Let there be lights and stained concrete

Progress on the sunroom came to a screeching halt several weeks ago, and I have no one but myself to blame. The project was complete except for the floor. I had asked the contractor to have the concrete stained to match the floors throughout the house. It wouldn't have been a big deal were it not for the fact that over the years, I had slopped wood sealer (an extra super-duper product called Penofin) all over the concrete when I treated the porch railing. Live and learn.

The first guy who came out to work on the floor was a freakin' idiot clueless about how to remove the stains. 

While my contractor worked to identify somebody who knew what he was doing, I worked on installing the light fixtures.

This one, made from an old telegraph wire insulator, hangs above the dining area.

This one, made from an old Mason jar, hangs above the daybed. 

I'm still trying to find just the right light bulb to use. This one isn't it.

Anyway, the floor guys arrived Monday morning and sanded and sanded and sanded the floor

until all the spots had disappeared.

Then they mopped on an acid solution to etch the concrete and make it more porous

so that it would accept the stain.

Then they rinsed/vacuumed, repeated, until the etching solution was gone.

What a treat to see someone besides me, and a male no less, vacuuming my floor!

Then they left for the day while the floor dried.

Yesterday morning, Mr. Floor Man returned. I smelled him before I knew he was here.

Think nail-polish remover. Times 8 bazillion. And I'm not exaggerating.

He mixed the color agent with acetone, then proceeded to spray the floor.

I took this picture through the glass door. Had I been in the room, I would have passed out from the fumes.

 

You: Excuse me, but your floor is green. Wasn't it supposed to match the warm amber color you used in the house?

Me: Yes, except that color was discontinued. Since I wouldn't be able to match it, why not go for something different?

Like this "Prickly Cactus" color. At least something around here will be green year 'round.

You: You've obviously been sniffing too many paint fumes.

Let me just say that staining concrete is not for the faint of heart. 

What you see is not what you get until the floor is signed, sealed and delivered.

When I saw the stained floor, I cringed. It looked almost neon.

When Mr. Floor Man started to seal it, I cringed again. It looked hideously dark.

Then the sealer started to dry, and I started loving my new floor.

The blue sky reflecting through the windows made it seem like pools of water were shining back at me.

 

Then the sun came out and I started to cringe again at the astroturf.

Mr. Floor Man has two more coats of sealer to apply before he calls it done, and I'm not the least bit worried.

I'm confident it will be beautiful. And if it's not, that's what margaritas are for.