Suggestions for concrete densifier for garage floor

[nomogy]

Hi Everybody,
First time poster and long time reader.
I need expert opinion. I am planning to have my garage floor treated by densifier.
After reading lot of threads I think that all I want is less dust and more concrete look of
my floor. Here are steps that I am going to follow. Please suggest if I am doing anything wrong here and advise me how I can do better to achieve better results.

steps:
1.) clean floor with water.
2.) degrease some minor spots.
3.) acid etch the floor with muriatic acid.
3.) clean floor with water.
4.) fill some minor cracks.
5.) apply concrete densifier.
6.) apply sealer.
7.) apply clear coat and/or buff the floor to have some shine or apply some wet look
material to have floor look little wet or may be stain/dye color it.

My floor is 10 years old.

Questions.....

Should I use grind the floor Vs. etching? to grind it I will have to rent grinder and blade
and since I am not planing to put coat and using densifier I thought it would be good
enough to etch it.

What kind of crack filler should I use that is good for densifier?
should I fix cracks before or after densifier application?

Please advise on step #7 as well.

Thanks in advance.

-Nomogy

 

[Jagmandave]

I thought densifier had to be put one before it cured?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Nomogy:
Not to shoot myself in the foot but unless you have noticed an unusually dusty or soft floor condition I would skip the densifier treatment when using a sealer.

Your sealer becomes the sacrificial layer and a densifier treatment prior to this would be overkill.

If you intend to apply the densifier regardless, then all you need is the ability to see a common cup of water not "bead-up". If the water when splashed on the floor absorbs readily then you can go ahead and treat.

Also... if you will treat with a denisifer, treat prior to filling joints/cracks.

And Nomogy, the buffing/burnishing of a densified floor really only works well when the floor was power-troweled at the beginning. This is something you want to discuss with your mason prior to pouring so that he closes that floor down especially tight.

Jagman Dave:
Densifier (with waterproofer additive) will aide in the curing process. It does this by slowing the migration of water out of the slab. However, you can treat a floor with densifier at anytime as long as there is no sealer or blockade to good absorption.

If there is a blockade, a light grinding or stripping may be in order.

Again, the water test really works well.

 

[caddymanwi]

Have you looked at a product called Ashford Formula? The local construction trades wholesaler here recommended it to me. I just put it on my new concrete floor but the product's web site has examples of it being applied to old floors. It looks very impressive.
Impressive enough to me that is.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Have you looked at a product called Ashford Formula? The local construction trades wholesaler here recommended it to me. I just put it on my new concrete floor but the product's web site has examples of it being applied to old floors. It looks very impressive.
Impressive enough to me that is.

Same concept as our own products.
Again, a dull hand troweled slab will not be magically transformed into a polished surface by applying densifier alone. It takes a hard-troweled surface and a high speed buffer to get any sheen at all.