We used Vivid Acid Stain.
http://www.concretecoatingsinc.com/vivid_acid_stains.html
Prep for new slabs isn't too bad....there had not been any vehicles on it. When the insulation guy was here spraying the walls, I made them use plastic to cover the whole floor. Next, I swept it off and then hosed it off real good. On Friday morning
1. I hosed it off again.
2. To apply the acid you use a plastic weed sprayer(no metals parts). Mist the floor to help disperse the stain. Put the acid down, being careful not too get it too thick. this took about 1.5hrs solo for the 2300ft2. Application called for 9.2 gallons, but I could see that the power troweled floor would not accept it that heavy and started pooling. I used 5 gallons.
3. It calls for 4hr set time, let it dry before neutralizing. At 3hrs I called a experienced friend and mentioned some dark black areas. He said hose it off now, it's pooling and will cook to much. 1st rinse...
4. I hosed it off again before night fall. rinse #2
5. Saturday morning I mopped the floor to remove the residue. #3 rinse Still looked chalky, so used a stiff broom on the wetted floor and hosed it off again(#4)....whew. Neighbor said here use my wimpy pressure washer, this really helped, followed by mopping again. rinse water is looking pretty clean.
6. Sunday morning floor looks pretty good....dull and a few chalky areas. More wiping down (on hands and knees) damp rag. Trying to keep the floor dry. used a vacuum and air blower to clear puddles and saw cuts.
Noon Sunday....whew...not sure if this is worth the effort, have we done enough cleaning. But floor is dry and 95% ready.
7. 2pm lets call it good enough and seal it! Used Dayton J-35 commercial clear seal coat. I used a 12" roller on a 5' extension, dipped into the 5 gal bucket to coat each 12'x12' square. I wasn't too concerned with perfect coverage. Kris had a 18" commercial roller with a 16' extension, she was able to back roll in a cross hatch pattern from the side of each block to smooth out any of my sloppiness. This worked like a champ for very good coverage. completed the 1st coat in 1.5hrs.
8. grab a break while this dried. 2 hrs it is good for light traffic. so by 5:30 we were applying coat #2. Went just as well and maybe a bit faster...hey we're Pros by now.
more later on pros & cons and lessons learned