The world's foremost magazine on decorative concrete
Coatings are liquid or semi-liquid mixtures applied to cured concrete to make it more aesthetically pleasing, improve its durability, boost its longevity and/or reduce upkeep and repairs.
As high-performance coatings become more commonplace in decorative applications, so do the problems associated with using them. Unlike acrylic sealers, high-performance coatings (polyurethane, epoxy, polyaspartic and polyurea) are not as forgiving when it comes to application, or more specifically, reapplication.
Today’s trend has less to do with any certain product and more to do with a weak economy and saving money. Just like people are finding ways to make their cars go another year to save money, so too are they are looking for ways to make their existing concrete work another year.
Is it possible to smell sealer months after application? Someone asked me this regarding a stained and sealed floor in a Colorado residence.
Grout it, fill it or design around it? In decorative concrete, every crack presents a contractor with a unique set of problems.
Surface prep is not the most creative part of a decorative concrete project, but it’s also rarely the same old grind.
The techniques featured in this beloved annual feature may give you the look you’re after for finishing that one job. Or, they may provide the spark you need to come up with something new.
There are three things in this world that have room for improvement: cell phones, microwave popcorn and, you guessed it, concrete sealers. There have been more prayers and cuss words offered up regarding sealers than over any other decorative concrete issue.
Having an opportunity to see the sealing part of our business from a manufacturer’s point of view is priceless. So when Doug Carlton sat down with Bert Adams of Glaze ‘N Seal to ask him his point of view on sealing concrete, the results were better than he could have dreamed.
A primer on primers! Here’s some information on pretreatments that will stick with you. So the use of bonding primers can serve two purposes when applied to concrete before topcoating, sealing the concrete surface and developing a bond line for a coating or topping to bond to the substrate.
Whether you’re working on a decorative wall in a backyard or the exterior walls of a 15-story building, consider stencils for vertical surfaces.
