When you are in a shop environment, your concrete floor is in big trouble. Chemical droppings, oil spills, heavy equipment, constant circulation, as well as temperature fluctuations, all work to wear away undisguised concrete, with time. Just imagine that concrete is some kind of hard sponge: it appears firm, however, it is full of microscopic holes that are able to absorb water or liquids, causing stains, corrosion, and finally, repairs that are going to be rather expensive.
Here, concrete sealers come to the rescue of your floor. A good sealer is a kind of invisible force field which fills those pores and forms a protective barrier against damage, and it makes maintenance so much easier.
How Concrete Sealers Work: The basics of the Foundation
It is good to know what is going under the soil before we can jump into details about certain products. Concrete is porous in nature due to its curing characteristics – as the water is evaporating when it dries, it creates microscopic spaces and holes as the fluid evaporates. These pores are gateways through which water, oils and chemicals can get deep into the concrete structure.
Concrete sealers perform two main functions. These pores are penetrated and then their contents treated as they are saturated with a penetrating sealer by inducing a chemical reaction by the sealant creating an inner front lined waterproof seal just in the same way as an inner lined waterproofing works on a basement wall. Topical sealers, however, comprise a covering film on the surface, just the way paint does to wood.
The Leading Candidates of Shop Floor Protection
The Heavy Duty Champion: Epoxy Coatings
As a general practice, epoxy-based sealers are the most superior of shop environments. They are not sealer as we know the word, they are coating systems, which turn your floor into an impact and chemical-resistant surface.
The application of two- part epoxy systems forms a very strong bond between concrete and a chemical curing process. When the resin and hardener are combined, a cross-linking reaction takes place and chains of long elements are formed, leading to a surface, which is usually harder than the original concrete. This also makes epoxy a perfect choice of the shop where you need to work around heavy equipment or you experience spillages a lot or if you have harsh chemicals that you are cleaning.
The most suitable epoxies that can be used in shop floors are such systems as Rust-Bullet DuraGrade or KILZ 1-Part Epoxy. These products are adhesive, chemically-resistant, and tough. They are also a hidden advantage of having your floor easy to clean as spills which would absorb in concrete could be wiped up on the sealed floor.
Polyurethane Sealers- The Adaptable Actor
Polymers Polyurethane sealers are an intermediary between penetrating sealer and full coating system. They enter into the pores of the concrete as well also developing a thin film on the exterior. This two-fold work offers an outstanding protection and preserves part of the scenic look and feel of the concrete.
The key property on what makes polyurethane especially useful in shop applications is its versatility. Polyurethane can survive the thermal expansion and contraction process unlike the hard epoxy coatings which will crack in case the concrete runs off. It is also abrasion resistant being foot traffic and rolling equipment resistant.
Such products as the Foundation Armor AR350 or Ghostshield Siloxa-Tek 8500 are wonderful polyurethanes, which enhance security of your floor without any significant alteration to its looks.
Silicate based Penetrating Sealers: The Deep Protector
When you are concerned that sodium- or lithium silicate sealers can be used most effectively on a shop where the change in appearance should be minimal, maximum protection should be provided. The mechanism by which these products act is in that they penetrate into the concrete to a considerable depth and react with calcium hydroxide (which is a natural byproduct of concrete that cures) to produce calcium silicate hydrate gel.
This may all seem a complex process, but the real world outcome is simple- the sealer itself becomes part of the concrete structure and the protective layer acts like the structure itself and cannot be peeled or chipped or worn off like surface paints and sealants. Such type of permanent protection can be provided using such products as Penetron PENETRON or RadonSeal Plus.
The negotiation is that silicate sealers do not offer the stain protection of the surface treatments. These are the best as far as water and salt stains are concerned but cannot suck oil stains.
How to come up with the Right Decision regarding Your Personal Needs
To find the best sealer, you must be very frank about the challenges of your shop. Think of what kind of spills you are dealing with regularly. Our wood working shop, which is primarily exposed to dust and occasional water, is nothing like an automotive shop where oil, coolants, and brake fluids are the norm.
Consider your maintenance preference, too. Epoxy paints are the most protective, though more attention might be paid to their cleaning to keep their visual aspect. They are nearly maintenance-free after application, except that they impart lesser stain protection since they are known as penetrating sealers.
Fluctuation in temperature at your shop also counts. And, in case your facility is not climate-controlled, you will be interested in a sealer that can withstand thermal cycling without degrading. In this case, the flexibility of polyurethane will be especially useful.
The Considerations of the Applications That Count
Even the most effective sealer can disappoint in case of not properly applied. Preparation of concrete is of utmost importance – something like painting a wall. You would not paint on dirt and loose materials, and it is the same case when applying sealers.
Provoked by the fact that the concrete was not thoroughly cleaned or etched prior to the application of the sealer, most failures occur. The concrete surface must be porous where the penetrating sealers are to be absorbed or clean where the topical sealers are going to stick.
Application temperature, humidity are also important. The majority of sealers appear to cure by way of temperature-sensitive reactions. When sealer is applied under conditions which deviate from the manufacturer’s recommendations, improper curing may occur, causing early demise.
The Investment Perspective
A good concrete sealer is an instance of paying peanuts now or paying a lot more in the future. A quality sealer could go as low as several dollars per square foot; however, repairing a broken concrete slab may be a ten-fold expense.
Comparison of the options should not be made on the basis of initial cost but rather the total cost of ownership. A high-quality epoxy that is only required every fifteen years, and within a short time, it can be cheaper as compared to a low-priced, poor system that has to be used again in a matter of some years.
Pulling it all Together
The best quality and mix of protection, durability, and ease of maintenance is achieved in the majority of shop floors using a high-quality two-part epoxy system. These systems accommodate the requirements of shop environments involving chemical exposure, physical abuse and cleaning.
Nevertheless, the best sealer of all is the one that best suits your situation and most appropriately gels on well-prepared concrete. Pause and realistically identify what your shop needs, prime the surface well and apply instructions as given. Your budget and your floor will also appreciate it over a long period of time.
The trick is to realise that concrete sealing is an investment in the durability and functionality of your working area. When selecting the right option, apply tactfully and gain the privilege of having a floor with protection and a floor that would make your store a happy shop to work in.
