When new concrete is poured curing methods are used to retain moisture and delay shrinkage while the concrete gains its full strength. Curing methods include water curing, curing blankets or cure and seal sealers. If a cure and seal sealer is used, over time it will wear away leaving the concrete exposed and susceptible to salt damage, spalling and cracking. In order to prevent this you would then apply a penetrating sealer after the cure and seal is stripped or worn away. Applying a cure and seal initially and then a penetrating sealer afterwards is costly, time consuming and labor intensive.
Enter a new hybrid that brings the world of cure and seals and penetrating sealers together: penetrating cure and seals. Penetrating cure and seals are typically acrylic silane blends which are film forming to hold moisture to help concrete fully hydrate and penetrating to protect against water, salt penetration and freeze-thaw cycles. Penetrating cure and seals must be applied as soon as all bleed water has dissipated within three hours of the final finishing. Using a penetrating cure and seal eliminates the 28 day three step process into a single step.
Ahead of the curve penetrating cure and seal products:
Vexcon CertiVex Guard AIM: Clear, innovative one step silane water repellent and cure all-in-one. Meets NCHRP Series II and Series IV.
Iso-Cure 8525: A water based, low VOC product incorporating nano-technology allowing for a deep penetration and long lasting finish. Meets ASTM C-309 and NCHRP Series II and Series IV.
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The top concrete sealers for concrete patios are going to be sealers that enhance and beautify the concrete or pavers with out the risk of peeling, flaking or delamination. With patios constant exposure to sun, wind and rain a sealer has to be able to stand up to these afflicting elements. Acrylic sealers are commonly used on exterior decorative surfaces and for good reason. With their finishes ranging from matte, satin and glossy sheens there is a sealer for every aesthetically pleasing application.
Patio sealers are usually available in solvent and water based varieties and it is up to the end use to determine what they are comfortable applying. Although solvent based sealers usually leave a glossier shine they tend to have noxious fumes and high VOCs. Water based acrylics on the other hand have low VOC’s making them easily accessible in all areas of the country.
Our Take: We like water based acrylic sealers because of their low VOCs and subtle matte finish. They will not peel or delaminate like their high gloss counterparts and if it is a high quality acrylic, water will bead from the surface and the sealer will be decorative and repel water. Our favorites include Cryli-Tek 5500 and Decra-Seal WB.
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Polished concrete is one of the newer choices many people make for their concrete surfaces. Concrete naturally is a very porous material made from the mixing of water, Portland cement, and some sort of aggregate, such as stones, gravel, or sand. The mixture, when properly completed, results in the formation of concrete that features a large amount of tiny pores and hairline cracks that extend, web-like, throughout the concrete. While these pores and cracks do not overly inhibit the concrete’s strength, they can be the cause of future damage.
To make sure your concrete is as strong as it possibly can be, as well as protected from potential future harm, you need to make sure you seal your concrete with the appropriate concrete sealer. However, the situation changes slightly if you decide to polish your concrete. Polishing concrete is a choice many people make because it grinds down the surface of the concrete to transform the pockmarked natural surface into a smooth, shiny expanse of concrete. These types of floors are typically found in large retail stores, such as Home Depot, as well as a number of other venues.
While the polishing process is as simple as renting a concrete grinder and following the instructions from there on, there is a crucial step that many people skip. Skipping this step, of course, can result in absolute disaster for the concrete, leading to excessive cracking, crumbling, and general degradation that can necessitate costly repairs.
Before you can polish concrete, you need to increase the strength and density of the slab. Polishing pushes the concrete’s structural integrity to the brink, which can be problematic for untreated concrete. In order to ensure a successful concrete polishing process, you need to treat the concrete slab with a concrete densifier. The best choice for this project would be a lithium silicate/siliconate. These types of sealer are the strongest densifiers on the market, featuring deep penetration and comprehensive chemical reactions that create more calcium silicate hydrate (or CSH) that gives concrete its noted strength. Once the lithium silicate sealer has been properly applied, the concrete can be polished without fear of damage caused by untreated concrete.
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While many concrete sealers claim to offer protection from water damage, most only offer some degree of water resistance. If you are looking for a true water repellent sealer, for instance, an acrylic will not really give you the protection you have in mind. Water repellent sealers are different from penetrating sealers because they are surface sealers. A good example to picture the protection offered by a water repellent would be that they act like a raincoat does. When applied to the concrete, the water visibly beads before sliding off, keeping the concrete dry underneath.
Just like penetrating sealers, water repellent sealers are appropriate for certain types of projects. A delicate piece of concrete cannot be treated with a concrete densifier or any other type of penetrating concrete sealer. Instead, a water repellent sealer is more appropriate, as these types of sealers feature large particles of sealant that cannot penetrate past the tiny surface pores natural to concrete. In order to ensure the concrete sealer is applied properly, you just need to pour out the sealer onto the concrete before spreading it out across the surface of the material.
If you are looking for a sealer that repels water, your best choice would be a silane/siloxane type of sealer. Be sure to look for a water-based variety that offers comparable levels of protection to solvent-based counterparts. Silane/siloxane sealers are made up of a blend of penetrating silane particles combined with surface-level siloxane particles. These two types of particles of chemical sealant function in concert to create a hydrophobic barrier that will block out water and excessive moisture from entering the concrete. The two types of sealant particles ensure that the surface of the concrete retains the most thorough possible protection, while the concrete itself is also protected in case any water seeps through the primary surface level of protection.
Our Take: Water repellents we recommend are Okon S-40 or Siloxa-Tek 8500
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While water damage is an obvious potential damage a home or building owner has to worry about when it comes to concrete, there are other potentially harmful things that you may not even notice. The passage of radon, a gas linked to cancer, through your concrete into your home or building is one of these. Concrete, by its very nature, has a large amount of tiny pores and hairlines cracks that extend throughout it. Beginning at the surface, these pores can allow gases like methane and radon to pass through your concrete with little problem.
While concrete as a structural material often makes it the only choice for construction, regardless of drawbacks like the passage of radon, you can easily defend your home or building from this potentially carcinogenic gas. Radon is a colorless, tasteless, and odorless gas that is actually the second greatest cause of lung cancer, after smoking, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In order to know if radon is afflicting your home or building, you need to get a radon test kit and follow the instructions. As the gas cannot be tasted or smelled, these test kits are really the only way to know if radon is plaguing your home.
If you have radon in your home, a possible cause could be that it is coming through the concrete. Therefore, the solution to this problem would be to use a quality concrete sealer specifically designed to block out radon, methane, and similar harmful gases. A surface sealer is not a great choice, as it would not comprehensively block out the gas. The best choice for a concrete sealer is a silicate sealer. Silicate sealers are part of the class of penetrating sealers, coming in sodium or lithium forms. The particles of silicate in the sealer will penetrate past the surface pores of the concrete into the material. Once here, they will react with various minerals already present within the concrete to chemically produce more calcium silicate hydrate (CSH). The production of CSH will block the pores and cracks through which radon and similar gases can travel, helping ensure your home remains adequately protected.
Our Take: A radon reducing sealer that can be used is Radonseal.
