I have new tenants moving into a townhouse I own, and the garage floor looks bad after 27 years of oil stains etc. I tried pressure washing it, but it really made no difference since I guess the oil has soaked in.
What are the options here? Paint, those garage floor squares? Or is there a chemical cleaner I should try?
For soaked in oil stains I have used
QUIKRETE 1.5-Gallon Oil & Stain Remover
available at Lowes
Goes on wet, brush in, let dry , sweep up
repeat if necessary
I thought everyone knew, paint wont bond to oil
Yes, exactly. As Reed suggested, I'd try using one of the cleaners specifically made to remove oil from concrete. Since it's that bad after 27 years, I would not attempt painting it even after cleaning it.
My garage floor was so crapped up from leaking oil of 80 years it took my two workers all day, with 200$ in cleaners and acid, a power washer, and a floor buffer-scrubber to get it clean to take a finish, we cleaned, then cleaned again and again. I did it right, 20 years later the HC oil concrete stain has only worn from traffic, but to redo it would be a days job to clean it again.
yes.....it was around 1975 or so when I was still in high school (showing my age here) and we were hired to paint a 2 bay garage floor that had hydraulic vehicle lifts etc where they did oil changes. We used straight (sulpheric acid) battery acid to lift years of oil stains and stiff bristled push brooms...rinsed down the drain with water...probably went through three pairs of old jeans...I remember we painted the floor green...and yes the paint stuck to the floor for years...probably is still green to this day..... Jim
I'd have thought that lye based alkalais would help remove the oil. Oil plus alkalai turns into soap. That's how oven cleaner works. Actually, I would have tried oven cleaner.
Battery acid.... dangerous.
When I was a kid, my Dad told me his battery acid story. He was over at a friends house. They went to the cellar for soemthing, and he absentmindedly sat on a car battery. Two days later, the seat fell out of his trousers.
One friend of mine had a battery blow up. He was using 12 volt boost setting, and went to wiggle the battery clamps. He got acid in his eyes. I grabbed hold of him to go in the house and wash his eyes out (lucky, he can still see). I had a prompting of the Spirit to wash the coat in hot water and baking soda. Didn't think I got that much acid on me. Well.....I got enough acid on my coat, the front fell out pretty badly. I still have that coat. Shoulda thrown it out, years ago. I keep it as a reminder to heed the promptings of the Spirit.
I wasn't saying battery acid was "right"... I am still here after
1975....just telling what I used that worked real good back then....LOL... I have also had a battery explode and know what sulpheric acid feels like in the eyes....and luckily I can still see also.........Jim
Wouldnt it be funny if the OP got the floor flawlessely clean and a perspective tenant decided to not rent it because thei vehicle had a oil leak....
I bet that might happen:(
Ive found that lye cleans grease better than acid. You have to be very careful with it
Jimmie
Okay, then I'm running over there to pour old oil on the floor.
I tried using concrete cleaner today, and it didn't do much of anything. I'm just going to leave it the way it is.
I don't think they'll care all that much, I just wanted the unit as clean as possible when the move in.
JIMMIE wrote in news:fc0cceaa-8ec1-4a17-ac77- snipped-for-privacy@z17g2000vbd.googlegroups.com:
Lye would work on organic grease, lard and such, by hydrolyzing the fatty acids of the glycerol. If Lye works on mineral oils in concrete, it's probably beacause it dissolves a bit of the concrete. At least that's how acid would work. Since sulfuric acid is rather oxidizing, it might work better than hydrochloric (=muriatic), but it would also be more dangerous. Lye is more dangerous than acid to your eyes, because lye dissolves proteins and keeps eating them, whereas acid denaures proteins, yielding a sort of protective layer. DAMHIKT (>40 years ago).
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