The world's foremost resource on decorative concrete
Southwestern Paint and Supply’s Hydro Guard, a sealer designed 22 years ago for secondary containment of chemicals and for sealing exterior stucco, has been discovered in recent years by decorative concrete fabricators who appreciate its thinness and praise its stain resistance and durability.
The steps you take with your wet-cast or GFRC countertops prior to sealing them will affect sealer success more than the actual application of the sealer. It’s important to gain an understanding of what your concrete is doing, or more importantly, what you are doing with your concrete.
A roller sleeve or cover is commonly thought of as something found in a painter’s toolbox rather than a concrete contractor’s. However, rolling sealants and colors onto (and into) concrete has become an increasingly popular option in decorative concrete applications.
Sealing concrete can be frustrating! Roller marks and their cousins, "lap lines," are just two of those frustrating problems that can plague professional decorative installers.
Think about what happens to a kitchen counter every day. People splash acids on it. They spill things that stain it. They chop and slice on it. They set hot pots and dishes down on it. And they clean and clean and clean it with water and chemicals and green scrub-pads
Fabricators’ approaches to sealing countertops are as varied as their creative countertop designs. Here are some observations from manufacturers and artisans about how they protect the work.
For your next resurfacing project, try this crisp, clean tile design
This incredibly simple staining application lends a distinct reflective sparkle to any floor.
Trying to manage ultraviolet light exposure in California isn’t an easy thing to do, particularly when it comes to its effect on concrete sealers. For Napa, Calif., homeowners, contractors were able to get a handle on the situation, creating a countertop for an outdoor kitchen that still looks great more than a year later.
Give your next faux-stone wall vertical project the look of a Spanish vineyard with this effect from Flex-C-Ment.
