What is the Best Time to Seal Your Exterior Concrete Surfaces?

The surfaces of your outdoor structures are often exposed to a wide range of weather elements. From the sun’s heat to rainfall, these elements can somehow affect the quality of the exterior surfaces, especially if they are made from weak materials.

Hence, it is always recommended by construction companies to build outdoor structures out of concrete. Concrete is a popular construction material made from cement, water, sand, gravel, and air. The proportions of these materials may differ based on one’s requirements. However, concrete structures and surfaces would boast excellent properties such as high levels of strength, durability, and resilience. They are also cost-effective, safe, and sustainable.

Many outdoor structures and areas can be made from concrete. These places include patios, retaining walls, walkways, and pathways. Of course, concrete can also be used in generating the walls and flooring of your property.

Sealing Concrete is Essential

The qualities of your concrete structures, however, can be further improved by sealing their surfaces. Sealing is the application of concrete sealants on the surfaces of concrete structures and areas. Applying concrete sealants can make your concrete surfaces to be protected from water damage. This process can also protect them from surface abrasion, which serves as the primary point or source of damage for concrete structures.

Numerous things should be done when applying a concrete sealer or sealant on your concrete surfaces. First, you should remove grease, dirt, stains, oil, and other dirty elements from your concrete surfaces. The next step is to strip any existing sealer that may be present on the same surfaces. An etching solution should then be used to open up the concrete.

Upon cleaning the concrete surfaces, you should now apply a thin coat of a compatible sealer to the surfaces. You can use a roller or a sprayer to make things easier. Once the sealer is applied, your concrete surfaces must be left first until they become dry. Once dry, you can apply a second coat and let the surfaces dry before using them again.

Time is Crucial when Sealing

All the steps of sealing, however, should be carried out at the right time of the day. Several variables, after all, may change at various times, affecting the application and curing of the sealer. Some variables that may change easily include surface temperature, air temperature, moisture, and subsurface moisture.

Applying a sealer in the morning or at noontime is not recommended. The concrete surfaces of your outdoor structures during the morning may contain moisture. The presence of moisture can disrupt the properties of a solvent-based sealer, which will only generate white spots or blotchy spots on your concrete surface. Your sealer may also not be able to coat your concrete well due to moisture on its surface, which can affect its overall performance.

The high surface temperature in the middle of the day can then make your sealing ineffective as it will only introduce blistering or bubbles on your concrete surfaces.

The best time to seal your exterior concrete surfaces is in the afternoon. During this time, your surfaces are already expected to boast lower temperatures. They are also dry, allowing the concrete sealer to coat, penetrate, and protect your concrete surfaces without any issues.

If you want to purchase quality concrete sealers, you can contact us at Auseal.

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