Should you start worrying when concrete sealers begin to display signs of critical flooring issues? Do not ignore them. Contractors of concrete sealers Cincinnati will require you to fix these types of problems right away. A stamped overlay, pool deck, patio, driveway, and exposed concrete in your interiors need sealing. Sealers are used to protect any floor from stain, heat, water damage, and harmful chemicals.
Concrete sealing failure is not what you want to delay. Here is today’s post. Learn ways you can detect issues early on. Also, find out the best solution to fix once you see them.
How to test if the concrete is sealed?
A peeling concrete or a faulty application of its sealer is a big red flag. The most challenging part is when they appear. It tells you that a severe issue had already occurred. Once your concrete floor’s substrates get irritated, it will bound to go downhill.
Check if the concrete floors are sealed. To do this, you will only need to pour water on top to test it. If the water formed beads or tiny pellets and did not smother over the surface, then it has been sealed.
Critical Concrete: Factors to Consider
1- Bubbled Concrete
Do you ever see those bubbling concrete? A thin layer of the sealer wrapped air in it. It is like when paints on the concrete surfaces peel off. They start as a tiny bubble in an indiscriminate area. They, later on, that loose film starts to cut through, and peeling begins.
2- Sealer turning white
You do not have to wait until small spot bubbles. A coupon sign sealer is in trouble if it turns white. How did the sealer turn white? Sealers also serve as color finishing, so if you start seeing them white, it should be a red flag for you.
Discoloration on the floor sealers means that the coating did not bind well on the concrete. If you pour on fresh concrete, the same way you do when installing a stamped overly, and the new concrete did not cure. The sealer you will apply on it will not adhere effectively.
It means that the surface was still moist or damp. So instead of that, the sealer will cure or solidify on the topcoat. It will thin out. As time flies, the sealer will immediately reduce into the whitish thin film.
The coating is thinning, and later on, it will start to flake. When flaking happens, the exposed concrete will appear, and it’s a sign it is prone to attract moist and tough stains. Then, if a heavy tool falls on it, it will likely dent or crack.
3- Whitish and powdery surface
Aside from flaking white sealers, watch for whitish and powdery seals, too. Water-based acrylic sealers are prone to manifest powdery surfaces. This is due to the imporp[er curing process. A water-based sealer dries in a process called coalescence.
In simple terms, water-based acrylic needs enough temperature to dry. The acrylic solvent mixed with water should dry at relatively the same time. If the water evaporates even before the acrylic solvent is cured, it will result in poor sealing.
4- Blotchy Sealer
Blotchy sealers are complex sealer problems. How to fix it then? First, know how it happened. Acrylic sealers are used to create a deep, dark, rich coloring on the concrete. The outcome is tricky to achieve since the porosity of the content materials influence how the colors will come out. Blotching happens when the admix, solvent solution, and the sealer mix do not fit the concrete’s porosity. Test the concrete first using a water-repellent sealer if it will react well to the coloring.
5- Stained Sealers
Ugly stains can penetrate or ruin the sealers. Dried leaves rot on the surface. The residues are organic compounds that can dissolve and seep into the concrete sealer.
Stained sealers usually happened among outdoor concrete. A car oil or chemical that is too harsh has reacted with the sealer, and it needs resealing. Other scenarios for you to watch out for are tire marks. The dark tread of the wheels reacted on the dealer due to the high amount of heat.
Simple washing or scrubbing cannot remove these stains and cannot be removed if you need resealing or resurfacing.
