Post #805380 by MadDogMike on Tue, Sep 6, 2022 1:31 PM

When I first started my patio I stained and sealed the concrete floor and it looked really nice. Gradually though it has gotten quite ugly. I decided to try power washing it. It only cleaned little strips and I realized it wasn't dirt but mineral deposits

So I picked up some foaming spray CLR (Calcium/Lime/Rust Remover) and sprayed it on. It cleaned off the mineral deposits well but it went on in spots and left blotches :(

So I applied more CLR with a mop and scrubbed with a brush. This is after one application, I needed to do several applications of CLR in some places.

Looking better but still not great, I decided it was time to put on a sealer. But California only allows the crappy water-based concrete sealers and not the good solvent based. So I drove 60 miles to Arizona and smuggled in the good stuff.

I've now got about half of the patio done but it's a pain in the butt to move everything, apply CLR, scrub, rinse, dry, and apply the sealer.