Exterior Care: Acid Stained Concrete

In our continuing coverage of the latest trend in re-surfacing, we've got more information from Joe Welch, at Stained By Design. This time, Joe's got some information about maintaining your exterior acid stained concrete floor covering:

"Your Exterior surface should be sealed with multiple coats of a high-solids, UV-inhibiting, penetrating solvent-based sealer. This sealer will repel dirt, dust and other substances that can get a foot-hold on concrete surfaces and promote the growth of mold and mildew. Basic care is as shown below:

1. If you notice a powdery white or splotchy appearance; especially after a rain, the sealer is doing its job. This is the dirt/dust mentioned above. A rinse with a garden hose followed by a squeegee pull or leaf blower blow-dry will remove the excess water and dust.

2. Pressure washing is generally not needed. A rinse or a blow dry will remove most things on the surface.

3. If there was a spill of a soft drink or something you didn’t see right away, use a mild soap like Ivory liquid in some warm water to loosen the material. Rinse and blow and you are back to a clean surface.

4. Plastic glides or Magic Movers should be affixed to heavy furnishings or those which will move frequently.

5. Potted plants should have a dish placed under them to catch excess water; this is especially true if you use a lot of fertilizer on the plants. White powdery spots are caused by fertilizer run-ff and can be remove with CLR cleaning solution.

6. The surface should be resealed from time-to-time. The manufacturers of the sealant usually recommends resealing every 1 to 2 years. How often your surface needs to be resealed depends on the amount of rain and sunlight it receives plus how much abuse is place on the surface by people or pet animals. When you start to notice that water doesn't bead up on or seems to absorb into the surface, it is time to reseal."

If you're in Louisiana, contact Joe about getting your driveway, patio, or interior floors resurfaced with decorative concrete overlays at (337) 316-4505 or you can email him.

If you'd like to talk to a decorative concrete or acid stained concrete specialist in your area, consider ConstructionDeal.com.

We have a network of concrete companies ready to help with your project. We'll match you to one in your neighborhood - at no cost.

It's the smart way to find a concrete contractor. Simply submit a request or a project and get 4 quotes - sometimes in a matter of minutes. There's no obligation and there's no charge.

RELATED POSTS:
Decorative Concrete Overlay Process
Acid Stained Concrete: Preparing the Slab
More on Acid Stained Concrete Floors
Acid Stained Concrete Flooring 101

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Do-It-Yourself Concerns

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Saving Money with Solar Power

One of my neighbors has a solar power system on his roof. I've talked about the installation process because I've been considering it for my house here in Los Angeles.

It's not just the "green" incentive either... well, money is green, I guess. And you can save a lot of it switching to solar power.

My neighbor had it installed a few years ago and he told me it was in the ten thousand dollar range (plus installation) to have the panels put up. It should cost more now, but I haven't looked into it. He said that the solar panel company that installed it helped to arrange a loan and the electric company provided incentives along with multiple tax credits. His house faces west, so he had to put them on the front of the house which doesn't look great, but... he said he rarely pays an electric bill anymore.

A typical 2 kilowatt (kw) residential rooftop PV system produces about 3,600 kw hours per year. This is about half the electricity usage for an average LA home. By substituting sun power for fossil fuels, this system avoids the need to make electricity by burning 3.7 tons of coal. In turn, approximately 10,000 lbs. of global warming greenhouse gases do not enter the atmosphere. Which is good.

You stay a part of "the grid." When the sun shines, you should be able to generate more power than your home consumes and your electric meter will spin backwards generating a credit. At night you'll draw on utility company power, essentially using the electrical grid as a giant battery.

But the incentives are nice, too. For a quick example, LA is offering a $2000 tax credit. There are incentives that provide "buydown" assistance to cover up to half of the installation costs. And the payback period (the time it takes to pay back the investment) is usually only a few years.

Check and see if you city or state has any solar power programs.

To find solar energy system installers, go to ConstructionDeal.com. It's a fast and easy way to find solar contractors. Submit a project and get 4 quotes in a matter of hours. At no cost.

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Fire Safety 101

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Odd Remodeling & Repair Job Requests

At ConstructionDeal.com, we get a lot of people posting their jobs with us.

Most are pretty normal, but some are downright strange.

So far, this has been my favorite:

"I need a plumber to come over and remove my neighbor's head from my toilet.

Apparently, you're not supposed to give a woman with hair longer than 2 feet a swirly. Who knew?"

Do You Have Toxic Mold?

Here's a little trick to tell if you're dealing with mold in your home. If you have a small patch of black, green or gray colored spots, Frank Foreman, of NO ODOR, Inc., has a smart tip to determine whether or not it is mold: put some hydrogen peroxide on the growth and watch the reaction.

Almost everyone has one of those brown bottles of the 3% hydrogen peroxide solution in their medicine cabinet, so he suggests putting it in a clean spray bottle and spraying the colored spots.

If the solution runs down the wall and there is no reaction, then the spots are not growths of mold (it could possibly just be dirt.) Since mold is a living organism, when sprayed with the hydrogen peroxide, there will be an oxidation process. If you hit it and the growth starts to foam up with white foam, then you know you are dealing with mold.

Read the complete Mold Article in our Resources Section of our site.

If it turns out you do have mold and need a mold inspection or removal, use ConstructionDeal.com. Simply tell us about your project and get 4 quotes - at no cost. There's no obligation to hire any of our mold professionals.

technorati tags: toxic mold, mold, black mold, mold removal, mold remediation