Find Concrete Sealers

Concrete with color, concrete that's stamped, even concrete

that is going to be stained, still must be cured. Again, failing to
cure is sure to lead to problems with the surfaces. We want our
baby's skin to be perfect, don't we?

Wet curing really is the best method and there are some good
curing blankets out there now that work well on colored
concrete surfaces. The problem has always been that it was
impossible to get the blankets down smoothly so that curing
was even. Small spots where the blanket is touching or where
the surface dries out can lead to a mottled appearance.

With the new single-use blankets that combine an absorbent

material with plastic sheeting, though, such as PNA's
HydraCure or McTech Group's UltraCure wet curing of
colored surfaces is now a good choice.
• One difficulty with stamped concrete can be when a colored release
powder is used during stamping. The cure & seal can't be sprayed on until
the release agent has been washed off—which could be several days later.
In dry, windy conditions, that's probably too late to do much good. In his
book Guide to Stamped Concrete, Bob Harris recommends covering
the concrete with a layer of impervious building paper or plastic film—or
both, first the paper then the plastic on top.
• Why use cure & seal instead of a curing agent and a sealer? "Chemical
curing compounds are temporary curing agents," said Vexcon's Cliff Platt.
"If you use a curing compound and want to come back with a coating—an
epoxy, a sealer, even a penetrating sealer--that curing compound can't be
there. It has to go away. If it's an interior application it will never go away
by itself--it would have to be removed after 28 days, a messy job. That's
not the right product for that application.
"A cure & seal product is a dual function product," said Scott Thome,
Director of Product Services, L.M. Scofield Company. "The 'cure'
portion of the name means that it can be used as a liquid curing
membrane for concrete. This material must be able to form a film on
the surface of fresh concrete and hold in only a portion of the mix
water to aid in the cement hydration process. The remaining unused
water is allowed to evaporate through the membrane at a controlled
rate. Without this process the design strength might not be
developed. Some curing materials hold in too much water. That might
be good for strength development but bad for color development. The
'seal' portion in the name means that it can also be used as a sealer.
The sealer is applied when the concrete has had enough time to cure
and release the majority of unused mix water. As a sealer it protects
the concrete. Curing and sealing concrete are different processes and
are performed at different times in the life of the concrete."
• No.396 (Multi-purpose Curing
Tape)
• A new type of curing tape
suitable for various purposes.
• Features
• Hand torn. No scissors needed.
• Less adhesive residue compared to packing tapes.
• Plastic padding.
• No heavy metal, such as halogens or lead, in the tape's raw
material.
• Distinctive 'pink' color for easy recognition.
• 60°C(140deg F) 7days adhesive residue visual check.
• Acrylic board
• Polycarbonate board
• Polystyrene board
Acrylic Curing and Sealing Compound

Where to Use ■ Flortec® is applied to fresh

concrete surfaces wherever optimum curing and
sealing is required. Applications include concrete
floors and structures.

escription Flortec® is a clear curing and sealing

compound based on acrylic resins. When applied
to freshly placed concrete it forms a film, which
effectively seals in the moisture necessary for
proper curing. This film remains as a protective
surface sealing treatment that greatly reduces
dusting and increases stain resistance of the
cured concrete. Flortec® is a clear coating
available in a range of solids contents providing
low, medium and high gloss finishes.

Flortec® 22 - medium gloss cure and seal.

Flortec® 28 - high gloss, high build cure and
 ■ It is suitable for applications over surfaces treated with most
shake floor hardeners and topping courses.
Projects include industrial buildings, warehouses, commercial
buildings and parking garages.
– ■ Flortec® can also be applied to existing concrete surfaces as an
economical protective sealing treatment.
– Advantages
– ■ Excellent moisture retention: Produces a durable concrete
surface through optimum curing. Meets or exceeds ASTM C 309
requirements.
– ■ Reduces dusting: Forms a durable film, which seals the surface.
Suitable for new and existing floors.
– ■ Protective sealer: Resists some mild corrosives and mineral oils
that may damage concrete, stain resistance.
– ■ Increases cleanability: Seals surface pores thereby increasing
stain resistance.
– ■ Easy application: One coat effectively cures and seals concrete
surfaces. No burlap or polyethylene sheeting is required.
– ■ Canadian Food Inspection Agency acceptance.
• ■ Ministry of Transport Québec acceptance.
 – Where to Use
– ■ Flortec® is applied to fresh concrete surfaces wherever optimum
curing and sealing is required. Applications include concrete floors and
structures. ■ It is suitable for applications over surfaces treated with
most shake floor hardeners and topping courses. Projects include
industrial buildings, warehouses, commercial buildings and parking
garages. ■ Flortec® can also be applied to existing concrete surfaces as
an economical protective sealing treatment.

– Advantages
■ Excellent moisture retention: Produces a durable concrete surface
through optimum curing. Meets or exceeds ASTM C 309 requirements.
– ■ Reduces dusting: Forms a durable film, which seals the surface.
Suitable for new and existing floors.
– ■ Protective sealer: Resists some mild corrosives and mineral oils that
may damage concrete, stain resistance.
– ■ Increases cleanability: Seals surface pores thereby increasing stain
resistance.
– ■ Easy application: One coat effectively cures and seals concrete
surfaces. No burlap or polyethylene sheeting is required.
– ■ Canadian Food Inspection Agency acceptance.
• ■ Ministry of Transport Québec acceptance.
 – How to Use
– Flortec® does not require thinning. Apply using a low-pressure
sprayer uniformly over the concrete. Avoid puddling. This should be
done immediately after the final finishing operations and as soon as
the sheen of surface moisture disappears. Restrict foot traffic for at
least 6 hours, preferably 12 hours.
– Note: Although Flortec® may be applied at all temperatures above
4°C (39°F), the temperature of material itself should also be above
4°C (39°F) for ease of application.
– Clean Up Clean all tools and equipment promptly with Sika®
Equipment Cleaner/Epoxy Thinner.
– Limitations ■ Flortec® should not be used where strong solvents,
brake fluid and aggressive chemicals are likely to be present.
– ■ Flortec® is designed as an initial curing and sealing treatment only.
Maintaining the initial glossy appearance on smooth concrete
surfaces may require recoating in heavy traffic.
– ■ Do not use on floors treated with wax.
– ■ Do not apply at temperatures below 4°C (39°F).
– ■ Not to be used in exterior applications.
• ■ May discolour in areas exposed to constant ultra violet rays.
Major items requiring attention during
construction-final curing period.