong enough to remove smoke odors.

www.odorfreemachines.com

 

[Jess regrets it]

Do you feel like the odors were coming from the floor or that they were trapped in the drywall and insulation and HVAC? It’s actually been 18 days at this point since the sealer was put down. Sometimes I put my nose directly up to the floor to see if that’s what’s the smell and it seems like it may not be.

I should probably look into this ozone thing and give it a try because I’m afraid that I’m running out of options and I’m going to make myself sick if I keep trying to be in the space.

I was just thinking this morning I might need to make some type of deal where my rent is higher for X amount of time to have the landlord replace all of the ceiling insulation.

also, how big was the space you did this in? I’m worried that it’s this bad because it was a whole practically 2000 square-foot space.

 

[racecougar]

The ozone generator may help, but you'll need to run it when you're not present. Assuming the scent is due to VOC's, it might not make much of an improvement.

 

[FMB4]

Most solvent concrete sealers will indicate for Indoor or for Outdoor, or for Indoor-Outdoor use on the label. The MSDS sheet for said sealers will explain the hazards in-depth as well. Good luck on your business!

 

[flan]

I’d just keep venting. Make sure if the fan is in the front door, a back door or window is open. If not, you are just pressurizing the building and no actual air exchange is taking place.

 

[tncatadjuster]

I have done many solvent based sealers jobs and the smell always go away with time. I am unaware of any materials storing the VOC that has flashed off. I too think you just need to flush the space with fresh air as much as possible. Good luck, time is your best friend. How many gallons were used?

 

[Dreamer1975]

I agree with the rest of the folks on here. I used the same type of product earlier this year. It took awhile for the smell to go away. I just kept venting it as much as I could but it took several weeks to completely go away.

 

[pcmeiners]

"Assuming the scent is due to VOC's, it might not make much of an improvement."

Ozone will oxidize the VOC component chemicals into other chemical compounds, some of which may be more harmful or smell just as powerful as the original VOC components. Your best bet is to continue introducing fresh air. I doubt the ceiling tiles are absorbing all that much of the sealer solvents odor. You found the reason commercial buildings/nursing home/hospitals use water based sealers on interior ceramic floors ( basically same as cement, due to grout). You might try placing trays of vinegar around over night, but I have not tried it for VOC, needs to be aired out before before business due to the acetic acid smell.

 

[PoorUB]

Are the HVAC units roof top units? If they are they generally have the ability to bring in fresh air. Have a tech over and tell him you want a lot of fresh air and leave the fan run 24/7

 

[dcg9381]

I don't have a solution either. I've done concrete staining / sealing residential and we've not had problems. The most recent floor was done in polyurea which does off gas a bit. We're advantaged as we finished the floor and then the building sat for 6+ months unoccupied. If I was you, I'd be trying to move as much fresh air through this building, setup push / pull fans. HVAC can be setup to bring in fresh air, but it's usually not configured this way.

 

[pcmeiners]

"Have a tech over and tell him you want a lot of fresh air and leave the fan run 24/7"

Not a good idea, as the duct system will cool down to the dew point early in the A.M this time of year, then you could gallons of condensation to deal with when you arrive in the morning.

 

[reader2580]

I did epoxy coating on the basement floor in my previous house. It stunk like heck for a few days.

One thing I found is make sure you remove any brushes, rollers, buckets/trays, and other trash related to the sealer from the building. These things usually take longer to fully cure than the floor and will continue to stink long after the floor is cured. Although, 18 days would be a long time for this stuff to still smell.

 

[Jess regrets it]

I had something similar happen quite a few years ago. I happened to have an ozone generator that someone had given me, I ran it for a couple of days and it seemed to do the trick or maybe it just finally dissipated on its own. I think some rental places do carry them.

Autel 1000: Small O3 Generator | OdorFree

The Autel 1000 is a small ozone generator with a compact, portable design- perfect for cars and hotel rooms, yet strong enough to remove smoke odors.

www.odorfreemachines.com

Thanks for the recommendation. I’m going to pass on that one though because the neighboring tenants will loose their **** if I send any more strong odors through the walls again.
another thing I just realized today is that after 19 days or whatever it’s been, the floor is still curing in several places. These air scrubbers will only work if the source is eliminated. So now my new task is trying to speed up the curing process which I thought would’ve been done by now.

honestly I just want to grind it all off and start over again and use a water-based sealer with ventilation and air movement this time. I just think it’s gonna be too hard of a process to grind it all off.

 

[Jess regrets it]

I don't have a solution either. I've done concrete staining / sealing residential and we've not had problems. The most recent floor was done in polyurea which does off gas a bit. We're advantaged as we finished the floor and then the building sat for 6+ months unoccupied. If I was you, I'd be trying to move as much fresh air through this building, setup push / pull fans. HVAC can be setup to bring in fresh air, but it's usually not configured this way.

But have you used a solvent based sealer indoors?
Part of my problem I realized today is that parts of the floor are still curing. It’s been almost 20 days by now. There are parts of the floor that you can scratch with your nail and it makes a slight mark. The guys from Eagle, the brand we used, told me to try to do this to find areas that are not fully cured yet.

The way I discovered this is that today I was cleaning a piece of furniture with alcohol that had a musty smell. I was trying to locate what part of the furniture was emitting the smell and I was sniffing all the different areas and cleaning it with alcohol. I sniffed the backside that was up against the wall, thinking maybe there was mold growth there where the wall was in the home it came from (we got it second-hand), but there was no smell there. We ended up laying the furniture on the back side and I cleaned underneath it and we left it lying on the floor for a couple of hours. When we stood it back up I smelled the back of the furniture piece again and it smelled extremely strong like solvent.

there was also a barber chair that had been moved to one location on the floor just the night before. I scooted it over and sniffed the floor there and it was extremely strong solvent smell. I think this means that the floor is still curing.

when I told the guys from Eagle about all of this they told me that I needed to continue circulating as much air across all areas of the floor as possible until the smell is gone.

 

[Jess regrets it]

I have done many solvent based sealers jobs and the smell always go away with time. I am unaware of any materials storing the VOC that has flashed off. I too think you just need to flush the space with fresh air as much as possible. Good luck, time is your best friend. How many gallons were used?

Maybe 6-8 gallons.
this is our first time applying a sealer and I know the instructions were to apply it thin and my husband tried his best to do what he thought was applying it thin. We did two coats. According to him he used less than was recommended for the square footage by the products recommendation.

The crazy thing that is happening right now is that today I just realized that the floor is probably still curing even though it’s been almost 20 days.
We’ve had two high powered fans in the space blowing air in one door and out the other door trying to create a constant flow while we are there, between 6 to 12 hours a day.

I don't have a solution either. I've done concrete staining / sealing residential and we've not had problems. The most recent floor was done in polyurea which does off gas a bit. We're advantaged as we finished the floor and then the building sat for 6+ months unoccupied. If I was you, I'd be trying to move as much fresh air through this building, setup push / pull fans. HVAC can be setup to bring in fresh air, but it's usually not configured this way.

There are parts of the floor that you can scratch with your nail and it makes a slight mark. The guys from Eagle, the brand we used, told me to try to do this to find areas that are not fully cured yet.

The way I discovered this is that today I was cleaning a piece of furniture with alcohol that had a musty smell. I was trying to locate what part of the furniture was emitting the smell and I was sniffing all the different areas and cleaning it with alcohol. I sniffed the backside that was up against the wall, thinking maybe there was mold growth there where the wall was in the home it came from (we got it second-hand), but there was no smell there. We ended up laying the furniture on the back side and I cleaned underneath it and we left it lying on the floor for a couple of hours. When we stood it back up I smelled the back of the furniture piece again and it smelled extremely strong like solvent.

there was also a barber chair that had been moved to one location on the floor just the night before. I scooted it over and sniffed the floor there and it was extremely strong solvent smell. I think this means that the floor is still curing.

when I told the guys from Eagle about all of this they told me that I needed to continue circulating as much air across all areas of the floor as possible until the smell is gone.

 

[Jess regrets it]

Most solvent concrete sealers will indicate for Indoor or for Outdoor, or for Indoor-Outdoor use on the label. The MSDS sheet for said sealers will explain the hazards in-depth as well. Good luck on your business!

Yes, we realized that after the fact and I totally regret it. I really want to grind it all off and redo it again with a water-based sealer. I’m under the impression that the grinding process is very difficult though.

 

[Jess regrets it]

I have done many solvent based sealers jobs and the smell always go away with time. I am unaware of any materials storing the VOC that has flashed off. I too think you just need to flush the space with fresh air as much as possible. Good luck, time is your best friend. How many gallons were used?

I have done many solvent based sealers jobs and the smell always go away with time. I am unaware of any materials storing the VOC that has flashed off. I too think you just need to flush the space with fresh air as much as possible. Good luck, time is your best friend. How many gallons were used?

Do you think it is possible that the acid stain created significantly deeper pores in the concrete and the solvent is sitting thick in some areas due to that? Could this be what’s causing it to take so long to cure?

 

[Klammer]

I did a solvent sealer indoors at my workshop this spring. The smell was quite strong and did last several days as the solvent cured. That said, there was still some solvent odor for weeks after the floor was done. Slight, but noticeable. To air out my shop I had the benefit of a 10x12 overhead door I was able to keep open about 12 hours a day to help with ventilation. And I had an industrial fan going at all times. I wasn't able to be there all the time but I did have some wifi cameras that I was able to monitor while the door was open and I wasn't there. That probably wouldn't help if someone decided to steal anything but it made me feel better at the time.

I also noticed the clean up solution almost seemed worse than the solvent. I did the floor in 2 sections and cleaned up after the first section in the restroom since the instructions basically said once diluted that the solution could be dumped anywhere. A couple of days after the first section was done the smell seemed worst in the restroom where no sealer was used. After the second section (which was done about a week later) I cleaned up outside and the smell didn't seem to last nearly as long. The restroom isn't used much so to minimize the smell in there I think I ran the water for a while to dilute anything that would have been in the drain trap and gave the toilet several flushes.

At this point for your situation, as long as the solvent was applied properly, I'd try to get as much circulation/ventilation as possible and be patient. Your filters may be holding some of the scent, fabric will do that. Insulation, too, but I had open fiberglass insulation in the ceiling when my floor was done and the smell went away so I don't think you would need to replace that. I'd probably replace the filters, possibly even running a few days without filters until the smell dissipates. You mention carbon filtration and, while I think they would provide some benefit, I think open doors and windows will give more benefit for a short term project like this. One other thing, you don't mention location - temperature can have a huge effect on cure times, so that could be a factor in how long this is taking.

One thing that might help is to move the furniture each day. I know that probably sounds odd, but if the solvent isn't fully cured and you have a barber chair sitting on it (I think of barber chairs as having a large, solid, circular base - yours may be different) it might not be curing very quickly in that spot. Or other spots that are similarly covered. Ideally nothing would have been placed back onto the floor until fully cured but I know that isn't always possible when you're trying to run a business. Another thing you may want to consider is candles*. Most industrial VOCs are burned off so a little flame might help

*please ensure VOCs are low enough not to cause an explosion when lighting any candles, that candles are not left unattended while lit, and any other legal jargon that would be applicable to ensure I have no responsibility if any of this goes horribly horribly wrong

Good luck!

 

[PoorUB]

"Have a tech over and tell him you want a lot of fresh air and leave the fan run 24/7"

Not a good idea, as the duct system will cool down to the dew point early in the A.M this time of year, then you could gallons of condensation to deal with when you arrive in the morning.

Hard to say as we don't know where the OP is from.

But fresh air will help.

 

[tncatadjuster]

Do you think it is possible that the acid stain created significantly deeper pores in the concrete and the solvent is sitting thick in some areas due to that? Could this be what’s causing it to take so long to cure?

The rate you applied the sealer is on the heavy/thick end of the scale, if the first coat had any solvent remaining when you apply a second coat, the cure time will be extended. From my experience the acid stain had nothing to do with prolonged odor.

 

[Jess regrets it]

The rate you applied the sealer is on the heavy/thick end of the scale, if the first coat had any solvent remaining when you apply a second coat, the cure time will be extended. From my experience the acid stain had nothing to do with prolonged odor.

We are going to be running about 14 fans in the space with the heat cranked up to 80 for a week. It’s getting colder outside so we’ve been keeping the doors closed not to slow the curing. We have been leaving the doors open for maybe an hour a couple times a day to let the bad odors out.

I’m getting scared this could drag on for several weeks. I’m considering using smart-strip pro by Dumond if it’s not cured by maybe a week and a half.

it’s a low odor water based foam that sits on the surface covered in plastic for several hours, then you have to manually scrape off the sealer and use a harsh bristle brush in any crevices.
Are you familiar with this product?

im nervous it will be another failure.

I appreciate your advise!

 

[Jess regrets it]

The rate you applied the sealer is on the heavy/thick end of the scale, if the first coat had any solvent remaining when you apply a second coat, the cure time will be extended. From my experience the acid stain had nothing to do with prolonged odor.

Also we were able to walk on the surface on the day of second application. It was not tacky. It was about 24 hours later.

 

[Klammer]

In addition to the experience I had with a solvent sealer in my work shop, I work at a mfg facility that does some solvent coating of our product that produces a lot of VOC's. I supervised our chemical inventory, chemical laboratory, and worked in the environmental/safety dept for years so I've got a decent working knowledge of our systems and the science behind them. On our systems we have industrial exhaust set up to extract the fumes from the work area and when the workload is high (and certain weather conditions) we have to run a "scrubber" that basically burns off the VOCs to get the exhaust to permissible limits. Now, you're not going to set up industrial exhaust/fume scrubber, but I do think ventilation and patience are going to be you're 2 best friends to get through this. If it was me going through this I'd probably have regular visits from Jack or my buddy-wiser, too

We are going to be running about 14 fans in the space with the heat cranked up to 80 for a week. It’s getting colder outside so we’ve been keeping the doors closed not to slow the curing. We have been leaving the doors open for maybe an hour a couple times a day to let the bad odors out.

If you were able to walk on the surface and it isn't tacky anymore I wouldn't worry too much about temperature slowing the curing. You're on the right track with the fans and heat. In addition to that, I'd leave the doors and any windows open any time you are there (not just a couple hours a day) to allow more fresh air in/VOC's out in order to remove the odors that exist. Also, if you have multiple doors or windows, set the fans up to pull fresh air in from one and push air out of the other, basically setting up a wind tunnel to push fresh air through the building. Turning the heat up will help so it doesn't cool off too much while the doors are open. If the floor isn't completely cured most solvents will continue to cure as long as the room temp stays above 50F.

I’m getting scared this could drag on for several weeks. I’m considering using smart-strip pro by Dumond if it’s not cured by maybe a week and a half.

it’s a low odor water based foam that sits on the surface covered in plastic for several hours, then you have to manually scrape off the sealer and use a harsh bristle brush in any crevices.
Are you familiar with this product?

im nervous it will be another failure.

I don't know enough of your details to say absolutely do not do this, but with what I know, I'd advise against stripping this and starting over. First, it seems like a lot of work. Second, I honestly think you're past the worst of this and just need to ventilate the space a little more. Third, and possibly most important, the stripping product may be low odor and water based but the product works by causing a chemical reaction between the strip solution and the solvent sealer and I would expect that to cause its own new odors. Plus, when you're done you have to re-seal the floor and even the water based sealers will have some odors you'll have to deal with. And finally, if stripping the solvent sealer doesn't go well, it could affect the acid stain you've done (looks beautiful, BTW).

 

[BillK]

We are going to be running about 14 fans in the space with the heat cranked up to 80 for a week. It’s getting colder outside so we’ve been keeping the doors closed not to slow the curing. We have been leaving the doors open for maybe an hour a couple times a day to let the bad odors out.

I think part of the problem is that you need to constantly bring fresh air in and the old air out, not just circulate it inside. Even if it is a small amount you need to constantly have fresh air coming in and the old air going out. I dont know where you are located and how your space is set up but you need a small fan sitting in one of the doors blowing air out of the building all of the time when you are there. Yes its going to kill the heat bill if its starting to get cold but it should help get rid of the odor faster. Even running the bathroom exhaust fan constantly should help.

Where are you located ?

 

[Jess regrets it]

I think part of the problem is that you need to constantly bring fresh air in and the old air out, not just circulate it inside. Even if it is a small amount you need to constantly have fresh air coming in and the old air going out. I dont know where you are located and how your space is set up but you need a small fan sitting in one of the doors blowing air out of the building all of the time when you are there. Yes its going to kill the heat bill if its starting to get cold but it should help get rid of the odor faster. Even running the bathroom exhaust fan constantly should help.

Where are you located ?

Asheville North Carolina

 

[Jess regrets it]

Hello, my husband and I are opening a tattoo studio. The landlord left us the task of finishing the floors. We chose to do an acid stain (which turned out amazing) but when researching which sealer to use our research was not thorough enough. A couple of websites we were relying on laid out the pros and cons of solvent versus water based. We chose to go with the solvent based sealer for its durability and glossy finish. The website did warn the odor was higher with solvents but we did not understand the magnitude. Once the floors were sealed we left the doors open for a couple of hours for ventilation but had to lock it up for the night and head back home. The smell has been so strong since (it’s been a week and a half). We have gone in every day with two high powered fans and all of the doors open for several hours a day. We have a regular residential air purifier with a thin carbon filter running constantly and have just added another air purifier with 18 lbs of activated carbon in its filter. In the morning when we arrive the smell is still very strong. After opening both doors the smell weakens after about 30 minutes and it becomes tolerable to be there.
I have a feeling the smell is stuck in the ceiling insulation (which is just plastic covered insulation with no drywall over it)
It seems like it would hold the scent.

I’ve been wondering if from the first few days of strong concentrated odor if the hvac filter is saturated with the smell.

I am wanting to replace it with a carbon filter to more aggressively remove the smell.

It is 1,900 square feet with two hvac units.

What do you think about my predicament?

It’s really scary for me because I’ve started working in the space for about 4-6 hours at a time and am starting to have a sore throat. I can’t skip working because it is my livelihood.

I really regret not doing more research and feel very strongly that any website offering advice on sealing concrete floors should stress that solvent based sealers should NEVER be used indoors.

Just an update: we’ve brought in a 2000sqft fuel powered space heater (only used with doors open) to keep the floors extra warm (75-79 degrees). Have been taking turns staying there in the parking lot so we can keep the doors open nearly constantly for fresh air exchange. There are about 15 fans throughout the space so there is air movement across every section of floor.

we are going to do this for 14 days total. If the chemical smell is still strong after being closed up over night we are going to consider stripping with Dumond’s Smart Strip Pro.

I have realized that it is possible to detect if the scent is offgassing from the floor versus just the lingering scent stuck to porous materials by placing a dinner plate on the floor for 30 minutes then smelling the air under it.
We will do this in various locations around the space in 10 days or so.

it’s crazy to think that using the recommended gallons per square feet would take this long to cure. What a nightmare.

I really appreciate everyone’s recommendations.

 

[tncatadjuster]

I hope you do not have to strip, this project has taken enough of your time and patience as is. I can say that I too have had jobs head south with no hope of return, preferably the studio becomes the place you tell the shorter story.

 

[Jess regrets it]

Hello, my husband and I are opening a tattoo studio. The landlord left us the task of finishing the floors. We chose to do an acid stain (which turned out amazing) but when researching which sealer to use our research was not thorough enough. A couple of websites we were relying on laid out the pros and cons of solvent versus water based. We chose to go with the solvent based sealer for its durability and glossy finish. The website did warn the odor was higher with solvents but we did not understand the magnitude. Once the floors were sealed we left the doors open for a couple of hours for ventilation but had to lock it up for the night and head back home. The smell has been so strong since (it’s been a week and a half). We have gone in every day with two high powered fans and all of the doors open for several hours a day. We have a regular residential air purifier with a thin carbon filter running constantly and have just added another air purifier with 18 lbs of activated carbon in its filter. In the morning when we arrive the smell is still very strong. After opening both doors the smell weakens after about 30 minutes and it becomes tolerable to be there.
I have a feeling the smell is stuck in the ceiling insulation (which is just plastic covered insulation with no drywall over it)
It seems like it would hold the scent.

I’ve been wondering if from the first few days of strong concentrated odor if the hvac filter is saturated with the smell.

I am wanting to replace it with a carbon filter to more aggressively remove the smell.

It is 1,900 square feet with two hvac units.

What do you think about my predicament?

It’s really scary for me because I’ve started working in the space for about 4-6 hours at a time and am starting to have a sore throat. I can’t skip working because it is my livelihood.

I really regret not doing more research and feel very strongly that any website offering advice on sealing concrete floors should stress that solvent based sealers should NEVER be used indoors.

Has anyone heard of it taking months to fully finish off-gassing?

does anyone know if a way to remove that doesn’t produce intense toxic smells? I’ve just read some bad reviews on smart strip pro.

 

[BillK]

Just curious. If you are working in the space have you asked any of your customers what they think ? Or maybe ask some friends for another opinion ? Is it possible that you are just more sensitive to it than most people ?

 

[Jess regrets it]

Just curious. If you are working in the space have you asked any of your customers what they think ? Or maybe ask some friends for another opinion ? Is it possible that you are just more sensitive to it than most people ?

I did about four tattoos in the space when the weather was warmer outside and we were able to keep the doors open. I did ask the clients if they smelled any of that “new construction smell” and some of them said not really and others said just barely. Now that it is getting colder outside that isn’t an option for me anymore and the smell builds up very intensely with the doors closed.

I have been doing tattoos in the shop I worked in previously until this is all over with.

of everyone in my immediate group I am the one who is most sensitive though. I want to be careful though because I don’t want to get a bad review for having people spending hours in a space that smells like toxic chemicals. Other people are sensitive like me, just maybe not as many.

 

[Klammer]

Thanks for the updates. It is encouraging that others aren't as aware of the odor - I hope that's an indication that it is going away!

 

[Daniel Dudley]

Crank the heat to 80 for 24 hours and air it again. Then use an Ozone generator if needed. Replace the HVAC filters. Heat will help drive out the vapors that are still out gassing.

 

[Jess regrets it]

Crank the heat to 80 for 24 hours and air it again. Then use an Ozone generator if needed. Replace the HVAC filters. Heat will help drive out the vapors that are still out gassing.

Have you ever heard of the hydroxyl generator? I was thinking of using this instead of the Ozone generator because after doing some research I’ve read that the ozone generator can leave behind a strong bleach sent and it seems that all of these odors seep into the neighboring units and piss off my neighbors. What I’ve learned so far about the hydroxyl generator is that it takes longer to do the same job and ends up costing more but it only smells like a chlorinated pool rather than a big toxic bleach cloud.

 

[tncatadjuster]

With no disrespect you are going to be much more aware of the smell than anyone, your memory only helps you in this manner. I have monitored many jobs with my nose for re-coat times before wearing mask. I have no knowledge of using any additional means of odor removal, the unknowns are quite large. Time and air are the best I think, are your co-workers as affected as you?

 

[Jess regrets it]

With no disrespect you are going to be much more aware of the smell than anyone, your memory only helps you in this manner. I have monitored many jobs with my nose for re-coat times before wearing mask. I have no knowledge of using any additional means of odor removal, the unknowns are quite large. Time and air are the best I think, are your co-workers as affected as you?

No one seems to be as affected as me. I might need an air quality test to let me know it’s safe to spend hours a day in there again.
The odors are getting weaker as we’ve been heating, and whirling around lots of air constantly.

 

[tncatadjuster]

update?

 

[flan]

update?

Can’t, currently Unconscious from the fumes.

 

[Jess regrets it]

update?

For the past month I have been tattooing in my old shop. The owner allowed me to keep 100% of my money just so that we could stay afloat, what an angel!!!
During the month we kept the heat cranked to 85° and had about 15 fans moving air across the floor constantly. Every day we would open the doors to allow fresh air to circulate for most of the daytime hours. The smell is much reduced but still accumulates overnight and is pretty strong in the morning when we arrive. We hoped this process would only take 1 to 2 weeks but it still smelled extremely strong and toxic for about a whole month and lessened the most during the last week.

yesterday I tattooed my first client in the space in a month. We opened all the doors for an hour before he arrived. I couldn’t smell it at all for a few hours. It built up after a while and I could detect it slightly.

I finally found a concrete flooring professional in the area who came out to check it out and gave us guidance and explained what he would do to fix the problem.
when he first stepped in the building he said he could smell it and it is unusually strong for having been done 60 days ago.
he told me it looks like some areas are applied a little on the thick side and that is what is probably still producing the odor. We’re going to get a buffer with a scouring pad to rough up the surface and then apply a product called stamina which is water-based. Then after that we are going to apply a different product which is a finish called 24/7. We will put two coats of that. He told me he has helped people through this mess before and this is what has always worked for him. We’re going to be doing this probably on the 23rd and 24th of this month and I’m so excited to see how it turns out.

it’s also going to bring out the shine and wet look we had been going for.

it was really awesome to find him, It took about 8 referrals and it was totally by chance that I ended up on the phone with him and not his assistant who would’ve told us they can’t help us because they’re too far booked out. I’m going to tattoo him early next year and I’m really excited about that.

he basically gave us very detailed step-by-step instructions on how to do what he would’ve probably charged $4000 to do for us. He also complemented the acid stain job we had on the floor and told us it was better than his competitors lol! That was the funnest part for us by far. It felt like a big art project and I wanted to do a more creative acid stain in our garage just for fun (I still might)

I seriously can’t wait to see how much this helps.
I’ll make sure to give y’all an update after Christmas and include some pretty pictures.

 

[Jess regrets it]

Can’t, currently Unconscious from the fumes.

Lol lol lol