I have attached images of my garage floor in it's current state. The images with the circles were foolishly made by me, a set of steel weights and bottle of Ospho http://www.ospho.com/ . The other stain is of more concern and thought it may from a plumbing leak. I turned off all faucets in the home and checked my water main and the meter was not spinning at all, so that ruled out a travelling water leak from the main line 6 feet from the foundation. The water main meets the home's incoming plumbing in a room 10 feet away from the garage and is also leak free. I was told by a plumber if it were a drain leak it would leak further into the ground and not upwards towards the garage floor.
I tried removing the rust stains with one treatment of 10 (water) : 1 (muratic acid) solution. It did remove some of the lighter rust stains but not the denser ones. I also used 80 grit sand paper and that helped remove some too. If I continue on with this I will use "The Works" toilet bowl cleaner since it's in gel form and easier to isolate. I also used the acid/water mix on two of the Ospho circles and it made it worse (pictured) in the form of a white circular area.
I taped down a 3' x 3' sheet of visqueen overnight on top of the questionable water leak stain and there was no water or condensation on the floor or the visqueen. Typically, if those stains weren't present I wouldn't do anything decorative wise to the garage floor other than clear seal it every 10 years or so. However, I am looking to sell my home soon and it my be a concern for a potential buyer. I've researched a lot concerning floor coverings and most post recommend for durability and looks to hire a professional to do a professional grade epoxy coating. I don't think I can afford that at this point and don't want to put a lot of cash into a home that I intend to sell.
I've done enough painting and read enough post to realize that if I DIY it, it's the prep work that is the most important part. I am leaning towards using a semi-transparent colored acid staining, but concerned that the stains may come through or show in the pattern. Other options would be:
24" x 24" porcelain tiles (not in budget)
Epoxy coating (regular grade)
Floor primer then two coats of top coat flooring paint
Water based stain
Seeking comments/suggestions for prepping steps and which floor covering I shoulo use and use and why. Also, if I were to use a clear sealer over those stains (after rust is removed) would they fade from white to color of the rest of the garage floor?
I tried removing the rust stains with one treatment of 10 (water) : 1 (muratic acid) solution. It did remove some of the lighter rust stains but not the denser ones. I also used 80 grit sand paper and that helped remove some too. If I continue on with this I will use "The Works" toilet bowl cleaner since it's in gel form and easier to isolate. I also used the acid/water mix on two of the Ospho circles and it made it worse (pictured) in the form of a white circular area.
I taped down a 3' x 3' sheet of visqueen overnight on top of the questionable water leak stain and there was no water or condensation on the floor or the visqueen. Typically, if those stains weren't present I wouldn't do anything decorative wise to the garage floor other than clear seal it every 10 years or so. However, I am looking to sell my home soon and it my be a concern for a potential buyer. I've researched a lot concerning floor coverings and most post recommend for durability and looks to hire a professional to do a professional grade epoxy coating. I don't think I can afford that at this point and don't want to put a lot of cash into a home that I intend to sell.
I've done enough painting and read enough post to realize that if I DIY it, it's the prep work that is the most important part. I am leaning towards using a semi-transparent colored acid staining, but concerned that the stains may come through or show in the pattern. Other options would be:
24" x 24" porcelain tiles (not in budget)
Epoxy coating (regular grade)
Floor primer then two coats of top coat flooring paint
Water based stain
Seeking comments/suggestions for prepping steps and which floor covering I shoulo use and use and why. Also, if I were to use a clear sealer over those stains (after rust is removed) would they fade from white to color of the rest of the garage floor?
