Garage-ness

So the garage.  We did some stuff.  This is a before picture.  The floor looks a little darker than it really is.  We had just washed it.  It was the first-ish step before we acid stained it.  Yep.  ACID STAINED OUR GARAGE FLOOR, BOO-YA!


It was love at first sight on Pinterest.  (Darn you Pinterest!)  After seeing this picture...

I did a little research and watched some videos.  And then convinced The Man that we could do this!  Oh dear.  Everybody says how easy it is to do.  Well....yes.  And no.  Once you get started yes, it is easy.  But dang is it a heckuva pain to do.  Those little 3-5 minute videos are so misleading.  Oh, and don't ask anybody at Home Depot about this stuff.  Ask a contractor or a LOCAL hardware person.

Acid stain has been applied...this is what it looked like as it was drying.  And it smells really bad too.  FYI.

1. It's easier to do without kids.  We started the project November 30 and I just took the last of the plastic sheeting off and put furniture, etc. back in the garage.  The kids haven't touched foot in the back yard since we started.  Cabin fever anyone?  Between weather and cranky kids...'nuff said.

2. Inclement weather is a you-know-what.  With temperatures under 50 (the stain and sealer doesn't like that temp) and with rain we couldn't finish when we wanted.

3. Shoulda Woulda Coulda.  We should've used the acid remover junk the hardware guy told us to use. In our defense he did tell us it wasn't mandatory.  But.  It would've helped with some oil spots that the stain couldn't get through to.  And I'm thinking we should've gone with high gloss instead of semi on the sealer.  Not as shiny as I thought it'd be.  That said, I can live with the imperfections.

4. Dilute before you dump.  After the staining process was done we had to neutralize the floor with a whole lot of water and baking soda.  This is the part that's messy and kind of time consuming.  You really gotta get that floor clean after you do that.  And having a wet/dry vac helps lots.  Which we didn't have on the first go (yes, we stained twice).  So with a shop mop and rolling bucket we dumped our stuff down the street.  We, and the four houses down the street now have turquoise street gutters.  You're welcome.

There's lots of other lame details.  I've learned that I'm not a very good DIYer.  I always thought I was but...man, I'm so not cut out for this stuff!

Without further ado, here's the finished floor:

It's not as cool looking as the one I saw on Pinterest but I suppose I was expecting too much.  Am I glad we did the floor?  Yes.  Was it swear-worthy agony at times?  A little.  Is it flawed?  Oh dear me, don't look too close.  But The Man and I learned something new.  We did it together.  And it's finished.

The floor that is.

Next up...drywall.

And because I'm super good at fantasizing here's a little something I'd love to have in the near future, to replace the old-school aluminum garage door.  (Another Pinterest gem).

Do I dare go for the reclaimed/Craigslist glass pained door DIY or do I hire out?

So, if any of you who happen upon this snore-worthy blog of mine and are interested in more info. on this drop me a line.  I'll tell you what not to do.  :)

Love,

Lady Chan