The world's foremost resource on decorative concrete
When good floor coatings go bad, moisture is often the culprit.
Even cured concrete can emit enough moisture to blister, cloud or delaminate a coating, especially when a slab with no vapor barrier sits on ground with poor drainage. The manufacturers of overlays, microcoatings, sealers and specialty coatings set moisture tolerance limits for their products.
For decorative concrete contractors, moisture is a challenge that varies by region. In the Northeast, freezing can be a major problem for decorative concrete. In the South, rain and humidity are the twin devils. In the Southwest, it’s dry air. Addressing these issues before you begin can save a lot of heartache and time.
Expanding on a few technical points in a previous article about concrete densifiers that require further clarification.
Three easy test that can help monitor the amount of moisture remaining in a slab of concrete.
Don’t let moisture problems put a wet blanket on your concrete work. Here are some solutions.
Densifier stops the deterioration and improves the integrity of the concrete. For new concrete, it is used as a cure. For older concrete, it can be used as a "densifying" sealer under the decorative overlayment.
