Coloured concrete sealants
Refurbishing concrete surfaces breathes new life into aging structures, providing a cost-effective solution to enhance both functionality and aesthetics. By using advanced coloured concrete sealants technologies, refurbishing concrete not only revitalizes its appearance but also reinforces its structural integrity, ensuring longevity and resilience against environmental factors. Whether for residential or commercial properties, investing in concrete refurbishment yields significant returns, revitalizing spaces and adding value to any property.
Below, we discuss why you can’t just paint concrete and various ways in which you can refurbish concrete.
Why you can’t just paint concrete
As mentioned, concrete breathes and because of this, applying paint onto concrete will simply lead to the paint peeling off. You need a specialised substance that penetrates the concrete and “becomes part of the concrete” on a molecular level. An example of this is illustrated below.
Applications
Protecting and adding colour to concrete walls
Concrete stands as the world’s foremost building material, revered for its durability and practicality. Moreover, in the 21st century, concrete has become part of building aesthetics in the 21st century.
We need to understand concrete to correctly protect or beautify it. On the one hand, concrete is porous, and on the other hand concrete breaths. This combination might create problems in the appearance of concrete walls or panels.
The first crucial step in caring for any concrete panel or wall, is to shield it from water absorption, as moisture represents concrete’s primary adversary. When moisture infiltrates concrete, it can transport various substances into its matrix, with acid rain being a common culprit. The acidity of such precipitation can initiate damage to cement molecules, potentially leading to a cascade of further issues. The most common thing that happens with unprotected concrete is that it might discolour over time.
Rectify patchy looking concrete
Using a decorative sealant, presents an effective remedy for patchy-looking concrete surfaces, restoring their uniformity and enhancing their visual appeal. Furthermore, decorative sealants not only conceal imperfections but also provide a protective barrier against future wear and tear, ensuring long-lasting durability and maintaining the aesthetic integrity of the concrete.
Refurbish old, weathered concrete
Refurbishing old and weathered concrete surfaces with a decorative sealant presents a transformative solution to breathe new life into tired spaces. By applying a decorative sealant, weathered concrete can be rejuvenated with vibrant colors and finishes, revitalizing its appearance and enhancing its overall aesthetic appeal. This process not only masks imperfections and discoloration but also seals the surface but also provides long-lasting protection.
Treat stained or discolored concrete
Treating discolored concrete with a decorative sealant offers a simple yet effective solution to revive the appearance of worn-out surfaces. By selecting a decorative sealant tailored to the desired color and finish, discolored patches and stains on concrete can be seamlessly masked, restoring uniformity and enhancing visual appeal. The application of the sealant not only conceals imperfections but also provides a protective barrier against future discoloration, UV damage, and environmental contaminants.
Guard industry coloured concrete sealers offer an affordable option to achieve colour corrections on concrete panels and buildings.
Guard industry products have been used in various concrete refurbishments, from the Bundestag in Berlin to the Vatican columns in Rome.
Different levels of concrete protection are available
The cheapest, yet most basic protection is preventing the absorption of water. This sounds simple but there are a few reasons why you can’t apply any old water repellent or water-proofing.
The major considerations are that you need a sealer that maintains the breathability of the concrete, while being invisible on the surface. A product like Imperguard has proven itself to be invaluable in this regard. Famous international landmarks from the Vatican to …. are currently protected by Imperguard.
The next level of protection includes protection against thicker and fatty substances and even Graffiti. Guard Industry has various products available for various levels of concrete protection – all of it now, available in South Africa.
Colour concrete sealants
Coloured concrete sealants are the latest technological advancement in the protection and beautifying of concrete. It is now possible to add colour to existing or pre-cast concrete walls and panels. It is important to understand that coloured concrete sealants should have the following characteristics.
- Coloured concrete sealants should penetrate the concrete.
- Coloured concrete sealers should maintain the breathability of concrete.
- Coloured concrete sealers should provide moisture and other protection (like graffiti) to the concrete.
- Coloured concrete sealers must be available in different opacities in order to achieve slight colour adjustments to a complete transformation of colour.
- The concrete should still look and feel like concrete.
Guard Industry has various types of decorative coloured sealers available at different price levels, offering different levels of protection to concrete panels. Click here to browse our decorative concrete sealant range.
You can rest assured that Guard industry colour sealers are not produced by a druid in his garage. Guard Industry products have been successfully specified on projects by architects like, Jean Nouvel, Zaha Hadid, Foster and Partners and many more.
