The idea of sealing concrete….
If you ask different people you will receive different answers on what it actually means and what sealers actually do to your concrete.
according to wikipedia:
“Stone sealing is the application of a surface treatment to products constructed of natural stone to retard staining and corrosion. [1]. All bulk natural stone is riddled with interconnected capillary that permit penetration by liquids and gases. This is true for igneous rock types such as granite and basalt, metamorphic rocks such as marble and slate, and sedimentary rocks such as limestone, travertine, and sandstone. These porous channels act like a sponge, and capillary action draws in liquids over time, along with any dissolved salts and other solutes. Very porous stone, such as sandstone absorb liquids relatively quickly, while denser igneous stones such as granite are significantly less porous; they absorb smaller volumes, and more slowly, especially when absorbing viscous liquids.”
Although concrete is not stone the idea of sealing concrete is very similar to sealing natural stone. What is very important in the above description is the first sentence “Stone sealing is the application of a surface treatment to products constructed of natural stone to retard staining and corrosion”.
RETARD is the key word here that is often miss-communicated when explaining the process of sealing to the end user. Many people(I know from experience) assume that once their concrete counter top or concrete sink is sealed then it is equivalent of “non staining/stain proof”. Some even think that “stain resistant” or “stainless” means literally “stain proof”. That is a false approach that can cost everyone a series of problems and it is our(fabricators) job to explain it properly to our clients.
Sealers will only “retard” the process of staining but will not fully prevent it. It is very important what sealers your fabricator uses on your concrete(penetrating,topical,reactive) and what atheir limitations are. It is in everybody’s interest to get educated about this aspect of concrete so that everybody can enjoy their concrete and not have it turn into a nightmare…
Thanks for reading.
Remik's Blog 