I wouldn’t try to torch unless you have exhausted all else and are planning an insurance claim. Concrete takes about a month to be fully set. I would imagine adding too much heat to it could potentially cause it to crack. As for how to get it out, I have no idea but would be interested to know you resolve this! Good luck to you!
After a quick search through google I came across a youtube video that talks about doing this and says the concrete can crack/break/explode. Doesn’t matter if it is new or not. Weed Torch Gets Rid of Oil Stains On Cement Like Magic - YouTube Also the comments talk about the flame will leave the concrete colored.
You should have asked before. You were way too aggressive on your treatment of new concrete. Hydraulic stains are virtually impossible to completely remove, even with heat. Forget the torch, that’s only for small spots and it does hurt the concrete. Who dropped the fluid on it in the first place?
Thanks man, it’s alright. Lesson learned. And hey if I can make the customer happy with a quality resurface rather than a replacement, I’ll consider myself lucky.
That lesson right there too many of us learn too late. I would suggest on the newb page (if there isn’t one there should be) that this is taught first and foremost. Don’t try what you think will work in the heat of the moment. Lose a day but save face and a customer, or maybe even your entire business. Don’t try anything new before asking council from the best here on this site (not me, not yet, although I am damn good lol), basic lessons*
That is a very good lesson, but it is not the lesson I learned here.
I did consult with a very reputable source before starting this project. I just don’t want to name-drop because I don’t want anything to get misconstrued for them.
I was not on-site during this project. I provided detailed instructions to my technician. My lesson(s) learned are related to this.
I apologize for being vague. I just don’t want to say too much as this project has not yet reached a resolution.
Without this forum I would have made three bad mistakes last year. All you guys who commit to help one another have my best wishes and thanks. To quote a book written by an NFL player, we all really need each other.
I thought I should loop back on my previous mistake. The customer was very cool and appreciated that I took responsibility for it. We agreed on staining the driveway, and I think it turned out pretty well. The customer seemed pleased.
A lot of contractors try and start the blame game even though they know they caused it. Yesterday I shattered someone’s patio door glass and immediately got on the phone and had someone out there asap.
I’m a noob here. Now that is out of the way. I do know something about concrete. It looks to me that no curing compound or sealant was not applied to the concrete after the final strike off. It would be my suggestion on similar jobs to look or ask if a curing/sealant was applied during placement. This would drastically change how you would approach the situation.
