Concrete Coloring Process
Q: We have a beautiful brick paver driveway, walkway and patio. How do we protect it and not change the colors nor make it slippery?
A: This is an important question. Your information let me know the bricks your contractor used were "interlocking pavers" and are not furnace produced bricks, instead they are cast from cement and sand under immense pressure.
The way I suggest, to protect your investment in your paver pavement, is AQUAPEL™ or AQUAPEL PLUS™. They are both are colorless or clear and will not change the color of your pavers.
You are very intelligent to avoid a treatment, which could cause the pavers to become slippery. AQUAPEL™ and AQUAPEL PLUS™ soak down into the pavers and protect from within, Aquapel and Aquapel Plus do not make a surface more slippery.
You can apply them with a sprinkler can and a sturdy push broom, the result will be a long lasting and protected system for your pavers.
Cleaning Concrete
Q: We purchased a home with the front steps covered with indoor/outdoor carpeting. We pulled the carpeting off with no problem, but we are having a hard timer removing the old adhesive used to hold down the carpet. Could you suggest an easier way to remove the adhesive, besides true grit and determination?
A: You are making my answer easy, the product is CITREX™. It will attack the old adhesive and make it easy to remove. You may want to seal your steps with our AQUAPEL PLUS™, once the CITREX has done it's work.
Exposed Aggregate Pavement - Cleaning
Q: We had a beautiful exposed rock driveway and patio area poured at our home and the first year it was shiny and we could see all the colors of the rocks and it repelled water. Now it is dull and the water soaks in sometimes. What do we do to get the shine and water protection back?
A: I really like exposed rock or in concrete terms, exposed aggregate pavement. It is beautiful and there seems to be a new beauty just waiting to be discovered every time the pavement is resealed.
The product to restore your shine and the shine upon your brick edging is our LUMISEAL PLUS™. LUMISEAL PLUS is a pure acrylic liquid, membrane sealer and will not darken or yellow in sunlight.
But first, the surface of your drive and patio must be degreased and clean before the Lumiseal Plus can be applied, our degreaser and cleaner is named CITREX™. CITREX™ is an orange peel product, it is a liquid degreaser and can be diluted into water.
Once the surfaces are clean and dry, you are ready to apply the LUMISEAL PLUS™ liquid and start enjoying your beautiful drive and patio, again.
Colored Concrete Seal
Q: We have beautiful pigmented concrete. The contractor calls it intregal pigmented concrete. We refused to seal it because sealers turn yellow and ruin the beauty we paid extra to enjoy. What can we seal our colored concrete with that is free of yellowing and free of surface films?
A: You are in a growing majority of owners specifying and preserving intregal colored concrete. You are also in a growing group of owners willing to research the best preservation treatment for your beautiful concrete.
The answer to your question is SEAL HARD™ by LATICRETE®. SEAL HARD™ absolutely will not yellow. It is an impregnator and produces no surface membrane or film. Your beautiful colored or intregal pigmented concrete will be protected and not turn yellow or suffer from membrane build up. Additional product to examine along with SEAL HARD™ are AQUAPEL™and AQUAPEL PLUS™, for your concrete protection needs.
Concrete Placement
Q: Please tell us why our concrete contractor insisted upon placing our big wide driveway and patio at or near sunset. We live in the desert southwest and we like it, but it seemed odd to require the placement of concrete at the end of the day.
A: It sounds like your contractor is operating from experience gained in your desert area. I suspect the contractor is wetting the sub grade or soil with water, just prior to placing the concrete in the evening, too. This is all an attempt, in my opinion, to place and finish fresh concrete with a quality approach.
I think your contractor is waiting for the cool of twilight to place the concrete and avoid a rapid surface drying and surface cracking, normally caused by heat and wind. Heat and wind will dewater the surface of fresh concrete and leave many surface shrinkage cracks. This is a situation to avoid. I will speculate, your contractor is also spraying a moisture loss control product upon the surface of the concrete as it is being finished or "smoothed." This moisture loss product is called an evaporation control product (E-CON™).
The next step in giving you a quality concrete project, will be the curing of the finished concrete surface. I prefer to cure with a heavy solids membrane, like our Lumiseal Plus. It cures and seals with the same product.
In closing, you have chosen a good concrete contractor, from the sounds of it.