Silicate Concrete Sealers

[Boatman37210]

Finished pouring a 78 sqm concrete floor for a carport Saturday. Part of the floor has a roof over it and part does not. Now looking for a protective sealer. Spent a lot of time reading various forums on the internet, visited a few stores to see the available products, and I am completely confused about what to buy.

One website said a silicate sealer would be best for this climate. I was leaning toward an epoxy before reading that. Also man who poured the floor said it would cost 20,000 baht and up to go with epoxy. Don't want to spend that kind of money.

One web site mentioned a product names Radonseal which is not available in Thailand as far as I know. It penetrates deep into the concrete and supposedly will last the life time of the concrete. It's a one part silicate based sealer and looks to be easy to apply. I could have it shipped in, but the tax and shipping would be high. Even with tax and shipping, it would probably be cheaper than epoxy. Was hoping there might be a similar sealer in Thailand.

Anyone know of any silicate sealers similar to Radonseal in Thailand? Any pro or con opinions concerning silicate sealers?

Thanks.

[manfredtillmann]

any penetrating sealers require perfectly dry concrete to be effective and properly absorbed. was your concrete laid on a watertight plastic membrane?

what's your weather right now? poring rain same as here? a few hours sunshine won't do the job.

for your silicate sealer to work you might have to wait until winter to apply it.

[Morakot]

Question is would you really need a sealer.

There is obviously no chance of freeze-thaw. You may need sealing if oil, salt, fertilizer, or household chemicals could potentially stain the surface.

Edited July 4, 2016 by Morakot

[Boatman37210]

No membrane used.

Entertained the no sealer idea, but my goal is to protect from staining. Also will be parking the car, so dirt, grime, and wear from the wheels of the car is a concern. Thought about tile, but man who poured the floor said tiles would break from the car.

My understanding there are four basic sealers: acrylic, penetrating, epoxy, and polyurethane. If I eliminate epoxy and penetrating, that leaves the other two. I did think about polyurethane, but haven't been able to find a product. I believe penetrating and epoxy last longer, but I am willing to compromise. Looking for a product that is reasonably priced and relatively easy to apply even if it means having to re-apply every 3-5 years.

[lopburi3]

Tiles will not break if made for driveway - we have been using for more than a decade and most neighbors also do with no issues. Well - perhaps if you park an M1 Abrams in driveway there might be issues.

Edited July 4, 2016 by lopburi3

[Morakot]

No membrane used.

Entertained the no sealer idea, but my goal is to protect from staining. Also will be parking the car, so dirt, grime, and wear from the wheels of the car is a concern. Thought about tile, but man who poured the floor said tiles would break from the car.

I don't think it would matter for a car park if you have a membrane or not. Sealer is not a permanent solution. Dirt and grime can easily be removed with a pressure washer. Unless there is oil or petrol spilling, or pit box-like "rubber burning", there is not really any need for sealer.

Glassed tiles are a more permanent protection from discolouration or staining. A properly tiled driveway can be used for lorries.

Edited July 4, 2016 by Morakot

[manfredtillmann]

No membrane used.

Entertained the no sealer idea, but my goal is to protect from staining. Also will be parking the car, so dirt, grime, and wear from the wheels of the car is a concern. Thought about tile, but man who poured the floor said tiles would break from the car.

My understanding there are four basic sealers: acrylic, penetrating, epoxy, and polyurethane. If I eliminate epoxy and penetrating, that leaves the other two. I did think about polyurethane, but haven't been able to find a product. I believe penetrating and epoxy last longer, but I am willing to compromise. Looking for a product that is reasonably priced and relatively easy to apply even if it means having to re-apply every 3-5 years.

the reason i asked about the membrane was to access your concrete's ability to ever dry out sufficiently to except a penetrating sealer. i think you should give up on that approach. also, such sealers will not prevent oils to also soak into your concrete, they are mainly intended to reduce dusting in warehouses and other under cover areas.

to prevent your slab from staining i recommend an acrylic, water based sealer (http://www.concretenetwork.com/products-sealer/acrylic.html).

it might not be the best material in terms of durability but probably the one you will be able to use in the near future. and it's easy to re - apply with minimal preparation needed.

please be aware, all sealers that actually SEAL concrete have a tendency to make them slippery when wet (same goes for tiles, in my opinion).

[lopburi3]

Floor(kitchen/bath/driveway tiles are made to not be slippery when wet - they do not have the gloss finish of wall or normal floor tile.

Edited July 5, 2016 by lopburi3

[mikebell]

I had my drive tiled 9 years ago. I keep two cars on it & never had a crack.

[Morakot]

Floor(kitchen/bath/driveway tiles are made to not be slippery when wet - they do not have the gloss finish of wall or normal floor tile.

If only my builder had known this, I wouldn't have to do all these figure skating jumps in the bathroom.

[Boatman37210]

Stopped by Do Home. Man ask me if I wanted a shiny finish and I said no. He recommended TOA roof paint, an acylic. Ask about it being slippery when wet. He said they use on tennis courts, so should not be. Sounded reasonable at the time, but later got to thinking they don't play tennis in the rain.

Floor was finished by hand, so floor is rough. Supposedly to keep it from being slippery. My first thoughts were that is a good thing if you plan on doing nothing else, but got to thinking maybe it would be better smooth for painting purposes. With swirls and ridges just wondering if those will wear paint off quicker.

Any cons to using roof paint? The price is certainly reasonable. Primer and paint to do my area roughly 5,500 baht.

Thanks

Edited July 5, 2016 by Boatman37210

[manfredtillmann]

how many times do you walk on your roof?

don't use it.

if you have a reasonably rough finish stick to the acrylic sealer i recommended before.

last input from me...

[blackcab]

We have all our garages tiled, and we don't have any broken tiles. Easy to keep clean too.

[Nomad97]

Hello Boatman,  did you ever find a solution for your concrete carport?  I have just finished concreting my own drive and carport and I want to apply a concrete sealer too.  After much research, and a little bit of luck, I found a Jotun product called Penguard Clear Sealer. It is a two part epoxy resin specifically formulated for bare concrete floors. The floors need to be cured and dried for at least 28 days before application. The sealer is sold in 4 liter tins, and the hardener in 1 liter tins. It should follow that you will need to mix 1 part hardener to 4 parts sealer. It can be applied by brush, roller or spray gun. The theoretical spreading rate is between 8.8 to 14.7 m2/l (depending on thickness). So in theory 1 x 4 l tin should cover between 35 to 60 m2 . (The technical data sheet can be found at https://www.smlmarinepaints.co.uk/files/library/files/DATA_SHEETS/Penguard_Clear_Sealer_data.pdf ).  I found the product at a very reasonable price (1,100 baht - hardener and sealer) in Thaiwasadu.  They also supply the product in a limited range of colours.  

[ace1]

Hello Boatman,  did you ever find a solution for your concrete carport?  I have just finished concreting my own drive and carport and I want to apply a concrete sealer too.  After much research, and a little bit of luck, I found a Jotun product called Penguard Clear Sealer. It is a two part epoxy resin specifically formulated for bare concrete floors. The floors need to be cured and dried for at least 28 days before application. The sealer is sold in 4 liter tins, and the hardener in 1 liter tins. It should follow that you will need to mix 1 part hardener to 4 parts sealer. It can be applied by brush, roller or spray gun. The theoretical spreading rate is between 8.8 to 14.7 m2/l (depending on thickness). So in theory 1 x 4 l tin should cover between 35 to 60 m2 . (The technical data sheet can be found at https://www.smlmarinepaints.co.uk/files/library/files/DATA_SHEETS/Penguard_Clear_Sealer_data.pdf ).  I found the product at a very reasonable price (1,100 baht - hardener and sealer) in Thaiwasadu.  They also supply the product in a limited range of colours.  

Assuming a brushed concrete finish, how slippy would that be when it has water on it. Or do they have the anti slip granules to add to it.

Sent from my SM-N910C using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[Nomad97]

Ace1, I can not tell from practical experience how slippery the brushed concrete floor will be after treatment.  I have not tried the product yet - I have to wait until the end of the month for the concrete to cure.  However, a friend has recommended sprinkling fine sand on the 1st coat of the epoxy resin while it is still wet.  He assures me that after the second coat of epoxy this will give an excellent non slip finish, even in the wet.  I did not see any anti slip granules in Thai Wasadu although I know what you are talking about after watching YouTube demos.  That said, I am pretty sure this is the same product they used to finish some of the concrete areas around Robinson's Shopping Center and even on a smooth concrete surface the finish is not as slippery as you may think.