Etching A Concrete Floor With Muratic 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.

Etching a concrete floor with muratic acid.

Muriatic hydrochloric acid is. Check with the wastewater management agency in your community to see if there are restrictions on disposal of acid solutions in the drainage system in your locale. Use muriatic acid or another acid etching material such as klean strip green muriatic acid a safer muriatic acid or hydro etch 1000 which is a modified phosphoric acid which is not as harmful as traditional muriatic acids. You roughen such a floor by etching it with muriatic acid.

The easiest dilution to remember is 1 cup of acid to 1 gallon of water. Acid etching is the process of applying hydrochloric muriatic or buffered phosphoric acid to a slab then rinsing it off with water. Acids concentrations can very. Acid washing also known as acid etching prepares a concrete surface to accept a sealer.

If you need a stronger solution mix 1 part acid to 10 parts water. Muriatic acid also known as hydrochloric acid is the typical acid of choice when etching concrete. Acid washing is dangerous for people plants and metal objects especially indoors where fumes can concentrate. The most commonly used are muriatic hydrochloric and phosphoric acids.

It is inexpensive and a dangerous chemical that can damage almost anything it comes in contact with. Acids that can be used to etch the concrete are muriatic sulfamic phosphoric or citric. Muriatic acid must be diluted with water before use. Some homeowners shy away from acid etching of their concrete floors for fear of the harmful effects of using and handling muriatic acid the main component of acid etch flooring.

It also reduces the surface alkalinity of the concrete that can cause some paints to adhere poorly. The object of etching the concrete with muriatic acid and water is to have the liquid come into contact with the substrate. Always add the acid to the water never the other way around or you can cause a heat reaction which can make the solution burp up out of the container. A smooth concrete floor must be roughened before paint will stick to it.

Use only plastic or acid resistant containers for mixing and applying acid. If the substrate is sealed with a paint the liquid cannot reach the intended target. The good thing is that there are safer alternatives that are just as effective available in the market today.