So maybe we didn't really hold off until after Auggie's wedding, but Thomas and I ended up with a windfall of time this weekend. I didn't attend an all day conference on Saturday after all, which meant we had pretty much all day Saturday and Sunday free. We headed to Trinidad early on Saturday morning to rent a concrete sander. After loading it in the truck and making a few other stops, we got home early afternoon and set to work.
Our basement floor is concrete, and until such time as we deem it necessary, we are not laying down any other flooring on top of it. So to finish it a little more nicely, we took the sander to it for a nice smooth finish. It also reveals the small stones in the concrete, which adds a nice variation in color and pattern. The end result is really nice, but boy it took a lot of work to get there.
The sander utilizes three sets of bars that rotate circularly to wear away the concrete. To make it easier - cutting down heat of friction and dust, a garden hose is connected and sprays water into the rotating bars. To keep it from getting too mucky, a vacuum hose from a shop-vac is connected to suck up the water and slurry. To make it harder for us, the shop-vac suction didn't work on the machine, so I pushed it around and sucked up the muck. Between Saturday and Sunday, I think I probably emptied that bucket a dozen times - having to bail water out with a bucket because it was too heavy for me to carry up the stairs. Tom also helped carry it up for me several times. And a number of times we team lifted out. We slept well on Saturday night, and I am sure tonight will be the same.
As for the floor, it will need to be sprayed down and vacuumed some more before we are ready to apply the sealer. Our backs need a break, and we need to decide on which product to use. Moving right along....
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