Concrete Densifier Vs Sealer

A beautifully finished decorative concrete floor must go through a fairly involved process to achieve the intended outcome.

Concrete densifier vs sealer.

Densifiers should not be used on concrete that is going to be sealed with an acrylic sealer epoxy coating or urethane coating unless it has been approved by the manufacturer of the coating. They permanently densify concrete adding abrasion resistance which reduces the ability of water to travel. From the pure pour through the glossy finish concrete needs to be chemically altered before a floor is ready for prime time. Concrete densifiers work by penetrating past the surface of the concrete to chemically react with the naturally occurring minerals and compounds to create more calcium silicate hydrate or csh which is the compound that gives concrete its noted strength.

Concrete densifiers come in two main varieties. A stain guard and water repellent can be added to the product. Densifiers and sealers are applied to decorative concrete flooring at different stages and serve different purposes. They may help improve the stain resistance but will not compare to a soak in or topical sealer.

The next section explains why. Coatings use the pores of the concrete to bond so when pore size is reduce from a densifier the coating may experience issues with bonding. 6 24 hours but which densifier is the best choice. When it comes to silicate sealers we feel the best densifier and hardeners are lithium based.

Densifiers are not the same as sealers. Concrete densifiers can be used in a grind and polish application. Concrete densifiers are quickly becoming the sealer of choice for garage commercial and industrial floors.