Removing Acid Stains From Concrete Countertops

The first step to removing a stain is determining whether it s truly a stain or instead the etching of the surface from a strong food acid such as lemon juice.

Removing acid stains from concrete countertops.

I have a feeling that they were not sealed correctly the first time around. If the seal on your countertop isn t properly maintained or if an acidic substance such as citrus juice is left in contact with the surface you may have a mess that won t come clean. We just had professionally made concrete countertops installed and two months later they are covered in water oil and acid stains. How to clean it.

Unlike stains etching is physical damage to the surface. An acid either citric acid from fruit or acetic acid from vinegar based foods reacts with the cement paste and any calcium based aggregate gradually dissolving the materials and leaving a rough depression and a light colored appearance. The oh so pretty but softer stone is an easy stain target. We are incredibly disappointed.

Stains are usually discoloration such as from coffee mustard or red wine and are treated very differently from etching see fixing spots caused by acid etching. The staining may be due to a poorly performing sealer not protecting the concrete it could simply be temporary surface stains on a coating sealer or it could be due to staining agents getting into scratches on a high. So it s important to seal your countertops to make them more stain resistant. Some concrete acid stain colors develop a large amount of debris while other colors will have very little.

It s normal for residue to form on the concrete countertop once the acid stain has dried. Sealing won t make your marble 100 percent stain proof but it will definitely help says april graves vp of aria stone gallery if a spill occurs immediately blot to sop up the liquid don t wipe which. This will allow it to wick the stain out of the countertop in the same way that poultices made with other ingredients pull oil stains out of concrete or venom out of. How to remove stains from concrete countertops if stains have occurred on your concrete countertop all is not lost.

Hueston who literally wrote the book on the subject of stone restoration stain removal guide. Before neutralizing it is recommended you remove and clean the residue with a sponge and water. For stone tile and concrete will leave the poultice in place for 24 hours.