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I’ve looked in the archives for references to specific concrete sealers and couldn’t find anything, so please forgive me if this has already been discussed.
I want to super-seal my new concrete kennel floor before I paint it. I want the absolute best seal, most impervious to pee, that I can get. I had the contractor lay poly before the pour; I don’t think there are condensation problems, but it’s new construction, so I don’t really know yet. A possible complication might be that I have radiant heat (water) under the floor.
I heard about a product called Thoroseal from a contrator/Mr. Fixit guy on public radio. Said Thoroseal was the best. Has anyone any knowledge about this product or others? Home Depot carries only Jasco and Thompson’s, and I think I can find better quality than that. I asked the guy at the paint store what they use in laundry rooms. He recommended an epoxy paint. Straight over the concrete. Should I seal it first and then use an epoxy paint?
Thanks for any tips.
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Do not seal!!! That's the epoxy paint's job.
My advice: go to the professional paint store with the most expert reputation and tell them what you need to accomplish. More than likely, they'll suggest a two-part epoxy paint used in residential work as a garage floor coating. Get the MSDS-Material Safety Data Sheets along with manufacturer's directions. Read and understand both. Since your slab is new, prep. will probably be minimal beside allowing for the indicated cure before proceeding. Also, should you choose to accept this mission... buy a good quality respirator approved for use with the material you end up with. Additionally, if the radiant heat tubing has not been compromised by the pour, then you have "water" in the tubing, not "under the floor," and this, if anything, will allow you to have a measure of control over the environment as the epoxy is applied and cures (but I'd run the radiant issue by the paint guy anyway.) Any pilot lights within range of fumes must be extinguished. Follow directions to the letter and you'll end up with a bomber floor. If you miss something, like the guy's did who did the floor we're redoing the first time, and you end up with a peeling mess that is horrible to re-prepare.
*Throrough Seal is for outside of masonry walls, and guards only against moisture, not pee.I'd use an epoxy paint.
*ditto on the epoxy - but - if you want to seal try Ashford - its the best - they have a web site.
*Thanks for the suggestions. The paint store guy DID recommend 2 part epoxy, so I guess he knows his stuff. I was having a hard time finding Thoroseal anyway, so I'll just go with the epoxy paint. Thanks.
*Two-part epoxy is also safer to work with than the polyester/catalyst epoxy, health-wise. It's been keeping the ocean out of my boat for 4 years now. Even after a lot of landings on rocky beachs.Decomposed pee dissolves concrete so you are right to get a really good seal on it. I remember a church in the Netherlands that had been between the bar and residential districts for centuries and was subsiding on the walkway side due to over-full bladders on the walk home.In boat building, you prefer a falling temperature (versus a rising temp) as the epoxy sets up and starts to cure (2-6 hours). This avoids bubbles forming at the wood/epoxy interface. Since concrete is also porous, you probably also want the air in it to be contracting, not expanding. You could cool the slab by running cold tap water through the radiant tubing for 30 minutes. -David