Liquid Release Agents, Decorative Concrete Floors
Liquid releases are easier to work with, primarily in the cleanup stage, because they evaporate on their own, he says. Powder releases have to be washed away, which can be reason enough by itself to choose liquid for interior jobs and remodels.
by John Strieder
with the glamour and excitement of concrete contracting, tell them you work on a hands-on basis with "release agents."
Only you will know the truth. Release agents are NOT highly trained government operatives who negotiate the exchange of political prisoners. They're just powders and liquids.
But they do something that is just as thrilling, when it happens: They keep stamps from sticking to freshly poured concrete, insuring that every edge stays crisp when a stamp is pulled away.“ Its foremost purpose is primarily as a bond-breaker, ” says Clark Branum, Northwest area manager with Rafco Products-Brickform.
Like many other tools of the decorative concrete trade, it also works well as an accent. Dark pigment added to a release agent will accumulate in the pits and valleys of a pressed design, such as the grout lines. The shadow effect makes grooves look deeper, corners more pronounced, and the whole pattern look more realistic. And older, which is why tinted release agents are especially helpful when antiquing.
But while both liquid and powder release agents separate stamp from concrete, only the powders come with color. Liquid release agents are usually clear. If you want to tint with them, you have to add the pigment yourself.
|
