Concrete "oops" coverup
#1
06-12-13, 06:57 AM
Concrete "oops" coverup
This driveway had a golf cart's batteries rinsed off and left dark stains running down the driveway - we've cleaned it fairly well by pouring "The Works" household cleaner onto it - but some residual remains. (see photo) We could keep going and even it out, however it appears it will not come off completely. (Our next thought/attempt might be a diluted muriatic acid wash and power wash.)
The landlord hasn't seen our first pass but originally said he wants it "back to the way it was" - so we likely need to further clean or discolor it to match the old driveway. It's NOT very much area - the whole driveway is only about 12 yards long and 4 yards wide at most.
Any suggestions? We only need to do a simple, temporary cover up to it - not a major improvement - the driveway was in poor shape to begin with but we fear they will try to keep our $1500 deposit and say it needs a whole new driveway.
How about a bag of cement, diluted to almost water consistency spread around on top? Or something else? It there a paint that looks just like concrete we could spray a light coat on top?
The landlord hasn't seen our first pass but originally said he wants it "back to the way it was" - so we likely need to further clean or discolor it to match the old driveway. It's NOT very much area - the whole driveway is only about 12 yards long and 4 yards wide at most.
Any suggestions? We only need to do a simple, temporary cover up to it - not a major improvement - the driveway was in poor shape to begin with but we fear they will try to keep our $1500 deposit and say it needs a whole new driveway.
How about a bag of cement, diluted to almost water consistency spread around on top? Or something else? It there a paint that looks just like concrete we could spray a light coat on top?
#2
06-12-13, 01:26 PM
Welcome to the forums!! Since it was acid, most likely it has eaten into the concrete. Have you tried pressure washing with a driveway cleaner? The only other thing I can think of is Muratic acid wash for the entire driveway. You will need to read the directions and suit up properly to use this stuff as it can get nasty. There may even be a prohibition since your drain system is pretty flat. Check with the local authorities to make sure you can use such a chemical and wash it into the storm drain.
#4
06-12-13, 04:02 PM
Pressure wash it first. Let it dry. If that is not good enough I have had good success mixing up some Portland cement and sand about 50-50 but the ratio is not critical and spreading that DRY MIX on the slab and sweeping it a couple different directions across the slab until the cement is exhausted and all that is left is sand. I have done this when finish stucco spilled on a slab. Now I don't know for sure that it is permanent. It did last until I got my money.
#5
06-13-13, 04:56 AM
Thanks
I'm going to have someone do the diluted muriatic acid wash and power wash, and we'll see how it looks afterwards.
Thanks tightcoat - that extra topping of cement/sand sounds like a good idea if the acidwash/powerwash doesn't work good enough - Should I try misting water over it once it's spread around? I wonder what happens to it when it rains? We are in the storm season here though September...it's supposed to rain about an hour a day most days through summer.
We are taking photos before/after so we can show the improvement we did to the overall appearance. Hopefully this will do the trick.
Thanks tightcoat - that extra topping of cement/sand sounds like a good idea if the acidwash/powerwash doesn't work good enough - Should I try misting water over it once it's spread around? I wonder what happens to it when it rains? We are in the storm season here though September...it's supposed to rain about an hour a day most days through summer.
We are taking photos before/after so we can show the improvement we did to the overall appearance. Hopefully this will do the trick.
#6
06-13-13, 11:47 AM
Don't do the sand/cement mix unless the slab is completely dry. What it does is the sand abrades the surface just a little and takes dirt off while the Portland fills in the surface pores a little and evens out the color. Since it is going to get rained on anyway, I don't think it would hurt to mist the slab once you have the sand swept off of it. If this helps but is not enough you can do it again. The sand just helps the Portland move around. If you use neat Portland it does not move around as well.
#7
06-19-13, 05:06 AM
So far we have only done spot acid treatment of the stains, and power wash to it, but it is significantly better overall.
It's so much better than it was, we're hoping this will pass without any issues. I think if we had to go to court, a judge would rule that we improved the appearance more than enough to compensate for any perceived "damage".
The following link is a before/after video. We will try to get him to sign off on it before trying anything else.
Driveway Before:After - YouTube
It's so much better than it was, we're hoping this will pass without any issues. I think if we had to go to court, a judge would rule that we improved the appearance more than enough to compensate for any perceived "damage".
The following link is a before/after video. We will try to get him to sign off on it before trying anything else.
Driveway Before:After - YouTube
