Phosphoric acid which is a mineral acid works almost as well and isn t as dangerous to work with but it is harder to find and more expensive.
Etching concrete floor with muriatic acid.
These solutions are for etching the concrete.
It also works at emulsifying oils something that muriatic acid will not do.
Mix 3 to 4 parts water with 1 part acid or follow label instructions for a 10 concentration 15 for hard smooth concrete.
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.
Muriactic acid is one of the most dangerous chemicals you can buy for home use and it can damage nearly everything it touches.
Muriatic hydrochloric acid is typically used for concrete etching.
If you don t like the idea of working with acid you can read about some safer alternatives to acid etching here.
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.
Many acid etching projects are carried out to prepare a concrete floor for the application of a synthetic epoxy or sealant.
You roughen such a floor by etching it with muriatic acid.
Acid etching is the process of applying hydrochloric muriatic or buffered phosphoric acid to a slab then rinsing it off with water.
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.
It also reduces the surface alkalinity of the concrete that can cause some paints to adhere poorly.
Muriatic acid acts like liquid sandpaper by roughening the surface of the concrete.
A smooth concrete floor must be roughened before paint will stick to it.
Both will remove rust from your concrete.
The good thing is that there are safer alternatives that are just as effective available in the market today.
