I cannot recall when last a posted a blog. But I can check…It was 20 Feb, which tomorrow, will be 2 months ago. (Wait till I start on string theory, to confabulate the concept of time and dimensions 
). It is a far cry from what I had pictured in my mind, when I started my blog 2 years ago, with 2 posts a week.
Talking about expectations and the like, you may have seen my post a few days ago, indicating that I would post how to stain, or how NOT to stain a cement floor, depending on the success rate of this Easter Weekend project.
It is time for the big reveal, and yes, you can assume a sense of excitement and delight. Silver lining and all, even when the project does not turn out how I expected, I love the unexpected. I call it Talita’s chaos theory. Even in chaos, there is a sense of wonder, wondering whether you will get out of this in one piece (for the pessimist) or wondering what adventure awaits at the next turn of events (for the eternal optimist).
The colour was blue. In theory. (Link not mine, but it is a beautiful blue finish)
https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.fa52992fac7c43acca30f720978b733c?rik=8UWBsl%2bdl%2b7%2bTQ&pid=ImgRaw&r=0
In practise: We live in the beautiful red Kalahari sand. Red sand + cement + blue stain = green effect.
Even better, because now the stoep blends in with the surrounding abundant grass. Namibians especially appreciate the transient nature of green grass, so it is especially serene to have the inside blend with the outside. For the rest of the year, it is pretty much dry savanna (if you are lucky) or red Kalahari sand dunes.
Enough of the ethereal wafting. Down to practical basics.
This blog will fill a gap in the world wide web. Nowhere could I find an example how to stain with my product, making patterns or abstract art. There are some advanced examples of epoxy floors made to look like aerial views of Sunkissed beach sand and cool crashing waves. Or lava streams flowing down mountain tops. I think you get the picture I had in my mind.
So there is a reason those posts are with epoxy, and not with cement stain. Cement stain is not predictable. It depends on the colour of your sand, the porosity of your cement, the degree of trowling a smooth finish, the moisture in the air and in the cement floor, and so on. Best I can determine from my experiment of 1, is that you can choose a “Nguni type” finish, or a more evenly spread mottled look.
Nguni is a native cattle brand. Very sought after for their dappled white/brown/black hides.
The area I had to cover was 117m2.
I had 3 x 5 litter containers of stain. Following instruction to the letter, I first put masking tape on the edges of the floor. Even my friends know I am not a very neat person, so taking that extra precaution is worth the investment unless you like the stain to creep up the walls.
I then applied the stain with a roller brush (short hair), and had a separate small container handy, with which I wanted to create “islands of blue ocean”. I would pour on some stain (the more stain, the more intense the colour), and direct it into shapes by gloved hand. Gloves are important, that is pretty obvious at this stage. The cement drank in the colour, so I was not very convinced whether this was going to work. But, once I start a project, there is no way but forward, so forward I went.
Leave to dry for 24 hours. 
Sweep it up, (the stain has by now dried to a powder), then wipe with a sacrificial squeegee so as to not wet the floor again.
Then the 2-part sealer, consisting of a polyeurothane Polyurothrane polysomething mix and an activator. Mark your mixing vessel to indicate 4 parts poly, and then another mark for 1 part activator. It is essential not to mix the two tins in their entirety, because pot life is stated at 45- 60 minutes, but you will soon see whether it is more like 30 minutes before the mix becomes a mess of silicone bits stuck to your floor. We recycled the stain container, and clearly marked the one cup level, and +4 cup level to make mixing easier. Using tongue depressors, (or ice cream sticks?) as mixing tool works well.
I had 4 sets of 4+1 litres, but 3 was enough to cover the entire 117 sqm twice.
Having Johannes on standby to cut the corners (in this case, it was not about cheating, it was to apply sealer in the corners which is impossible with a roller brush), and to mix another vessel of 4:1, was a life saver.
Roll one direction for layer one, wait 24 hours, and roll at 90 degrees for layer two.
End of story.
PS – do not forget to remove the masking tape as you progress with cutting corners on layer two. Failing which you will have a gel – sealer – crack disaster.
PPS – most important – clean your equipment thoroughly in between sealing layers. The Polysomething mix is touch dry within 30 minutes, but, if you mix the next batch (even 24 hours later), you end up with silicone consistency flecks of semi-dried sealer in your next layer, and that aint pretty!
I think for the next experiment, I would consider using a spray pump to get a more even mottled effect, but then you must tape plastic halfway up the walls.
In any event, I hope you find this post useful. Do not be mistaken, a blank canvas is daunting, but when that first stroke hits the cement, push on through, and accept the surprise the universe throws your way.
