Concrete World Industries Sealers and Application Guide

Concrete World Industries Sealers and Application Guide – Full Instructions
Concrete sealers provide a protective film over decorative concrete or plain concrete surfaces.

If a Concrete World Industries Slip Resistant Additive is added to the sealer it will also improve slip resistance of the surface.
Concrete World Industries Sealers are recommended for: limiting ingression of dirt and grime to the surface and improving cleanability.

Protection against UV affect (colour fading) and general wear and tear.

Promoting the curing of the concrete so that it will be strong and durable.

Surface Preparation
• All surfaces must be clean – all contaminants including dirt, dust, grease, oil, curing compounds, cement laitance, airborne pollutants, mildew, mould etc must be removed using a compatible chemical cleaning product and / or mechanical process. If surfaces are not clean, sealer adhesion and final finish will be compromised.

Poor surface adhesion may lead to delamination of the sealer, indicated by surface whitening / flaking or peeling of the coating.
• If the surface has been stamped you will need to wash off the Release Agent. This can be done using a degreaser wash.
• If surface has been ground – all dust and laitance must be removed by vacuum and pressure wash / wet vac. If dust is not
removed, this may become incorporated into sealer during application and affect final appearance. Surface dust will also affect
sealer adhesion and may lead to coating delamination.
• If acid etching has taken place, acid must be neutralised before sealer is applied. If neutralisation does not take place, acid will
continue to attack and weaken the substrate surface. This will compromise the adhesive strength of the sealer. Residual acid
may also “shock” sealer resins, delivering a white powdery finish to water-based sealers and an uneven blotchy finish to solvent
based sealers. Acid neutralisation may be achieved by treating the area with a 500g bicarbonate of soda: 9L water solution,
followed by a pressure wash.
• All surfaces must be sound – although clear sealers will bind surfaces to a certain extent, they are not engineered for use as
surface hardeners. Both new and old concrete surfaces will exhibit varying degrees of porosity. High porosity areas will absorb
sealer more readily, resulting in a dull appearance. Additional coats of sealer will deliver a uniform finish in these situations.
• All surfaces must be dry. If sealer is applied to substrates that are not dry, whitening, blistering or bubbling of the coating may
occur. Sealer must be protected from all forms of moisture during the curing phase.
• If area has been previously sealed, refer to the recoating section of this document.
Important Note: If concrete slab has been ground, heat generated will expel moisture. If slab is outside and left overnight, as it cools it will act like
a sponge, absorbing moisture from the damp night air. If slab is then sealed early the following day, before moisture has the opportunity to leave
again, sealer blistering may occur. It is recommended to leave open slabs until at 10am in good drying conditions (this depends on the time of
year) to allow it to breathe out before applying sealer.

Sealer Choice
• Correct sealer should be chosen that delivers the required performance and breathability characteristics suitable to the
substrate. If substrate breathability is compromised by either the application of an inappropriate sealer or over application,
moisture entrapment may occur, leading to possible whitening and / or delamination of the sealer.
• Natural sealers – high breathability
• Gloss sealers – medium breathability
• Satin sealers – low breathability
• In general, natural stone products require high rates of breathability and the appropriate sealer should be used.
• In areas subject to high moisture exposure such as around swimming pools, highly breathable sealers should be applied.

When to Seal
• Only when substrate is completely dry. If excessive moisture is in the substrate when sealer is applied, or during the curing phase, this may affect final finish. Whitening, bubbles of blisters may form.
• It is recommended that sealer is applied late morning to early afternoon – after substrate moisture has been released and dew point has been exceeded.
• Do not seal if surface / ambient temperature is too high; carrier solvent will evaporate too quickly and not allow resins / polymers to coalesce at the correct rate. We recommend not applying sealer if the day time temperature is below 10 ̊C or above
30 ̊C.
• Do not seal if rain is expected during cure time, or if humidity is too high, or likely to be during the initial cure phase. This may affect final finish and whitening may form.
• Do not seal if surface / ambient temperature is too low, carrier solvent will not evaporate and allow resins / polymers to coalesce at the correct rate.
Slip Resistance
• The application of gloss or satin sealers may increase the slipperiness of the coated surface. If slip resistance is critical, do not apply a coating sealer.
• In grip critical applications, such as sloping surfaces or where standing water may be present, natural penetrating sealers are recommended.
• Slip resistance may be improved with the addition of slip resistant agents into solvent based gloss and satin / low sheen sealers.
• Slip resistance should always be determined by a site specific trial patch before full sealer application.
• When adding Concrete World Industries Slip Resistant Additive, you need to pour the whole packet in, stir it through the sealer then leave it to sit for approx. 30minutes, stir again after this time. It is ready to use once the beads have gone clear and are no longer white.

Sealer Application
• Surface porosity testing should always be conducted before sealer application to ensure that sealing is actually required. If
surface porosity is low, appropriate sealer must be applied at an appropriate rate, or sealing may not be required. Conduct
porosity testing by the addition of water droplets to surface to be sealed. If water is readily absorbed into surface and surface
darkens, the surface is open to the application of a sealer. If water is not readily absorbed, the surface does not darken and
water droplets bead, the surface is not open to sealing.
• Ensure substrate is completely dry before sealer application. (Refer to “When to seal” section)
• A trial patch is always recommended to ensure final finish and performance characteristics are as required. If this is not
conducted and final finish is not as desired, removal of sealer may be a difficult process.
• Sealer should only be applied as per recommended coverage rates. Not enough sealer and performance will be compromised.
Too much sealer and substrate breathability will be compromised and moisture / adhesion issues may be experienced.
• Do not thin sealer with any solvent other than recommended compatible product. Different solvents have different flash points,
which can compromise sealer cure and performance characteristics. For example, sealer solvent flash point is 460c, Xylene flash point is 260c.
• If sealing a driveway or similar area subject to motor vehicle traffic, use appropriate sealer and do not expose to vehicular traffic
until full cure has been achieved. If a motor vehicle is parked on a sealed surface prior to the sealer achieving full cure, marking may occur. If an inappropriate sealer has been applied to a surface subject to motor vehicle traffic, marking may occur.
• The sealed area should be protected from light foot traffic for 24 hours after application.
Remember – less is more!

You can always add another coat, as long as this doesn’t compromise substrate breathability. It’s much harder to remove excess sealer if there is too much.