Wash and
Sealing of Concrete –
By Rockscapes Concrete Service
This is a guideline for the
restoration and maintenance of concrete. In Saskatoon’s freeze thaw climate, it is particularly important to do proper annual
maintenance in order
to minimize damage
and prolong the life of your concrete. These are some of the
techniques that have produced successful results for Rockscapes; we have
performed thousands of concrete driveways and / or concrete projects in
Saskatoon and area. Other contractors
may have different techniques.
Once applied some sealers are
virtually impossible to remove.
1) One of
the most useful tips I can offer in our freeze thaw climate is to try to keep your
concrete clean (shoveled) and dry during the winter season to keep
salty, slushy snow to a minimum,
never push salty vehicle salt water from garage and out the door onto your
driveway. Especially important with north facing shaded driveways.
2)
Be
careful of some of the products out there that say they won’t damage
concrete and will melt ice. Sometimes just sprinkling a little clean sand will give that temporary short-term protection required.
3)
Don’t use ice chippers, they will
mark or chip your concrete.
WASH THE CONCRETE WITH A PRESSURE
WASHER TO RID IT OF MOLD, DIRT, SALT,
CRACKS FILLED WITH DIRT ETC. THIS WASH SHOULD BE PERFORMED THE DAY BEFORE
YOU INTEND TO SEAL. THE CONCRETE MUST BE COMPLETELY DRY BEFORE APPLYING THE SEALER. SOME SEALERS WILL WHITEN OR TURN MILKY WITH
MOISTURE. (Rope off the area after pressure
washing to keep ALL traffic
off. The concrete
must remain clean of debris
for sealing. Otherwise you may trap dirt or debris under the sealer)
·
Exposed
Aggregate is prone to rust spots which can be removed to a certain degree
·
Plain broom finish concrete is subject to more pop-outs
especially in recent
years.
·
Stamped concrete
is subject to a colour loss. (Surface
release agent colours
can peel off with loss of
sealer due to salt damage)
All Concrete Driveways, regardless of which style you have, may end up with a few pop-outs, the longer those are left unwashed and unsealed, they will turn into shaled area's over a few years.
Different contractors use
different methods of applying sealers including the number of coats applied. At Rockscapes Concrete Service we use 3
coats of concentrated sealer diluted about 30-40% with Xylene. This slows down the curing process and allows the sealer
to penetrate the concrete pores and adhere better.
Our suppliers sell a version of our sealer that is “ready to use”, pre-diluted
and easy to work with.
POPOUTS – Source of Information on this can be obtained
at concretesask.org Tech – Tips Pop
outs are caused by lightweight aggregates absorbing moisture and then freezing,
expanding and
cracking or popping out of the
surface. Fixes are difficult; we recommend keeping your driveway shoveled and dry, annual sealing
with acrylic sealers
to provide topical
protection. Mild winters
with less snowfalls, moisture mean less popouts and
sealing required. Patches can be
done, but may be noticeable. Our suppliers do sell products that can be used to
patch concrete pop outs.
RUST MARKS - Very difficult
work, we use an angle grinder with a wire wheel; we scrub with a 10% solution of Muriatic acid and rinse
this off with clean water. It is important to wear safety
gear during this job.
(Protect your eyes and skin) Some contractors drill out the rust spots and then clean the rust stains in a similar
method.
SEALING CONCRETE
If the concrete is dusting or
shaling in any areas I recommend using a densifier sealer in those areas first. At Rockscapes Concrete Service we have used a product from Cornerstone Coatings and believe that it has made a significant difference. This is a water-based product and drying time will be required. After this step an acrylic
sealer is applied. (Again
Acrylic’s are topical sealers, and
create a protective film on the surface.)
I
believe in topical
sealers (Acrylic) to protect and seal out salt and other destructive chemicals. These can be
sprayed using quality
sprayers like a Chapin. Again, proper drying
time is required
before allowing any traffic on the concrete.
A guideline is 24 hours for driveways. Walkways and patios
can be used once dry to
the touch. Outside temperature will be a factor in drying time. During sealing
with Acrylic sealers, grit can be sprinkled sparsely to provide traction.
On a reseal, we recommend two coats of Acrylic.
Most home-owners roll on the sealer with a 15 mil roller, paint tray, and
handle. It is very hard to clean Acrylic sealer off your roller, At Rockscapes
we dispose of used trays and roller cage handles
Source for buying your products,
Prairie Concrete - 30-3703 Kochar Ave – Saskatoon – 306-343-0770 (Kevin
Mapes at Prairie Concrete is a very knowledgeable Concrete Expert )
_________________________________________________________
Article by John Groves, President Rockscapes Concrete Service. More
information can found on Rockscapes at:
rockscapesconcrete.blogspot.ca
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