Concrete Help!!!!

Our first express wash is 6 years old now and the concrete in the vacuum area is looking black and is somewhat slippery. We pressure wash on a regular basis but it only takes a few days to get back to looking bad. Has anyone else run into this problem? Are there any solutions? I'm looking into asphalting over the concrete but from the asphalt people I've talked to they don't seem to think that will work. Any advice here is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Turn down the amount of product you are using in your tire shine machine. Or switch to a different product. Use a good concrete cleaner when you power wash. Forget about the asphalt idea.

Use a concrete cleaner or even muratic acid and try using a good commercial grade concret sealer. That will seal the pores on the concrete and not alow the dirt to adhere to the concrete.

As mentioned, muriatic acid, some agitation and a pressure washer will do the job, however, it is nasty stuff and requires some serious precautions and personal protective equipment.

Muriatic acid won't cut through the tire dressing. It will just eat the concrete wherever there's no dressing. Mineral spirits will remove the dressing, but you'll have to block off an area and clean it several times because the dressing that has soaked in will "wick" back to the surface. Once you get it clean, then seal it so the dressing won't soak in again.

Don't do asphalt. The tire dressing will just destroy it.

You could color the cement a dark color with a acid process. I know thats a trend in houses.

I agree, turn down the tire shine. You have to clean it several times (horrible process) then put a high dollar sealer on it. Go to a brick manufacturer like ACME brick, they should have a commercial grade sealer.

Coloring the concrete is another good idea, but you'll still have to get it clean to get it to take the stain, and you'll still have the "slippery" problem.

If I ever build another wash (unlikely), the concrete under the drying shed will be stained charcoal gray.

Asphalt is worse and will eventually have to be replaced. We color the concrete at the exit end of the wash with iron oxide. This gives the concrete a darker color. Also, we rake the concrete with metal rake to give the concrete a rougher texture.

Unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge, there is not much you can do with the existing concrete. Concrete stains are in the concrete and will not act as a sealer. Stains work best on a slick finish, not on a broom finish. You could possibly cut some shallow grooves with a concrete saw which would be cheaper than replacing the concrete, but that would still be a messy proposition.