I've ruined my concrete barn floor painting jumps. What to do to fix?

[purplnurpl]

We finally built a shop. yay!!
All the power tools and paints will be moved out of the barn.

Sadly, I’m left with a concrete floor with every possible color of paint and stain…allllll over it. I’ve been building and painting in there for about 4 years.
I’m awesome at dumping full gallons over while painting. So there are some huge death splotches as well.

I’m feeling like I’ll need concrete people to come out and put down a thin layer to cover up all the wild colors.

Not sure if concrete cleaner and then retaining the whole thing would work?

Who knows about floors?

[OverandOnward]

The fastest, easiest and least expensive approach is to keep the floor as is - perhaps even adding more creativity over time - with the declaration LIFE HAS BEEN LIVED ON THIS FLOOR !!!

You built a business on those paint and varnish stains. Worked out some of your best and worst ideas on those stains. Thought through some of your most important life decisions while working over those stains. (I’m sure, since I don’t know you.)

Removing those stains (or attempting to do so) is like asking Jackson Pollock how is he going to clean up that mess. Or suggesting to Pablo Picasso that he needs a better angle ruler and a book to explain body proportions. :o :lol:

I say: Don’t clean it - enjoy it! :yes:

Oh, fwiw - I know zip about cleaning concrete floors. :winkgrin: All the best, whatever you do!

[keysfins]

We had extensive tiling done on the house. My heart dog came bombing through before the grout was fully set. No one else would notice the handful of claw marks in the grout, so we left it as it was.

I like the idea of leaving your paint down. But if you hate it, there are treatments to color concrete. Or even the ones that look like flakes of black/grey/white for the surface. Will try to find a link.

[keysfins]

Quick Google search, scroll down to ‘decorative flakes’.

http://www.sherwin-williams.com/home-builders/products/catalog/shelf/interior-paint-coatings/masonry-concrete-products/decorative-concrete-products/?paging=false

[gumtree]

A power washer should remove paint stains. It is amazing how it cleans up oil stains and such.

[Chief2]

If you can’t power wash it out, then I vote for the Deco-Flakes. Eight different color blends, added traction on the floor. What’s not to love?

[Jeannette_formerly_ponygyrl]

I don’t know nothing 'bout cleaning no floors, but wonder if sandblasting would be worth asking around about? Way back in the day I remember my high school hiring a blasting crew to go up on the slate roof to blast off some graffiti.

[purplnurpl]

I’ll take a pic tomorrow when get home from work.

Yes the flakes crossed my mind. They will only put a damper in the issue though.
The power washer won’t get my mess out. I used it on the cleaner side of the barn yesterday and it still left purple ringlets from horse feet being treated with Durasole.

A dark color would be best-with flakes added on top-but I guess it will make the barn look smaller…no?

[MidnightWriter]

What O&O says. Leave it a Pollock-Picassoesque design.

Somewhere (I’ll remember where about 3:00 tomorrow morning) I knew a place that had a floor that was speckled and spotted all over with multicolored splashes. I think it was the pattern of the linoleum but it’s so far back in my memory that all I remember is that I loved it compared with the plainer floors in the same building.

[AKB]

I have used a power washer to remove latex paint from a concrete floor. It came up easily.

[purplnurpl]

yes the latex paint will come up. But the stain sure will not.

And we are talking…I dumped my espresso (basically black) gallon of stain when it was full…twice this winter.
I seriously cleaned up a gallon of stain and then immediately dumped it over again.
(smacks forehead with hand)

my nickname is Champion.

[judybigredpony]

Or just put mats down over it…I vote leave,the loved lived in look!

[tangledweb]

buy another gallon of black stain and spread this one more evenly

[Simkie]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S7mkdHQX-NE

(Skip the talking, it’s the song that’s important)

[saje]

SIMKIE!!

That’s one of my favorite songs ever, and I’ve been looking for a youtube of it - Thank You!!

:D:D:D

The lyrics, if you’re where you can’t listen right now - but it’s a lovely song so listen if you can:

Now when the paint jar tipped
Off of the table
You watched as it started to fall

Glass popped, shattered and splattered
And paint spray hit the wall

Bright, blue glossy enamel
Across the kitchen floor

You said, “Good God, look at that pattern
I’ve never seen that before”

Leave it like it is
Never mind the turpentine
Leave it like it is
Its fine

Now when the paint dried
You gave it a title
You called it “Kitchen Blue”

A white frame painted around it
And gallery lighting too

Rich folks come over to dinner
They all want one of their own

They say “How much? Who’s the artist”
And, “My what a beautiful home”

Leave it like it is
Never mind the turpentine
Leave it like it is
Its fine

Now most folks suffer in sorrow
Thinking they’re just no good
They don’t match the magazine model
As close as they think they should

They live just like the “paint by numbers”
The teacher would be impressed

A life-time of follow the lines
So it’s just like all of the rest

Leave it like it is
Never mind the turpentine
Leave it like it is
Its fine

eta:
Hunh, apparently I haven’t looked in a while - there is a bunch out there. Here’s the one from the album, no talking and better sound quality:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83jsXMSA_1M

Sorry for the musical hijack, but this made my day and it’s only 6:30

[Manni01]

Actually this is a very inspiring thread !! Thank you. I have a concrete floor in my barn as well and I started to look in Youtube what you can do with it to resurface or stain it. It its amazing how many possibilities you have. And it does not look too expensive either. I love the flakes as well!!!

[Hinderella]

Every one of those splotches has an image hiding in it…like looking up at clouds. Invite your friends. Give them markers or paint and have them "personalize’ and sign the splotches. And enjoy!

[AmarachAcres]

Another voice for embrace the paint!

Of course, we need photos to really see how awesome it is or can be.

[fordtraktor]

I put mats on my concrete barn aisle and I totally love it. The horses do too. It is so much more comfortable for them to walk on and stand on in the crossties. It wasn’t all that expensive, either. I used the 4 by 6 TSC ones, catch them when they go on sale or better yet, watch craigslist for them when someone who has been using them in their garage/home gym sells them for cheap.

[purplnurpl]

omg you guys.
I’m too OCD for all of that Picasso stuff.
I was a very neat hospital looking floor.
Matting the entire barn is an idea…

I keep forgetting to take pics…I should go do that now. right now