HOW TO GUIDE:SEALING&PAINTING CONCRETE FLOORS

Source:www.stonediamondtool.com Date:2019/12/18 Read:320

By Promain UK

During recent trips to both Paris and Berlin, I noticed how a lot of the high-end boutiques and restaurants had worn ‘’patina’’ finish concrete floors or bare power floated concrete floors. Discussing this with my fiance who works in design, she brought to my attention that this look is very much in vogue at present as is a lot of industrial look interior design. On closer inspection I noticed with my trained eye that lots of these floors had been left unsealed leaving them vulnerable to damage and staining. So, upon return, I set myself the task of writing a blog on how to go about sealing, painting and protecting concrete floors, increasing the longevity of the floor.

Benefits of Painting or Sealing a Concrete Floor

Sealing or painting a concrete floor has many benefits. The first benefit being reduced dust. As tough and durable as concrete is, it is still susceptible to wear and tear when subjected to traffic which causes the surface to breakdown and become a dust. Applying a concrete floor paint or clear floor sealer such as Sika Sikafloor Proseal W will impregnate and seal the floor surface and prevent dusts from occurring. Sika Sikafloor Proseal will provide a clear non-yellowing finish which is highly impact and abrasion resistant. Another advantage of Sika Sikafloor Proseal W is that it can be applied to both power floated and fresh concrete floors.

Stain Resistance

Sealing or painting a concrete floor will increase its resistance to staining. Concrete is porous by nature, meaning moisture can be absorbed in the surface. Due to its porosity it can be susceptible to staining from liquid such as oils and fats. An excellent product that is very easy to apply (even for DIY application), for protecting and waterproofing concrete floors or exterior paving, is Centrecoat All Surface Protector, which I look at in more detail further down the page.

Surface Protection

BBA approved and clear once applied, Centrecoat All Surface Protector works by being absorbed into the surface to provide a hydrophobic surface resistance to water, oils, chemical and even chewing gum sticking to the surface. This product is microporous so water can escape from the concrete as a vapour, but no water can be absorbed back in. All Surface Protector is not just limited to concrete, it can also be applied to brick walls, old roof tiles, paths and paving, granite, stone, brick, sandstone, limestone, travertine plus many more.

High Level Of Protection

Concrete floors can be subject to lots of impact and abrasion caused by items being dragged or dropped on the surface. It even allows the floor to be trafficked in high heel shoes can cause damage. Painting the concrete with a hard wearing floor paint will protect against this type of wear and damage. An excellent paint for this would be PPG SigmaCover 2, offering an impact, chemical and abrasion resistant finish that will also withstand intense cleaning.

Types of concrete floors

Power Floated

The most common type of concrete floor we encounter is known as a ‘’Power floated concrete floor’’. A power floated floor is polished with a machine before the concrete is cured. It which produces a very smooth, dense and glossy hard-wearing surface. Generally, if you are looking to seal a power floated floor you will need to etch or sand blast the surface prior to sealing or painting.

Screeded

Screeded floors are a common type of concrete floor applied on top of the pored concrete slab. They generally have a textured almost rough unpolished surface, as they have been hand finished with a wooden or plastic float. This type of concrete floor tends to have more porosity than a power floated floor as the concrete is far more open. It is still recommended that newly laid screeds are abraded to remove the laitance (salts) once cured to improve adhesion of concrete floor paints and floor sealers. However, some sealers, such as Sika Sikafloor Proseal W, can be applied directly to power floated finish and fresh concrete floors.