What would I used on a cement basement floor?
My basement floor has flooded and cats and dogs have had accidents on it. I know I would need to prepare the floor before I could resurface or put anything down.
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I would wash the floor at least twice. Thoroughly drying between each washing. Use moving air to help dry. Box fans in a circular motion are great for drying. First wash with 10% bleach solution, then with a 20% vinegar solution. This will help to neutralize any urine and odor. Then you should apply a concrete paint to seal the concrete. Depending on what you are planning to put down as your finished floor can affect what you seal the floor with. I suggest paint under carpet because it will provide a thicker longer lasting sealed surface.
But I would not seal the concrete at all where you are doing ceramic tile. Use a vinyl mortar set for the tile and that will seal the concrete. Any sealer on the concrete would cause the mortar to fail and the tiles will come up.
If there is any chance that your basement floor will flood again don't bother painting (it lifts off if the water comes up from below the concrete ) and it doesn't come up everywhere just enough to ruin the appearance of it . I painted mine with a good sealer paint and it is a disaster that I am scraping off inch by inch after putting hot hot water on it and I am using Dawn dish soap to lift the remaining paint. If you are just cleaning it, Paul's instructions are great. I used Pine-Sol and was content that mine was clean. Definitely wash twice.