RDrancher
Veteran Member
I've never used paint-on or spray-on epoxy coatings so I can't help you there, but I will tell you how we prep a floor prior to concrete staining. We use a floor polisher/sander and mesh floor sanding pads. I usually dampen the floor to keep down the dust. After staining the floor polisher is used again with red pads (like scotchbrite pads) to remove any leftover stain residue. Then the floor is polished using white pads. If the concrete was hard troweled sanding helps to open up the pores for better color. Some floors are troweled so hard that they won't react to staining at all.
BTW - Concrete stain is not a coating, the acidic stain reacts with the hydrated lime in the concrete which gives it color. The color becomes part of the floor. If it peels off it was not done correctly.
Also, if your contractor sprayed on a curing compound after finishing the concrete, the stain may not work at all, penetrating sealers won't penetrate and most surface sealers will not adhere.
If you do decide to clear seal the floor I would suggest using an anti-slip additive such as Shark Grip. It won't make the floor any harder to clean but it will help keep you from slipping on a wet floor.
BTW - Concrete stain is not a coating, the acidic stain reacts with the hydrated lime in the concrete which gives it color. The color becomes part of the floor. If it peels off it was not done correctly.
Also, if your contractor sprayed on a curing compound after finishing the concrete, the stain may not work at all, penetrating sealers won't penetrate and most surface sealers will not adhere.
If you do decide to clear seal the floor I would suggest using an anti-slip additive such as Shark Grip. It won't make the floor any harder to clean but it will help keep you from slipping on a wet floor.
