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Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes, doesn't it? People ask us all the time what to use on new, old, just cleaned
or just poured cementitious surfaces (such as concrete, cement, stucco, most brick and paver stones), and they
question why they should use a sealer. Instead of promoting the latest industry concoction (and it is no accident
that concoction in the dictionary is on the same page as concrete, because there are many different concrete concoctions
out there)
we have realized that the best answers to these questions are a mix of products and techniques that have been used
and have been proven to be effective.
"To make it look nice" is generally the motivating factor for most customers when they contract your
services for the cleaning of concrete. However, don't overlook other selling points when negotiating a job. Dirt
and impurities deteriorate concrete - That's a fact. The larger the surface, the more important it is to maintain
it, due to the cost of repair and replacement. Did you know there is a whole industry for Concrete Repair? Much
of this damage could be prevented with proper cleaning and sealing. Medical and food facilities will have an antiseptic
priority; municipal and heavy traffic areas may have a wear priority. Over the years, the owners of these types
of facilities have already learned from architects and material engineers that clean concrete in conjunction with
a good sealer will yield long life and thus preserve the concrete. They have an obligation to maintain these surfaces,
especially if costly repairs must be made with the taxpayers' money.
If you aren't sealing concrete after cleaning, you're leaving money on the table. In actuality, the concrete finisher
should be sealing the concrete - and not with a temporary cure and seal. Many times, finishers are more concerned
with just getting the concrete down and getting off the job site. In what other field can you get paid on something
that always looks good when you are finished? Then, a roll of the dice will reveal the real outcome.
This actually benefits the Power Washing Industry because, eventually, the customer will call you in to clean.
A good sealer will protect the concrete and make it much easier to clean with less abrasion and harsh chemicals
- a win-win deal for you and the customer.
The main reason that contractors seal concrete is because it is the most practical way to finish your cleaning
job. There are many other reasons to seal concrete, but let's cut to the chase. Consider the scientists who build
bridges, tunnels and skyscrapers. They are using better concrete and workmanship, yet they still mandate a concrete
sealer.
So, what's the deal with homeowners and light commercial business? Unfortunately, they have to learn the hard way
after their concrete experiences a little cracking here, spalling, churting, permanent stains, flaking, curling
and overall general breakdown. Did you know the #1 killer of concrete is salt and water? Well, since the cost of
concrete isn't going down, the reality of replacement and repair is soaking in.
Fact: The #1 used resource on the globe is water. The #2 used resource on the globe is concrete. This seems like
a pretty strong industry that I would want to be a part of in some way.
We have to step up and learn from our past. How long did it take insurance companies to accept the notion of "preventive
health care?" They learned that by promoting preventive methods and curbing an inevitable problem, they were
saving money - a lot of money. Why did it take so long to learn that flossing is three times better than brushing
your teeth? When will customers and contractors learn that sealing is the best preventive action to preserve concrete
and protect from stains and impurities?
Boy, is this open for scrutinization! Let's start with this: If you don't seal your concrete, we all know what
happens. The impurity sits, it stains, it looks bad, and it will eventually deteriorate the concrete. It also has
the potential of becoming permanent. So, what do you do? You face reality, and the reality is you can't prevent
a stain, but you can manipulate it. In other words, you can make it a topical problem by attacking it intelligently,
as opposed to a substrate problem. Substrate penetration, at some point, becomes irrevocable with possible serious
damage to the concrete from aggressive measures like very high pressure, acids, scarifying, shotblasing, sandblasting
and nuclear explosion. (Just kidding about nuclear explosion, but some power washers can scare us with their cleaning
methods.)
Applying a sealer on cementitious products will vary, depending on the sealer used. We are going to address a water
borne sealer since the EPA is trying to halt the use of solvent base sealers.
In most cases, application is very easy and can be mastered in a short time. It requires the use of low pressure,
and you can use a 15° tip and up, depending how fast you want to walk. It isn't necessarily the sealer that
you need to be extremely familiar with, but the surface. Learn about your surface and that will determine your
rate of application and which mix, pressure, tip and speed you use. In most cases, pump sprayers and backpack sprayers
work well. In larger jobs, you may want to seek a unit that will carry more product but will still get you down
to about 50 psi, if necessary. Here are some additional guidelines to follow:
o Use a general left-to-right motion, while moving from north to south.
o Don't let it form puddles. Sweep it out if necessary.
o With most sealers, avoid overuse.
o The water is just the vehicle, not usually part of the sealing agent.
o Watch for rain, traffic and impurities (both before and after the application) that might inhibit
the reaction that needs to take place in order to get a hold and make the seal.
o Most application procedures are similar, but always refer to the sealer's instructions, as each one may have
a caveat (warning) about their product.
The list of sealers you can use is endless. Everybody has the newest, the best modified or the improved version
of a sealer. They may come in the form of vinyls, acrylics, resins, siloxane, silicates, silicones and more. Some
of these have been proven to be effective, but it will still benefit you to investigate the new stuff. Computers
have made it possible to accelerate test data so that it can be created faster with better test results. You don't
still watch black and white TV, do you ? Maybe some of you do. It was good, and it worked just fine, but you still
can't refute that there is new technology. In the same manner, they have made great breakthroughs in molecular
chemistry that affect surfactants, which in turn affect sealers.
You want a sealer to penetrate into the substrate of the cementitious material. A sealer which coats and lays on
top is screaming, "I'm temporary!" There are not many scenarios where the customers want this, and if
they do, it is your obligation to educate them and talk them out of it.
Typically, a penetrating sealer will penetrate the surface, cause a reaction or third agent, solidify and then
do its stuff. That's part of the problem. Just because the process is similar doesn't mean the chemistry left behind
has endurance. SALT, SALT, SALT! Salt products will usually breakdown somewhere, someway, somehow. I am still waiting
for one that doesn't. Have you ever wondered why some sealers say KEEP OFF GLASS? When salt adheres to the glass,
salt can etch the glass.
Here are some general facts to consider:
o When sealing a smooth finish, the concrete is not going to be as receptive because of the porosity and tightness,
so smaller amounts can be just as effective if you are using the right product.
o With the different strengths of concrete available, additives, slump, temperature, etc., make sure to always
do a test patch. When concrete becomes a universal, consistent product, then we will be able to give a universal,
consistent application procedure. The good news is there are some sealers that are pretty close to a universal
answer.
o Some stone, marble and glazed brick do not receive penetrating sealers very well. Some will. Again, always do
a test.
o Just because it looks tight, doesn't mean it is. Various sealers have different sizes of molecules and can get
the job done. So again, do a test patch. Don't be fooled by a little chalking - this can be overuse and not a true
test for penetration.
o Sealing should be a must for preparation of an epoxy coating. This will help the degradation from the bottom
and will help prevent moisture migration, mold, mildew and accompanying smells. A good contractor should also seal
concrete before hardwood flooring, installation of carpet padding and tile applications.
Chemists have proven that a "like-like" scenario is preferred when applying a cure and seal. In other
words, here is what we see. The contractor comes in, puts down something to cure and maybe seal, with an average
life expectancy of one to nine months. It now becomes the business or homeowner's problem to protect or maintain.
The business or homeowner doesn't know what to do or how to match what is already applied to get the maximum seal.
Even if he does know what has been applied to cure the surface, it may not be suitable for sealing it, and again,
it may not be able to sustain long life.
Your position should be to work with contractors to use a sealer that will pass the ASTM's cure and seal tests,
then offer to follow up with the business or homeowners to clean and seal with the "like (same) sealer"
for the last time. It is a win-win-win deal for the contractor, business or homeowner and you. There is legislation
developing all over the country that is now protecting the consumer more and more. The Attorney General's office
is not going to accept the phrase "That's the nature of concrete. It cracks, churts, etc." from the contractor
and concrete supplier. There will be tests they will have to be passed in order to complete the job, and one of
them will be the necessity of a cure and seal. Contractors will have to upgrade their work to keep from being liable.
This is where you come in after the installation and continue to protect their work.
In closing, when you have questions about sealing concrete, go to an information source with which you are comfortable,
such as the Internet, tradeshows, word of mouth and trade magazines. Sealing concrete is as important as painting
your house. Is there some concrete you don't want to seal? Sure! If you can't get concrete clean enough to take
a seal, then a sealer probably isn't the answer. But don't surrender too fast because some methods of surface preparation
are worth the effort for the end result. A good measure for scrutiny can be determining if certain basic tests
are met. Then, there is some comfort in the fact that someone bigger, more knowledgeable and with more money to
spend has done the leg work for you. Ask for the test results. There are many garage-based sealer operations out
there. It can be confusing to determine between a good sealer and a good salesperson. Better products don't always
come from bigger companies. Some of the best sealers available are developed especially for individual applications.
As a general rule of thumb, results you can actually see will give you more comfort than all the test data in the
world.
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USED BY ITSELF, IT WILL REDUCE, OR ELIMINATE, MOISTURE MIGRATION THROUGH CONCRETE FLOORS AND WELLS (THROUGH THE CONCRETE ITSELF, NOT WHEN MIGRATION IS THROUGH CRACKS). IT IS USED ON CONCRETE THAT IS ALWAYS A BIT DAMP AND TO END THE 'MUSTY' OR DAMP SMELL IN BASEMENTS, ETC. PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANTLY, BUT LESS OBVIOUS, IS THAT BY REDUCING OR ELIMINATING MOISTURE MOVEMENT THROUGH THE CONCRETE IT INCREASES THE LIKELIHOOD OF A SUCCESSFUL PAINT OR COATING JOB ON THE CONCRETE SURFACE (NOTE: THIS PRODUCT WORKS BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE CONCRETE, IT LEAVES NOTHING ON THE SURFACE). THIS IS BECAUSE MANY COATING FAILURES ARE THE RESULT OF MOISTURE OR VAPOR PRESSURE BUILDING UP ON THE UNDERSIDE OF COATINGS APPLIED TO CONCRETE.
BECAUSE OF THIS, BIO VEE SEAL IS ALSO A RECOMMENDED, BUT OPTIONAL, PRE-TREATMENT TO CONCRETE SURFACES THAT WILL BE COATED WITH SOME SORT OF SURFACE COATING.
WILL SEAL UNCOATED/UNPAINTED STUCCO!
Knowledge is Power - We like informed consumers!
Learn the basics of epoxy at our educational EPOXY 101 page - Click Here.
Finally, email us back with your questions or comments before you buy - EMAIL HERE
More info on this kind of concrete sealer - click here