Garage and Basement Floor

[ebilleau]

Hi There,

I'm new to this forum and have been researching sealers for acid stained concrete. We are having a new slab poured in the garage and in the basement (which will be living space). This is a DIY job and I'm using the garage as practice to hone my skill before finishing the basement floor myself. There is so much information out there and I don't know what is the right choice so I thought I'd get some opinion from here.

I'll be acid staining the concrete and want a matte finish that's durable. I like the concept of the penetrating sealers and hardeners but from what I read, they won't give me the sheen I'm looking for. We are having 4000 PSI concrete poured, so I don't even know if a hardener is necessary - 4000 PSI seems pretty hard already. Would a hardener do me any good? I'm not worried about fumes - I just want the most durable finish that requires the least amount of maintenance.

Help!? I'm more confused after all my reading than I was when I first started!

 

[Shea]

Densifiers are designed to strengthen the surface of the concrete, not the finish such as an acid stain. They are used primarily for concrete polishing though they are sometimes used in garages to both harden the surface and help repel fluids. Penetrating sealers will seal the concrete just below the surface, but they are not designed to protect a finish.

For acid staining you will want to protect it with a film forming sealer such as acrylic or an acrylic/epoxy hybrid, epoxy, polyurethane, polyurea and etc. Acrylic sealers are the easiest to apply and the least expensive, but they are not as durable as the other examples such as epoxy and the others.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Good info Shea. Op, really depends what budget and what expectation you have for longevity.

Acrylics being the least performance but least expensive.
Next wb epoxy
Then wb epoxy with a urethane topcoat
Also...
Polyaspartic/polyurea is the most durable.

Most of our customers looking for matte either use our acrylic, hd6600 or our Standard epoxy clear sealer, offers a satin finish. The epoxy being more durable.

Hope this helps.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[ebilleau]

Thanks for the replies. Legacy, it looks like your Ultimate clear sealer system is what I'm looking for, given it's durability and low maintenance. Do you offer it in a matte finish top coat?

 

[ebilleau]

Also, if I seal the epoxy with a urethane top coat, does that prevent yellowing of the epoxy over time?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

All epoxy will eventually amber.
However, the Standard sealer holds up well.

The urethanes purpose is to provide an armor like glaze to the epoxy. Much better chemical and traffic resistance. Unfortunately, it is transparent so it does help but not much.

If you want a true non-ambering product, apply (2) coats of our Xtreme aspartic-80 in lieu of the other products.
We have a slow cure version for the DIY that takes some of the rush out of it.

 

[ebilleau]

Okay - is that okay to apply over the acid stained concrete and will that give me the matte finish I'm looking for?