by Jeff Bach | Nov 25, 2013 | Blog
A decorative acid stain is an affordable and simple way to revitalize any of your old concrete floors. However, if you want to ensure that your acid stain floor lasts a long time and looks great, you have to pay extra attention to the surface preparation phase. If you don’t then you could end up with a pretty terrible looking floor. If you are interested in upgrading a concrete surface with an acid stain in Portland, Oregon, Bach Custom Coatings has successfully completed hundreds of floors throughout the city. We have written this short guide to outline the main steps of preparing a surface for an acid stain.
Unlike epoxy coatings, decorative acid stains are transparent. If there is a stain or an imperfection on the original concrete surface it will likely show through once the acid stain is complete. Chemical acid stains work by using mild acid and metallic salts to create a chemical reaction. The acid opens up deep pores in the concrete, which allows the metallic salts to interact with the free-lime and calcium.
In order to work, an acid stain must be absorbed deep into the concrete. Substances like oil and grease prevent the acid stain chemicals from penetrating the concrete and mixing with the lime. You have to completely clean your concrete floor before it is ready for an acid stain. At a minimum, you can use chemical strippers or concrete cleaning products to make sure that your floor is spotless.
There are hundreds of different products out there, so you will have to do some research to determine which products work best to remove certain stains. Aggressively cleaning the entire surface of your concrete floor with a scrub brush until it is immaculate is a good start. The cleaner the surface, the better the acid stain will look in the end, but even utilizing these techniques will most likely not effectively prepare the floor for an acid stain.
At Bach Custom Coatings, we use professional techniques. including diamond grinding, that will ensure the floor is ready for an acid stain that will last for many years to come.
Acid Stain For Concrete Floors Portland Oregon
It can be difficult and time-consuming to carefully scrub an entire concrete floor by yourself and renting machinery can be cost prohibitive, which is why it is often better to let the professionals handle acid staining. At Bach Custom Coatings, we can turn your boring kitchen, basement or garage floor in Portland, Oregon into a work of art.
by Jeff Bach | Nov 11, 2013 | Blog
Coating your concrete garage or basement floor takes a substantial amount of hard work and preparation. You have to make sure that your concrete surface is free of any dirt, oil or other contaminants, and you also have to make sure that the surface is at the correct “profile” to accept a new coating. A state-of-the-art diamond grinder is the best way to go about preparing a concrete surface. At Bach Custom Coatings, we use powerful diamond grinders to properly prepare a surface for our concrete floor coatings. Below we have listed some of the advantages of using a diamond grinder.
Diamond grinding is unique in that it removes contaminants from concrete surfaces while simultaneously leveling those surfaces out. Any oil spills or other nasty stains will removed during the diamond grinding process. The diamond grinder is very precise and comes with a dust containment system that is designed to prevent dust from circulating, which can be a big problem with other surface preparation techniques. Another advantage to diamond grinding is that after you have ground the entirety of your concrete surface, it will be left with a even profile that is ideal for bonding with sealers or thin epoxy coatings. The materials will bond much more effectively with a surface that is prepared properly and free of contaminants and will last much longer as a result.
Epoxy Floor Portland Oregon
When it comes to using diamond grinding equipment and epoxy floor coatings, it is often better to let the professionals handle it. Diamond grinding takes a lot of skill and patience and is very time-intensive. At Bach Custom Coating, we have many years of experience working with diamond grinders to deliver our high quality custom concrete coatings.
by Jeff Bach | Nov 6, 2013 | Blog
Moisture is the enemy of any epoxy concrete coating. Even a small amount of moisture trapped between the seal and the concrete can cause a coating to fail. In some basements and garages, drainage problems make the concrete surfaces impossible to work with. At Bach Custom Coatings, we specialize in applying Portland garage floor coatings, basement coatings and many other custom concrete coatings. We have compiled a few helpful tips that can show you how you can improve drainage in and around your concrete surfaces to help prepare them for successful coating.
In some garages and in many basements, moisture is ever present. Poor drainage or broken pipes can cause water to leak into and under your concrete surfaces. Over time this can cause damage to the concrete and it will make it impossible to apply a coating. One thing you can do to improve drainage is to insure the roof gutters and downspouts on your home are cleaned and allow the water to flow though them unobstructed. Roof gutters pipe away all of the water that would otherwise be pooling up around your foundation. Another thing you can do is slope the soil away from your home. This ensures that water will flow away from your home rather than into it. If your concrete is damp or wet to the touch, it could mean you have a broken or leaking pipe. Leaking pipes located inside or below a concrete slab can wreak havoc on the concrete over time. In extreme cases you may need a perimeter drain installed to catch the accumulating water and have it pumped away from your property via a sump pump.
Portland Oregon Garage Floors
Here at Bach Custom Coatings, we are adept at preparing your Portland Oregon garage floor for our professional concrete coatings. If you are having issues with moisture, give us a call and we can take a look at the problem for you.
by Jeff Bach | Sep 17, 2013 | Blog
While it’s true that just about anybody can apply an epoxy floor, it’s also true that not everyone pays attention to the details like we do. Even before we ever start working on your garage floor, basement or commercial space, we’re considering the details. You know, the little things that matter. Like showing up on time for our initial consultation with you, and returning phone calls in a timely manner. While meeting with you to look at your project we’ll answer all your questions so you can make an intelligent and well informed decision. We will also give you a easy to understand, written quote so you’ll know exactly what to expect from us.
Once you’ve decided to move forward with the project, you’ll be amazed at the attention to detail we possess. From dust mitigation to extensive masking in preparation of the coatings application and everything in between, we think of all the things others overlook. When the competition says, “That’s good enough.” we say, “Let’s make it better.”
It’s common for our clients to wonder if we can work around cabinets, hot water heaters, furnaces and other objects in a room. Rest assured, we have the tools and the talent to get the job done.
As you can see from these before and after photos, even this complex area of the garage is no problem for us to work around. We know and believe that no two jobs are ever the same and each one of them presents itself with potential challenges. We embrace these challenges and strive to exceed our clients expectations. We don’t do “cookie cutter”. What we do is custom. In fact, that’s why our name is Bach CUSTOM Coatings.
Give us a call and let us show you what detailed customer service and pride in workmanship looks like!
by Jeff Bach | Sep 15, 2013 | Blog
It’s been another busy season for garage floor coatings at Bach Custom Coatings and we’d like to thank all of our clients. From the numerous homeowners we’ve had the pleasure of working with to the many general contractors we continue to do business with on a regular basis, you are all very much appreciated! As a family run, local company, we depend on these great relationships to keep us in a positive growth mode.
Whether your project was one of the larger commercial jobs we did, or even if it was a small single car garage floor, we are thankful for each and every one of them.
The prime “season” may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean we are. Even though the weather is hinting that it’s going to return to its cool and wet ways as it does every Autumn and Winter, we will continue to work through these conditions and be able to provide our clients with garage floor coatings all year round.
As we look forward to the remainder of this calendar year, we are excited to see the continued growth of our company and hope to include you and your referrals in our efforts. Remember, there’s still time to dress up your garage floor before the relatives arrive for the holidays. Give us a call. We’ll be happy to help you out.
by Jeff Bach | Jul 22, 2013 | Blog
As with most other home improvement projects, coating your concrete floor requires some serious work and research. If you go into it without any of the necessary knowledge, chances are your floor is going to look worse 
than it did before you got your hands on it. There are several very important things you must know and do before you can even think about coating your concrete.
First, you need to evaluate the surface of your concrete. It must be clean and not contaminated with other foreign substances, such as concrete curing compounds, oil deposits, old paint or any other material that would interfere with a proper coating bond. Also check it for unevenness and density. Preparing the surface is the single most important step in the coating process and if it is done improperly, it will severely hinder its long-term performance. Different surfaces also require different prep work. There is so much to know about surface evaluation, which is just one step in the process, that it is often a better idea just to hire a professional to do the job. Bach Custom Coatings is a Portland, Oregon based company that specializes in installing epoxy garage floor coatings as well as industrial concrete coatings.
Yes, hiring a professional is probably more expensive than doing it yourself, but it is probably not worth the savings when you discover several months down the road that you didn’t do the job right. There are a surprising amount of complex elements involved in concrete coating. It seems like a simple job on paper, but the fact of the matter is that most people who decide to do-it-themselves often find out the hard way that they have no idea what they are doing.
