While concrete by itself is quite durable, it does have one major weakness: water. Concrete is a porous material so water can easily seep in and get stored inside, which leads to numerous problems.
First of all, water promotes the growth of mould and mildew, resulting in the discolouration and weakening of the structure. Secondly, water can undergo freeze and thaw cycles, which will definitely lead to cracking. Last but not least, water may contain chemical contaminants which can react with the concrete and slowly deteriorate it.
One of the most effective ways to protect a concrete surface against water is applying sealer. In this article, we’ll instruct you on how to go about doing this yourself.
It is important that the sealer is applied properly or else you won’t be able to give your concrete structure the protection it needs.
Apply Sealer at the Appropriate Time
If the concrete structure has been freshly poured it’s best to allow it to cure first. This means leaving it for 28 days before applying sealer. Furthermore, it’s better to apply sealer during dry weather. This is because when concrete is damp, the sealer won’t adhere to it as strongly. Ideally, the temperature should be more than 10 degrees Celsius for at least twenty four hours following application. This shouldn’t be a problem at all to those of us living in good ol’ ‘Straya.
Consider Hiring an Expert
If you’ve never worked with concrete before or you hardly have any DIY experience to begin with, perhaps you should consider hiring an expert. Fortunately, when it comes to concrete sealing Sydney offers plenty of professional solutions.
The Steps
If you’re confident that you can pull it off by yourself, simply follow these steps:
Clean the surface of the concrete – This means getting rid of dirt, dust, oil spills or stains which would otherwise block the sealant from adhering properly to the concrete surface. Depending on how dirty the surface is your cleaning approach should differ. For mildly dirty surfaces, you may only need to scrub with a stiff brush and some detergent. For more stubborn dirt and stains, you may have to use a power washer or stronger chemical cleaners.
Remove any existing sealer – this is because the previously applied sealer may not be compatible with the new one.
Apply etching solution – etching solution ensures that the sealer adheres quite strongly to the surface.
Apply the first layer of sealer – Always use a roller or sprayer and make sure to cover the entire surface to achieve a uniform look. Then, allow it to dry for two to four hours.
Apply the second coat – the second coat has to be applied in the opposite direction of the first one.
Allow the layers to dry fully – we recommend leaving it to dry for two to three days before exposing the surface to heavy traffic.
And that’s pretty much all there is to applying concrete sealer. Concrete sealer can help protect surfaces from the detrimental effects of water and help increase its lifespan.
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