EPOXY AND URETHANE SEALERS
PROS AND CONS

PROS - Epoxy and urethane sealers are used to protect concrete projects that require exceptional abrasion and chemical resistance, increased service life and a high gloss finish.

Epoxy & urethane sealants dry to a very hard film or coating on the surface of concrete, which means they wear very nicely when exposed to foot or vehicle traffic and don't need to be recoated every year.

Epoxy & urethane sealers are very easy to maintain and clean, since they are virtually non-porous most spills and stains wipe right up if done in a reasonable amount of time.

CONS - After being applied to concrete and curing to a hard gloss finish, epoxies and urethanes are essentially impermeable to water vapor. New concrete should be at least one month old and have a low moisture vapor transmission (MVT) rate before an epoxy & urethane sealer is applied.

Otherwise, moisture in the concrete will cause blistering, bubbles and bond failure of the sealer. The sealer manufacturer should have a maximum MVT rate listed for the type of sealer you are using.

Surface preparation is very critical when using urethanes and epoxy sealers, if the surface of the concrete is too smooth, bond failure in the form of flaking and peeling will occur.

Urethane sealers don't bond well to concrete and must be used in conjunction with and epoxy primer.

For information on other related concrete sealer topics click on the links below.

CHEMICAL STRIPPERS

CONCRETE MOISTURE PROBLEMS

CONCRETE SEALER AND CONDENSATION PROBLEMS

CONCRETE SURFACE TEMPERATURE CAN CAUSE SEALER PROBLEMS

DEICING SALTS AND CONCRETE SEALER PROBLEMS

WHAT CAUSES SEALER BLISTERS AND BUBBLES?

SEALER SURFACE PREPARATION BEFORE SEALING

IS THERE A TINTED SEALER I CAN USE?

WHAT KIND OF SEALER APPLICATOR SHOULD I USE?

Return from Epoxy And Urethane Sealers to Concrete Sealer

Return from Epoxy & Urethane Sealers to Everything About Concrete Home Page

Facebook X

One more way to share everything-about-concrete.com

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

Click on the HTML link code below.
Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

Hi, I am Mike Day, owner of Day’s Concrete Floors, Inc. in Maine. I've been working with concrete for 40 years now, and this website is where I can share with you all the knowledge, wisdom and expertise I've gained from installing all kinds of stamped concrete, concrete floors, concrete overlays, concrete slabs and also repairing & fixing cracked or spalled concrete.

There’s a lot to cover, so if you have any questions, contact me!