It is however one of the oldest and most pervasive methods of cleaning concrete used by coatings installers and powerwashers.
Cleaning a concrete floor with muriatic acid.
Hydrochloric acid also known as strong water or muriatic acid is a chemical normally used for cleaning hard surfaces and surfaces which are hard to clean such as brick concrete and others this is a highly corrosive product should be used with extreme caution otherwise it may damage your skin or the objects of your home.
Using acid is dangerous.
Muriatic acid acts like liquid sandpaper by roughening the surface of the concrete.
Muriatic acid should never be used indoors and has to be thoroughly neutralized before disposal.
If the acid comes in contact with skin wash it away with large amounts of water.
The paint will not stick efficiently to the concrete unless you roughen it up a bit first with the acid.
For many years it was a standard method of concrete preparation used by nearly all industrial commercial and institutional floor coating installers depending on the floor size and system to be installed.
Prepping a concrete floor with muriatic acid.
These solutions are for etching the concrete.
Always wear a carbon activated mask.
You roughen such a floor by etching it with muriatic acid.
With proper use it removes stains when other cleaners fail.
Muriatic acid creates and acidic vapor that can suffocate you quickly.
Muriatic acid can work wonders on filthy concrete and it can also be very useful in cleaning excess smears of dried mortar and grout or when attempting to alleviate tough rust stains.
Cleaning concrete bricks and pavers with an acid most often referred to as acid etching or acid washing is a very bad idea and no longer recommended by many coatings manufacturers.
If you re just removing mineral deposits efflorescence use a much weaker mix 10 1 or 16 1 for muriatic acid.
Acid etching is the process of applying hydrochloric muriatic or buffered phosphoric acid to a slab then rinsing it off with water.
Muriatic acid is the strongest acid available to the public.
Mix 3 to 4 parts water with 1 part acid or follow label instructions for a 10 concentration 15 for hard smooth concrete.
It is excellent for cleaning away rust stains and efflorescence but must be used with extreme caution.
If you plan on painting your basement s concrete floor you need to prep it first with muriatic acid.
