A Step-by-Step Guide

Decorative Concrete is a beautiful and durable addition to any home, but it needs to be sealed, on average, every 2 to 3 years to protect it from the elements and keep it looking its best. Whether it is stamped flatwork or a decorative overlay, using AmeriShield Pro’s sealer line and a Smith Performance Sprayer, all available at your local Epoxy Depot, can make the sealing process quick and easy, ensuring an even and consistent application. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you achieve professional-looking results:

  • Trim and clean the surroundings: Ensure the area is clean and vegetation is properly trimmed back. The last thing you should be concerned with when spraying sealers is moving plant vegetation. The sealer will kill whatever it touches on the surrounding vegetation. All bushes and plant material needs to be trimmed back. Usually, it is the customer’s responsibility to do this. The customer should also be informed that their yard should be mowed and trimmed before the installation date. Mowing shouldn’t be done for 48 hrs. after the sealer installation.
  • Clean the Surface: Ensure your concrete is completely clean and free of any dirt or debris. Use a pressure washer with a minimum of 4 gpm and a surface cleaner attachment, both of which are available at your local Epoxy Depot. A stiff broom/deck brush to remove any stubborn grime may also be necessary. You can use a Epoxy Resinous Cleaner and/or Sodium Hypochlorite (Pool Shock) and a surfactant, such as bleach safe liquid laundry soap, to aid in cleaning stubborn stains. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t spot treat the decorative concrete to avoid any discolorations. Treat the whole slab with each chemical individually. Tech Tip: DO NOT MIX CHEMICALS. If you mix chemicals, you can produce reactions that can create deadly gases. Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s directions and use bleach safe products when dealing with sodium hypochlorite. Neutralizing the effects of the chemicals may be necessary. Again, follow the manufacturers’ recommendations. It is imperative that you check the pH of the concrete and maintain it as close to neutral on the pH scale as you can get. Tech TIP: Use pool pH strips on a wet surface to check the pH. Make sure to allow the water to mostly absorb with enough moisture on the surface to wet the pH strip to get a truer reading. Once clean and neutralized, allow the concrete to dry completely before proceeding, usually 24 to 48 hrs., depending on atmospheric conditions.
  • Mask Off Adjacent Areas: Protect surrounding areas like walls, plants, and furniture with drop cloths, Ram Board and painter’s tape. Tech Tip: Avoid using plastic over vegetation as it will retain heat that can damage the plants, not to mention, you can, possibly, kill the plants. Instead use house wrap or surround plants with RAM Board. It is also useful to use a piece of cardboard as a painter’s shield. Cardboard works well since the sealer will soak into it, which, in turn, reduces drips. Remember, these chemicals are toxic to people, animals, and plants. Take every precaution necessary to protect everyone and everything.
  • Choose the Right Sealer: Select a sealer that is compatible with your concrete and the desired finish (wet look, matte, etc.). AmeriShield Pro’s Hyper Shine 350 VOC Blue is an all around popular choice for most decorative concrete. Consult with your local Epoxy Depot for selecting the correct sealer in the AmeriShield Pro Sealer line for recommendations.
  • Prepare Your Smith Sprayer:
    • Choose the appropriate nozzle for your sealer’s solid content. A fine mist nozzle is generally recommended for sealers.
    • Ensure the sprayer is clean and free of any old chemicals.
      • Use AmeriShield Pro’s Regen-X, Xylene (Xylol), or Acetone when cleaning your sealer sprayer
      • DO NOT USE WATER – Remaining water in the sprayer can cause blushing once the sealer is applied if you are using solvent based sealer.
      • Water is acceptable to clean with if you are using a water based acrylic sealer.
      • DO NOT USE THE SAME SPRAYER for solvent and water based acrylic sealers. It is wise to have multiple labeled sprayers for different products. Water based acrylic sealers aren’t compatible with solvent based sealers.
    • Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to properly mix the sealer (if necessary) and fill the sprayer tank. It is at this point that you can add a traction additive to your sealer, so it is completely mixed into the sealer in the sprayer with a drill and mixing paddle. Tech Tip: Shake the sprayer as you go to keep the traction additive suspended in the sealer.
  • Test Area: Before you begin, test the sprayer and sealer in an inconspicuous area to ensure proper spray pattern and coverage. Tech Tip: First use a 5-gallon bucket to check the spray pattern and the cleanliness of your sprayer tip.
  • Maintain Consistent Distance: Hold the sprayer nozzle about 12-18 inches from the concrete surface. Keep a consistent distance to avoid uneven application. Tech Tip: Move your sprayer end in a circular pattern as you move from left to right over the concrete surface while backing out of the space towards your exit.
  • Overlapping Passes: Apply the sealer in smooth, overlapping passes. Start at the furthest point and work your way backward to avoid walking on the wet sealer.
  • Even Coverage: Pay close attention to ensure even coverage, especially in corners and edges. Avoid puddling or over-application. Tech Tip: It may be necessary to edge with a small roller to get under objects and siding.
  • Back Roll: This step is optional but highly recommended, especially if you have never sealed concrete with an acrylic sealer. Remember, you aren’t spreading the sealer with the roller, you are just evening out heavily applied areas, so the sealer doesn’t puddle. Tech Tip: Use a minimum of a half inch nap roller to reach the lowest point in the stamp on the concrete. A 5/8” to 1” nap roller may be required.
  • Multiple Coats: Most sealers require multiple coats. Allow the first coat to dry completely according to the manufacturer’s instructions before applying subsequent coats. The finished rate of usage for most acrylic sealers is around 250 ft2 per Gallon, so it is recommended to apply 2 to 3 coats at 500 to 750 ft2 per gallon per coat. At this rate, each coat will not cover the surface 100%. Keep in mind that as you build coats, they will “melt” into each other. This helps prevent roller marks and dry lines.
  • Application: Once you start applying any type of acrylic sealer, it is important to continue to build the sealer until an even sheen has developed. Tech Tip: This shouldn’t happen in ONE coat, but you need to keep applying until you achieve this look. The porosity of the concrete surface can greatly affect the coverage rate you will achieve from the material.
  • Bubbles: If you apply your choice of solvent-based sealer from the Ameri-ShieldPro line in direct sunlight and apply too heavily, you can trap solvent in the sealer as it skims over. When this happens, bubbles can form, especially in the areas already in direct sunlight. Tech Tip: It is acceptable to spray the Ameri-Shield Pro product called Regen-X over the sealed surface. This product is great for relaxing your sealer and keeping it wet longer so bubbles do not develop.
  • Drying Time: Allow the sealer to dry completely before allowing foot traffic or replacing furniture. Refer to the sealer manufacturer’s instructions for specific drying times. It is usually recommended to move furniture and heavy pieces back to the concrete after 24 hrs. Foot traffic is generally acceptable in 4 to 6 hrs.
  • Flush the Sprayer: Thoroughly clean your Smith Performance Sprayer with water or the recommended cleaning solution immediately after use. This prevents the sealer from drying and clogging the sprayer. Tech Tip: Do not leave product in your sprayer. Some sprayers have a powder coated interior that can be melted off the sprayer if a solvent-based sealer is allowed to sit in the sprayer for an extended amount of time. If you are using a traction additive, make sure you thoroughly clean the hose, wand, and tip before storing your sprayer. Tech Tip: DO NOT leave the tip on the wand. Remove it and place it in a jar of Xylene. This will ensure a clean tip to start every job.
  • Remove Protection: Remove and dispose of all the plastic, Ram Board, & tape you used to protect the client’s property.
  • Weather Conditions: Apply the sealer in ideal weather conditions – avoid extreme heat, direct sunlight, strong winds, or rain.
  • Test: Always have some acetone with you when you estimate a clean and seal project. Tech Tip: In an inconspicuous area, apply a small amount of acetone to the surface. If the coating gums up immediately, you are more than likely dealing with a solvent-based sealer. If acetone has little effect to the sealed surface, then you are looking at a water-based sealer. This test will tell you what product can be used to re-seal the surface.
  • Prime: Ameri-Shield Pro’s ReGen-X product makes a great primer to apply over existing sealers. With ReGen-X, you can melt the existing sealer back down so that it will release any trapped moisture that has caused blushing. ReGen-X will also melt and re-adhere unbonded sealer so that you can safely apply the fresh coat of sealer without worrying about the previous layers.
  • Apply: Apply the product when the surface temperature of the concrete is at its coolest. It is also recommended to seal as the ambient temperature is falling, not rising. Rising surface temperatures can lead to bubbles in solvent-based sealers. Water based sealers do not typically suffer from surface bubbles and can be easier to apply.
  • However, it is worth noting that water-based sealers can be harder to “re-coat” in the future.
  • Once you use a water-based sealer, IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED to recoat a water-based sealer with a solvent-based sealer. However, you can go over solvent-based sealer with water-based sealer, if it is well bonded and still has an even sheen. Tech Tip: If you have a flakey sealer on the surface even after pressure washing, use Regen-X to melt the flakey sealer back onto the surface.
  • Safety First: Wear appropriate safety gear, including gloves, eye protection, and a respirator, especially when working with solvent-based sealers. Tech Tip: It is also recommended to wear plastic boot covers to save your boots from getting caked with the sealer.
  • Practice Makes Perfect: If you’re new to using a sprayer, practice on a piece of cardboard before tackling your decorative concrete. Tech Tip: You can also practice with water on an unsealed slab of concrete.

By following these steps, using the Ameri-Shield Pro sealer line available only at your local Epoxy Depot, and utilizing the efficiency of your Smith Performance Sprayer, you can effectively seal your decorative concrete and ensure its longevity and beauty for years to come.

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