Beware of the acid wash shortcut on older slabs

Last week I got called to fix a patio in Denver where some guy used muriatic acid straight on a 20 year old slab. It looked great for about 2 days, then the whole surface started dusting off like sand. I had to grind it all down and reseal, which ran the homeowner an extra $1,400. That shortcut is a trap if the concrete wasn't sealed properly before, the acid just eats the weak top layer. Has anyone else come behind this kind of fix and had to redo the whole thing?

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johnthompson1mo ago

Funny how shortcuts in general are like that. The quick fix feels so good right up until it isn't. Same thing with pressure washing a deck too hard or using the wrong cleaner on a car's paint, it looks perfect until it falls apart the next week.