- no financial interest & they will sell to diy'ers

' necessary for the acid stain's mineral salts to color,,, tri-sodium phosphate is the preferred method of cleaning prior to stain applied w/lo-speed buffer, brush, & black pad. IF the stain was applied too heavily, it would ' pool ' & leave a gumme residue however a pro could easily remedy this by properly neutralizing any remaining acid residue & cleaning the surface,,, it could then be restained ( if possible ) OR concrete dyes could breathe new life into the surface. to my knowledge, few pro's use any mtls from your source. i suggest your best bet is to retain a pro for his opinion & suggestions even if he wouldn't accept the work. removing the stain isn't possible however i'd guess that's not the primary sticking point - has it been sealed & w/what ? your budget limitations suggest fixing what's there would be best.

super-hard ' is subjective - the real test comes when you look at your work in 3 years

any member of institute of conc repair specialists & talk to them - they may not do that work but can recommend ( icri.org )

is draping vinyl sheeting/6mil plastic down the wall then tuck it into the trench drain - this doesn't prevent water from seeping thru the wall as Susan inquired.

spec'd to protect epoxy coatings

the necessary strength to horse around a 5 to 10hp polisher - even an light edco,,, here in atlanta, we've only got 2 stores that rent conc polishers & dry dust collectors,,, current cost is about $ 500day + you have to pickup & return - the polisher's about 600# & very unstable so unloading w/o a dock, overhead crane/lift, or forklift's not easy,,, grinding / polishing wet is much less expensive. polished conc will have a lythic densifier applied to it at a certain polishing stage to strengthen the conc AND color can be applied at the same time,,, acid staining roughens the conc surf slightly so you're effectively working against yourself - hope that helps clear any confusion !