the evolution of a floor

I remember the day the concrete was poured.  So clean, and so pristine.

Very quickly, it got very dirty.  It had coffee stains, and drywall dust.  Paint drips and glue splatters.  Insulation and mud.  It really could get no dirtier.

Getting the floors ready to be sealed was a daunting task.  We swept, and vacuumed, then we scraped the whole floor with teeny tiny window scrapers.  Our hands were sore for days after (well, mine was anyway.. I'm sure my big strong husband would never admit to it).  But it meant the really hard work was done...we were over the hump! 

Then we washed the floor really well (with a  handy machine from Planet Clean), and so it was finally ready to be sealed!

We used VOCOMP-20 by W.R. Meadows purchased through National Concrete.  Very low VOC.  Virtually no odor.  Rolled on easily (we did two coats).  Love it.

And finally three coats of wax.. again from Planet Clean Janitorial Supply.  They carry a fantastic line of cleaning products from M-Chem, and we chose Satin Finish because it is very low VOC, and super easy to apply.  It wipes on with a flat wax mop and doesn't need to be buffed.  There are completely natural products around.. like this one.  I would love to try some (and there's a sales rep in Lumby) but there isn't going to be enough in stock until spring.

Voila!

I could not be happier with the results.  It has a nice glow, and isn't too shiny.  It's very easy to clean and with any luck it will be easy to maintain as well.  It is unrecognizable as the floor from 3 weeks ago.. and I am so glad it is done.