The stain I used is Brickform Acid Stain and the sealer is Conspec Sealer. It was all purchased from a concrete supplier, any place that sells concrete will have it. By concrete I mean a big truck not by the bag. As for testing the color, the concrete store will have samples already on concrete for you to look at. If you put it on and dont like it, there is no turning back. You can apply up to 3 coats of the color, so if its not dark enough or you miss a spot you can go back and do it. As far a ease, It was the easiest thing we did. We have a custom built log home, and did every bit of the work ourselves. It took five years. The acid staining was a 2 day project and very easy. The whole house has hard wood floors, and could have done that in the basement, but thought if it every flooded mopping the concrete was an easier fix. Plus I like the look of the stain. Im in Michigan, if anyone is nearby I am willing to help. Daisy

I took some pictures of the coping areas in question and have posted them below. Gosh, it took me forever to figure out how to post again... thanks to some instructions I found in an old post.... I finally have it figured out. Anyway, do you think I am overreacting about this, also, does anyone know if this can be corrected on the surface? First couple of pictures show the one area that is the worst in my opinion and it is right at the shallow end where the steps are. The last couple of pictures are at the deep end, and although I notice it, it doesn't seem to be as pronounced. Can you see the little racoon foot prints? I think I had a visitor the other night. Hope he doesn't decide to go swimming anytime soon.... the water looks like a swamp at the moment... They started forming the deck today (I was at work and my husband had them stop because there have been additional trenches dug by the plumber and by the electricians, and with all of the rain, we want to pool guy to re-grade it. Besides, the paint marks had washed off, and when I came home from lunch, there was one area that was formed incorrectly. I am meeting both the concrete guy and the builder here in the morning to walk back through the deck pour & of course, I will show the builder the coping to see what he says.

Hi Nick, Congratulations on your new home first of all. My advice is to get really good mats, and have them at every entrance. This helps to trap dirt on the mat rather than trailing it in. And depending on the mat and how heavy it is, you could vacuum it or shake it off outside. On the cement floors in my last home, I eventually bought a floormate. You add a cleaning solution to the water compartment, and it sprays it on the floor, scrubs with the spining bristles, and sucks ALL the water back up. Now, the haze that is left on some floors is residue. From what? Could be the minerals in the water from hard water, dirt left over, or surfacants from a detergent based cleaning solution ( but you said you are using vinegar). So getting all the water up has a good advantage. In my floormate I used the most natural cleaning agents I could. So I would try vinegar in the floormate, and if that doesn't cut it, move up to a more serious cleaner from there. I have used a product from home depot called krud kutter, for cleaning certain areas with a lot of build up, and I have heard good things about people using it on their floors for build up. As far as a steam mop, you could try it, since the floor is waxed, but it needs a good buffing. But the heat could ruin the buffed out shine after you buff it out. I don't know if I would chance it. I think almost no method is as good as an honest to goodness on your hands and knees scrubbing. But this came pretty close for me. The floormate isn't too spendy. I hope others will chime in with ideas, and hopefully this helps. Let us know how the continuing struggle to keep clean goes. Harlow

SJ McCarthy, I do have photos of the cracking and rising floor boards. And of the spotty finish, streaks, and drips. The boards have sat untouched and unfinished in our AC home for the last nine months, and within days of the oil and water applications the cracking and rising occurred. It’s been less than ten days since the floor has been finished. The guy who did the work was the owner of a highly rated flooring refinishing company in my area. We agreed to use a water-based finish which is on my contract as Poloplaz 1k water-based floor finish with a matte sheen. When he arrive he talked me into using an oil-based product instead, stating that it would keep the natural color as it is, but also preserve the wood. I apologize for repeating myself here -- I was so fearful of the oil yellowing the white oak which I stated many times to him, but he assured me if it did yellow it wouldn’t be for fifteen to twenty years. He said he would be using a clear, natural, expensive oil-based polyurethane finish that was newly opened. I'm not sure of the brand but I do have a photo of the yellow oil drip down the side of one of the white panels around the stairs. The next day after the oil application he added the matte flat water-based finish and I absolutely know what product he used because after the second coat was applied I followed him out to his truck voicing my concerns about the color/finish of the floor and he showed me the container… Bona Traffic HD extra matte. That’s when he blamed the product for the streaky look of the finish. He said he doesn’t like using this Bona product for quality reasons but because I insisted on a matte finish he didn’t have a choice. He said he could use a different product but it would leave a shine and not have the matte look I wanted. Thankfully the guy did not apply the 'natural poly' over the factory finished Shaw floors. My contract with him states that he would apply it over the entire dining area, and I was charged for it, but at the last minute the decision to not do it was made. The guy is not affiliated with my general contractor because I wanted to hire a flooring ‘professional’ who truly understood hardwood floor finishes. I was incredibly anxious and very select about what I wanted in the finish and it took me a while to find and then trust someone. Unfortunately I paid him in full. Contractors, here at least, are allowed to have a lien against your home if you withhold payment and because I'm not familiar with what that truly means legally for me, as the homeowner, I paid. Thank you for your information regarding an inspector from NWFA -- it's a great idea and I will most certainly make a few phone calls. Recent research has informed me that an oil-based polyurethane needs to cure for at least two weeks to 60 days before adding a water-based finish, do you know if that statement is true? And if so then the pro not waiting for the curing time before applying the water-based finish likely and knowingly voided the warranty on the Bona product -- he's been in business a long time so he would know. Also, is a natural polyurethane the same as an oil-based polyurethane? I'm just making sure I understand everything before speaking with an inspector. Thank you so very much for your advice and time, SJ McCarthy, I really appreciate all of your help.