Stained Concrete Overlay Problems

Don t use overlays to fix bad concrete question.

Stained concrete overlay problems.

The most common cause of sealer failure is too much stain residue on the floor. Creating a profile or degree of roughness of at least 6 on the international concrete repair institute icri surface preparation scale is mandatory for successful adhesion. Thicker overlays can also level out minor dips in a floor and go up to the bottom of baseboards if there is a gap after removal of previous floor coverings. Our condominium board plans to have a decorative concrete overlay applied to our 35 year old concrete walkways which have existing cracks and many unlevel areas.

Since a non reactive stain colors the concrete by filling the concrete s pores or by creating a film that sits on the concrete s surface typical moisture related problems include flaking peeling bubbling blistering and dark spots. Has been proudly leading the industry for over 20 years manufacturing overlays stains dyes and other products for your concrete projects. Neutralization unlike water based concrete stain acid stain needs to be neutralized to help form a bond with the sealer. If your concrete patio slab or driveway has major structural problems a stamped concrete overlay will neither solve nor hide them effectively.

When installing any type of overlay owners must use sealants to protect it from moisture. Curing time the curing time for fresh concrete is at least 14 days sometimes 21. This type of overlay is used to resurface concrete floors to repair small imperfections or give the concrete a new canvas that can be stained like the one to the right. Moisture is a common problem for concrete floors.

A spray down or sprayed on concrete overlay is great when you need some texture on the surface for slip resistance or if you use a stencil to create a pattern like the one below. In most decorative overlay projects surface preparation should cost more and take longer to perform then the actual overlay installation itself. The board members want to apply a 1 8 to 3 8 inch overlay but that doesn t seem to be thick enough. Our product lines include clean prep and repair products stamp tek spray tek vivid acid stains.

A cement based overlay or microtoppping is ideal for masking minor imperfections in existing concrete floors that a decorative stain won t hide such as discoloration or hairline cracks. When moisture enters the floor it seeps easily through the concrete s porous material and causes mold and rot problems below the floor while creating structural issues throughout the concrete. If used on stained concrete it could cause sealer and stained areas to pull up along with the adhesive. Maintenance for an acid stained concrete floor problems can also arise after application because of sealer failure or improper sealer maintenance.