refinishing concrete floor

I have a concrete garage floor that is 12 years old and has seen better days. I would like to clean it up real good and seal it 'natural'. My plan was to use TSP to degrease and remove stains, then etch with muriatic acid, then use a clear sealer on top. Is this the best plan of attack? Also a couple follow-up questions. I want to caulk where sheetrock meets foundation wall and where foundation meets floor slab. Can I caulk, then seal over the caulk or seal first then caulk over sealer? Also, after washing/etching, can I seal as soon as it is visibly dry or should I wait a certain minimum time for evaporation?

John

 

have you heard any responses on this yet? I am wanting to do the same .thing with my garage except this one is about 20 years old. I dont think the PO ever swept the floor so it has at least 15 or so years of dirt built up on it. I was thinking I would pressure wash it first and then do whatever prep work to seal it.

Hope somebody responds with some good advice

Ed.

 

I tried the TSP and wasn't too thrilled with the results. I read an old post by twelvepole recommending different methods of removing various stains which is my problem (rust, oil, paint, discoloration, etc). I have put this project on hold, seems like it will take more time and TLC than I first thought. I also read a post about steam cleaning machines but have not investigated this any further. Good luck.

John

 

I am still in "get everything off floor mode" but originally i had just planned on hitting it with high pressure sprayer and seeing what i can dump on it and spread around to somewhat help. i figure it is an old garage to begin with and anything will help, if nothing else just getting all the old dirt off the floor will do wonders for it.

Ed.