sealer tackiness?

by Joseph
(Midland , tx)

Q. I applied a stain to the concrete floor let it dry, washed it and so on, after it dried I applied the sealer but there are 2 small sections of the floor that are still tacky and its been over a week since I have applied the sealer. Is there something I can do to get the stickiness off?

A. Too much stain residue remaining on the surface when sealing is the most common cause of sealer failure on stained concrete floors. These residues are highly acidic, which can chemically alter the sealer film as well as act as a bond breaker by clogging the pores of the concrete. This is why neutralization and removal of stain residue from the concrete surface is such an important step in staining. Chances are that excess residue is the cause of the failure and tackiness. Stripping the sealer where it is tacky, neutralizing and cleaning the floor, then re-sealing should correct the problem.

Some epoxies and most 2 part polyurethanes have an induction time associated with them. After mixing the 2 parts you have to let it sit for some period of time before using it. If you skip this step the epoxy or urethane may not get hard and remain tacky.

When mixing the 2 parts together it is very difficult to mix the material on the sides of the container and where the sides meet the bottom of the container. If you try to get every last drop out of the container, the last little bit will be this unmixed product. The result will be spots where the epoxy or urethane will never harden or remain tacky.

Scrape off and remove as much of the tacky material as you can. You can leave behind a bit of tacky material if necessary. Then recoat with new epoxy. The new epoxy will fix the little bit of uncured material left behind.