CONCRETE CURE AND SEAL SEALANTS
PROS AND CONS

PROS - Cure & seal for concrete sealants are film forming, topical, sealers that block penetration of water and contaminants by forming a barrier on the surface of the concrete. Cure & seals can be applied to fresh concrete to help retain moisture or applied after the concrete has cured to protect the surface.

Applying a cure and seal for concrete is usually the most inexpensive option compared to other concrete sealing compounds. Cure and seals are generally formulated with a blend of styrene and acrylic polymers and can be either water or solvent based.

The primary purpose of cure & seal sealants is application on fresh concrete, as soon as final finishing has been completed, to form a membrane on the surface that prevents rapid evaporation of the water in the concrete.

A concrete cure & seal also gives moderate protection to the concrete surface from the damaging effects of weather, traffic, spills and stains. They are applied in very thin layers, usually 2 - 3 mils thick, which means the protection lasts one to two years under normal use.

CONS - Using cure & seals on concrete that have already cured can pose some issues, especially where the subgrade is damp or on concrete floors where no vapor barrier was used.

When a a styrene-acrylic cure & seal is used on concrete that has already hydrated and hardened, the curing function is no longer needed. If the moisture level in the concrete is high, or if the slab has no vapor barrier, there is likely to be a internal moisture moving through the slab and evaporating out through its surface.

When a concrete cure and seal is present, it will work to prevent this evaporation. Under this evaporative pressure, the adhesion of the cure and seal to the concrete surface will likely fail, causing problems like whitening of the cure & seal, flaking and peeling of the membrane.

Using concrete cure & seal sealers on interior, hardened and hydrated, concrete where the moisture level is normally low or on slabs on grade where the moisture vapor transmission (MVT) rate is low is often successful.

Where testing shows a high MVT rate, and on exterior concrete in often damp conditions, a PURE acrylic sealer is a better choice. An acrylic sealer has reduced moisture retention ability and less efficient initial curing capabilities, but will perform well as a protective film on the concrete.

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