Acrylic Concrete Sealer – Indoor and Outdoor – FAQ Video by CoverTec Products

An acrylic sealer can be very good for concrete in three ways.

First, it will improve the durability of the concrete by blocking moisture and chemicals and wear and tear of the concrete.

Second, it can help enhance the concrete. Bring out the colors. Bring out a wet look to the concrete. Give it a sheen.

And third, it can provide stain resistance from food contaminants, oil contaminants, or any types of chemicals that may be present, or the concrete may be exposed to.

Acrylic sealer can be very good for concrete in three ways. First, it will improve the durability of the concrete by blocking moisture and chemicals and wear and tear of the concrete. Second, it can help enhance the concrete by:

• Bringing out the colors.
• Bringing out a wet look to the concrete.
• Give it a sheen.

And thirdly, it can provide stain resistance from food contaminants, oil contaminants, or any types of chemicals that may be present, or the concrete may be exposed to.

Let’s think a little bit more about the types of acrylic sealers. Acrylics are the resin, or the polymer that’s actually in the sealer or the coating.

They are very water resistant. They’re very durable, and UV resistant. And if you formulate them correctly, they can last for many years. Acrylics are nice because they’re easy to apply. We don’t need special tools. And there’s usually no mixing, or special mix ratios involved.

For example, with an epoxy, typically they’re a one part product. They come in either a solvent or a water-based acrylic. And those labels refers to the type of carrier that we’re using to disperse the polymer.

So, water-based means that they dispersed the acrylic polymer into a water solution. If it’s a solvent-based product, they’re using a solvent to carry the acrylic resin onto the surface.

When you roll it out, or brush it out, that solvent will evaporate and the acrylic will form a film on the surface. If it’s water-based product, the water will evaporate and form a film on the surface. So, you can have solvent and water-based products.

At CoverTec Products, we prefer to formulate with water-based acrylic resins because they’re much more water resistant, or much less sensitive to moisture in the substrate. They also are more durable over time.   

This depends on:

1. How the sealer is formulated,
2. The type of resin you use, and…
3. How much what is the polymer content.

You can make an acrylic sealer very shiny, very smooth on a surface but it can also be very soft. This means that it can be worn off easily.

It can break down easily under UV exposure, or it can be very absorbent to moisture, and then it starts to soften and lift off the surface. So, it’s very important to formulate with a good acrylic resin.

At CoverTec Products, we use a higher percentage of resin compared to what you’ll find in a big box store product.

It may not have the highest shine, but it will be a much harder resin, and much more wear resistant. We have a higher solids content – typically 10 or 15% more solid content – than these off the shelf products.

We formulate with water-based acrylics rather than solvent. Over the years, we found that solvent-based products give you a nice shine initially, but they burn off very quickly. And also they’re extremely sensitive to moisture.

So, unless your concrete or stone is very dry, you can get what we call water whitening or blushing.

A good, hard acrylic resin with a nice solids content is much more longer lasting. You’ll typically get two to three years of protection rather than the one to two years that you would get using an off the shelf product.

In general, I would say most acrylic sealers will darken concrete.

Concrete is porous. It will absorb the resin, and it’s the resin itself that darkens or brings out what we call a wet look in the concrete.

Well before we talk about application, I just wanted to focus on surface prep.

It’s important that the surface is clean and dry before you apply the acrylic sealer. You need to make sure that any contaminants have been removed.

You can use chemical strippers to strip off any existing sealer that has being applied previously. Something like our Surface PowerStrip® works well or are faster.

A good pressure washing is important to remove mold and mildew or any contaminants.
You can also consider cleaning it with our SurfaceClean® in conjunction with that.

Pressure washing is a good way to clean off any kind of efflorescence or cement stains.
Then we have our Surface PrepWork®.

So, these are different cleaners you can use to clean the concrete. And if you need it, there are chemical strippers to remove existing sealers. Just make sure that the concrete is clean and dry.

Now, the nice thing about acrylics is that they are easy to apply. We don’t need special tools, or special mixing.

We can use rollers. We can use brushes. We can use low pressure sprayers.

I always advise customers to apply a sealer early in the day when the surface is not too hot. You don’t want the sealer drying too quickly.

If you’re using a pump up sprayer, or roller, apply thin coats of the sealer.

Typically, acrylics dry between 20 or 30 minutes if the environment is above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. It’ll take longer if it’s a little cooler than that. But applying thin coats is very important.

It’s better to apply in two or three thin coats. Then finish up with one heavy coat. This is to make sure that each coat dries properly before you apply the next coat.

This is one problem I see a lot – and especially with the store bought, or off the shelf sealers – is that they don’t dry properly, and they remain very soft.

They absorb water. Then, they start to whiten. And shortly afterward, they fail. 

Acrylic sealers, when you apply them to concrete will form a very thin film on the surface. So, if the concrete itself is smooth, then the sealer will feel smooth as well. And it can be slippery when wet.

The best way to deal with this is to actually include an anti-slip additive into the sealer.

While you’re applying it, you can mix in a product like our Anti-Slip CoverGrip®, which is a very tough angular – but very fine anti-slip – additive that you roll out.

And when it dries, you can feel it in the sealer, but you can’t really see it.

So, it’s very good to use on concrete that may be in a wet area like:

• Around a swimming pool,
• In a changing room,
• Or a locker room.

The other way you can apply the Anti-Slip CoverGrip® is to roll out the sealer across the surface. And while it’s still wet, you can broadcast – by either throwing or spraying – the aggregate on the wet sealer. And when it’s dry, it will form an anti-slip layer as well.

Well, it’s important that the concrete is absorbent.

We don’t want anything to stop the sealer from soaking into that very top layer, and then leaving a film on the surface.  So, any existing coatings or paint, oil curing agents, etc., they all need to be cleaned off or removed.

Prior to sealing, you can test to see if there’s a barrier to that absorption very quickly by doing a water test.

Just sprinkle a small amount of water (like a shot glass full) onto the surface. Then, look to see if it absorbs into the surface within 3 to 5 minutes. If it sits on the surface (if it beads up), that tells you that there’s likely a barrier, or an existing sealer, that is preventing the concrete from being absorbent.

The tools that you need to apply the acrylic sealer are very simple. We’re just rolling, or brushing or low pressure sprayer to apply it to the surface. We don’t have to do any special mixing in order to apply the acrylic sealer.

The time of day is important. These products film form by evaporating, and we don’t want them to dry out too quickly. I always advise our customers to apply the acrylic sealer – something like our CoverSeal AC450® – earlier in the day, while the concrete is still cool. Or, they can do it in the evening while it’s cooling down.

You don’t want the sealer to dry immediately on the surface. You want it to absorb a little into the concrete, and have some time (20 or 30 minutes) to dry before you apply another coat.  

Well acrylic sealers, if formulated correctly, are good UV resistant sealants.
It’s important to check whether they can be used interior and exterior.

Interior acrylic sealers work well in lobby-ways entrances, basements, in warehouses, etc. That’s a good application anywhere where you’re looking to provide a nice, protective, smooth seal, and maybe enhance the concrete, or provide protection against wearing or scuffing.

If you’re looking for stain resistance in food prep areas, this is a good application for an acrylic sealer exterior.

With that said, there are some limitations on the type of acrylic sealer.

You should double-check that your product can be used in exterior situations if the acrylic sealer is going to be exposed to vehicular traffic.

In this case, you’ve got to make sure it’s got:

• Hot tire resistance.
• Chemical resistance against fuel spills, oil spills.

If you’re going to use it around a swimming pool, make sure it has good water resistance, as well as good chemical resistance.

So, check very carefully that the acrylic can be used interior and/or exterior, because not all acrylic sealers are the same.  

FAQs 

Acrylic sealers come in two forms generally:

1. A water-based acrylic sealer, or
2. A solvent-based acrylic sealer.

Solvent-based products tend to be older technology. They’re fast drying. They provide a very high sheen, but they’re not very environmentally friendly.

They contain a solvent, and as it evaporates into the air, it will usually:

• Cause odors,
• Be flammable, and
• Lead to skin irritation.

Breathing in those fumes could be harmful to pets.
Solvent-based products are generally not considered “green” or eco-friendly.

Water-based acrylic sealers are much more:

• User-friendly,
• Pet-friendly,
• Very low odor,
• Less harmful,
• Non-flammable,
• Much safer to use.

They sometimes take a little longer to dry. They sometimes provide a lower sheen than solvent-based products. However, they will last longer, and if formulated correctly, they are much less sensitive to moisture. 

For commercial applications, we recommend acrylic sealers for warehouses where you’re looking for a good stain resistant, protective coating. Something to stop dusting. Something to stop wear and tear on that concrete.

Owners of these facilities want to increase the concrete’s durability, but are limited to dry times needed by sealant products.
They know there’s constraint on how long they can shut down that facility to apply a sealer.

These are good situations to apply an acrylic sealer… something like our CoverSeal AC450®. It’s a very fast drying, highly stain resistant product, and it’s easy to apply.

We also use that type of acrylic concrete sealer in restaurant environments, food prep areas, etc.
Anywhere there may be contamination from food such as:

• Oil spills and splatters,
• Food based stains
• Spilled drinks like wines, juices, soft drinks, etc…

These are good situations for using and acrylic sealer.

It’s also good for residential interiors.

Lots of customers want to seal their:

• Basement areas,
• Home entrance,
• Protect against freeze-thaw,
• Pet mess and stains on their common areas.

They just want to have a good protective layer on the concrete surfaces in the areas where they spend time.

Outside, we can use acrylic sealers on:

• Concrete driveways,
• Around pool decks,
• On decorative concrete,
• Etc.

These are good applications for a fast-drying sealer. Something that’s going to enhance that concrete and also provide oil and stain protection.

Another popular application for acrylic sealers is on garage floors. If you park your car(s) in your garage, protection from oil, brake fluid and hydraulic liquid stains is important to keeping you floor clean and attractive. You also need to protect it from tire marks.

These are all good situations to apply an acrylic sealer.  

Acrylic sealers come generally in two forms:

1. A water-based, or
2. A solvent-based product.

The acrylic is the actual resin or polymer that needs to be carried in a liquid form using either a solvent or water.
That’s how we disperse the resin across the concrete surface.

At CoverTec Products, we formulate water-based acrylics. Why? They are:

• More environmentally friendly,
• Less hazardous to use
• Less flammable, and
• They are much less water sensitive.

We’ve found solvent-based acrylics to be very sensitive to moisture. And you have to be very careful when you apply them that the surface is very dry. Otherwise you notice blushing, or what we call “water-whitening” on the surface. 

Acrylic sealers are very easy to apply. They are typically a one-part product. No special mixing is required.

Polyurethane sealers use a different resin. They use a urethane, which is like a further reacted form of the acrylic.

Typically they’re two part products.  They come in a mixing ratio, and are more complicated to apply. But having said that, the urethanes are more durable. The two components cross-link and form a much tougher resin.

They tend to last longer, and are more durable and chemical resistant. But again, the one downside may be that they involve mixing ratios.

The working time is less, and they’re just more tricky to apply compared to a standard, one-part acrylic sealer. 

This depends on the application.

An acrylic resin has good UV stability, and it’s non-yellowing. Acrylics are good to use exterior, outside on decorative concrete, on a driveway or on a pool deck.

Epoxy products don’t have very good UV stability. They tend to turn green or yellow if you use them outdoors.

Having said that, an epoxy is very chemical resistant. They’re very tough, and they work well in high traffic, high chemical environments. They’re used a lot in garage floors. They’ll hold up well against:

• Wear and tear from vehicles.
• Drips and spills from oil, gasoline, etc.

Epoxy resins are more tricky to use or more complicated. They have mix ratios, and you need to mix the parts together.

They also have a POT life. This means that there’s a certain amount of time within which you have to mix and apply the product.

Acrylics generally are one-part products that require no special mixing, or special tools to apply them. So, they’re much more user-friendly to use.
So we recommend acrylics if you’re looking for an easy application.

But, if your surface has heavy duty exposure to chemicals and high traffic, and its interior, then using an epoxy may be a good choice.

Join us again for another FAQ video from CoverTec Products.

About Our Expert | Charles Idowu

Charles Idowu started his career as a civil engineer in 1983 in the UK. After achieving his MBA and his Chartered Engineer qualifications, Charles quickly became the waterproofing and coatings expert for a renowned British construction company. His international work landed him in South Florida, where he combined his engineering experience and passion for business to start CoverTec Products.

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