1/10/2023 0 Comments Does cement absorb waterHeavy coats of sealer can cause the appearance of bubbles in your concrete. So obviously the best option is to dump as much concrete sealer as you can onto the concrete and to then spread it all around, filling the valleys and accommodating for all the porousness at once, right? Unfortunately, even a premium-grade sealer will not compensate for poor application techniques or insufficiently applied product. MEADOWS sealers are specifically formulated to help produce the most uniform seal possible. This is caused by the sealer filling in some of the valleys, but not all, and failing to remain on top of the hills. But if the sealer isn’t applied uniformly to begin with, or if not enough coats are used, the slab will appear blotchy upon drying. What you want is a finished surface that is uniform and no longer full of variability. Thus contributing to a blotchy appearance. So if you fail to use enough coats of sealer, you will find you have some areas of concrete that appear to have been sealed perfectly, while others clearly have not been. But we also have to realize that at least some sealer will be absorbed into the pores of the concrete, and how much absorbs where will depend entirely on the variability of the concrete itself. The whole point of applying a concrete sealer is to even out the hills and fill the valleys until you have a consistent surface. A smoother finish will produce less hills and valleys, while a rushed or rough finish can resemble the Grand Canyon. The final profile on the surface of the slab is directly related to the finish. If you were to look at a concrete slab under a microscope, you would find that it consists of an almost infinite number of hills and valleys. The best way to save your concrete from discoloration is to seal it properly to begin with. That’s why we use concrete sealers to begin with-to combat that permeability and protect our newly laid concrete from absorbing water and salts that could more quickly erode or stain it.īut if you combine that already variable porousness with a less than stellar sealer application, you’re almost asking for a blotchy finish.Įven if your concrete coloring initially looks uniform, improper sealing can open it up to discoloration in the future as the surface is permeated by water or deicing salts. The concrete itself had varying absorption ratesīlotchy concrete after sealing has almost everything to do with the sealing techniques used and the very nature of concrete itself.Ĭoncrete is a porous material, with some areas of concrete naturally being more porous than others.When you find yourself staring at discolored concrete that has already been sealed, there are usually three potential sources of blame: The culprits of blotchy concrete after sealing But what if you noticed discoloration even after sealing? Many of these issues can be resolved by properly sealing the concrete after it has been poured. The use of too much or not enough water.Laying concrete isn’t an exact science, and there are a variety of factors that can contribute to concrete discoloration from the very beginning. Looking at the chaotic design, you can’t help but wonder what went wrong,… and how you can avoid making a similar mistake with your own concrete projects in the future.Ĭoncrete discoloration is not a rare event Have you ever walked past a home with discolored concrete in the driveway? It’s lighter here and darker there, creating a blotchy effect that you know couldn’t have been intentional.
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