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Gasoline spill on slab

12K views 28 replies 5 participants last post by  Canarywood1 
#1 ·
Gentlemen,
I'm a concrete newby, so thanks in advance for the help and patience. I have a 4 year old, 16x16 stamped concrete patio. During the spring clean-up, my wife turned over a fuel can and spilled about a quart of gasoline :furious:, which left a white, hazy appearance. The gas was on it for at least 10 minutes before it was cleaned up.
Apparently, the sealer was at least partially dissolved by the gasoline, as there are shoe prints in it. Is there a way to repair the damaged area without removing the sealer from the entire patio? If the whole thing has to be stripped and re-sealed, how would I do that?

Thanks
 

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#10 ·
woody, i'm thinking the existing sealer's more decorative than utilitarian but could be wrong of course :whistling2: there is penetration w/all sealers to some degree,,, never tried tinting silanes or siloxanes,,, its possible but are there uv inhibitors in tints ? i think not :no:
 
#12 ·
woody, i'm thinking the existing sealer's more decorative than utilitarian but could be wrong of course :whistling2: there is penetration w/all sealers to some degree,,, never tried tinting silanes or siloxanes,,, its possible but are there uv inhibitors in tints ? i think not :no:
Silane/siloxane's are deep penetrating sealers forming a hydrofobic barrier against water penetration, is why I mentioned them, but then realized we don't know where he is.

Can you clarify the "tinting" part since it's already tinted.
 
#24 ·
Most of the time, colored, stamped, and decorative concrete in general get's a solvent-based acrylic sealer, as it's the best sealer at giving an "enhanced" look. If you like the way the concrete looks when it's wet, and want a gloss finish, don't use anything other than a solvent-based acrylic sealer. Yes, it does require a re-coat every 3-6 years depending on enviroment, quality of product, application method, foot traffic, etc., but it's still the best choice when you're trying to enhance the color IMPO.

BTW, I'd suggest adding a traction additive to the sealer, like "Sharkgrip"......
 
#4 ·
Stripping just a part of the patio is touchy at best, even doing the whole thing is tricky, it could be water based or solvent based, even xylene base so really hard to know what to use to do the stripping, might be a good idea to contact the contractor that did the job, and hope he has a record of same.
 
#5 ·
That crossed my mind, so I made an attempt to locate the contractor. Surprise... they seem to have disappeared from the Earth entirely. That, or maybe a witness protection program.
Is there an established means to determine what the sealant base is?
 
#13 · (Edited)
If there's another option, I would steer clear of any sealer that says it's "whatever siloxane". That word "siloxane" replaces the word "silicone" and simply means it's a silicone based plastic. The problem with all silicone based plastics is that nothing sticks well to them, not even another silicone based plastic. You find that's a common problem with people trying to replace the silicone caulk around a tub and finding the new silicone caulk doesn't stick to the thin film of residual silicone caulk still on the tub and tiles.

So, the problem with using a "siloxane" masonry sealer is in the future, you can't restore the protection by applying more sealer because the new sealer won't stick to the old. I'm not sure if that would be an issue with penetrating sealers as I understand that some penetrating masonary sealers are silicone based, and I agree that using a penetrating sealer would be preferable so that the concrete/bricks won't be slippery when they're wet.
 
#14 · (Edited)
If there's another option, I would steer clear of any sealer that says it's "whatever siloxane". That word "siloxane" replaces the word "silicone" and simply means it's a silicone based plastic. The problem with all silicone based plastics is that nothing sticks well to them, not even another silicone based plastic. You find that's a common problem with people trying to replace the silicone caulk around a tub and finding the new silicone caulk doesn't stick to the thin film of residual silicone caulk still on the tub and tiles.

So, the problem with using a "siloxane" masonry sealer is in the future, you can't restore the protection by applying more sealer because the new sealer won't stick to the old. I'm not sure if that would be an issue with penetrating sealers as I understand that some penetrating masonary sealers are silicone based, and I agree that using a penetrating sealer would be preferable so that the concrete/bricks won't be slippery when they're wet.

There are 4 kinds of sealers, and depending on where you live and the type of project you want to protect, lets you choose the product you prefer,the products are Acrylics, Polyurethanes, Epoxies, and Silanes , Siloxanes, and Silicates the last 3 being what would be preferred in a harsh climate, like where snow and freezing temps are the norm because they are penetrating sealers and give excellent protection for the freeze/thaw cycle.

Acrylics are a good choice for stamped or exposed aggregate,but only form a thin top coat so a lot of maintenance is required.

Polyurethanes are also good for stamped or exposed aggregate and is almost twice as thick as Acrylics,but is only a topical coating.

Epoxies form a high build protective film on the surface.trouble is they are usually a two part product that have to be mixed on site, and they may yellow with UV exposure, but they can be tinted, and they produce a hard long wearing surface, and provide excellent water resistance, but on the down side are impermeable and can trap water in the concrete.

So in a nutshell the best preformers in the northern climes is penetrating sealers,and they usually last about 10 years, and they CAN and be recoated and has been that way since they came out, in the warmer climes use what ever looks good to you, but be prepared to refinish more often.
 
#15 ·
98% of our decorative conc sealing is done w/methyl-mecratale laced acrylic sealers,,, commercial & industrial apps called for other mtls,,, there are also polyaspartics & polyureas avail as sealers but perhaps we pro's are getting out of diy range.

we routinely tint sealers w/sher-wms colors - they have wtr AND solvent pigments

in a pinch, we use apron/vest store clear epoxies + sher-wms :yes:
 
#16 ·
98% of our decorative conc sealing is done w/methyl-mecratale laced acrylic sealers,,, commercial & industrial apps called for other mtls,,, there are also polyaspartics & polyureas avail as sealers but perhaps we pro's are getting out of diy range.

we routinely tint sealers w/sher-wms colors - they have wtr AND solvent pigments

in a pinch, we use apron/vest store clear epoxies + sher-wms :yes:
Polyaspartic polyuria has been around since 1980 and was actually developed by Texaco, and yes it's way out of DIY range and has to be applied with special spray equipment, although a very good product when you have to be able to use the area it was applied to in a hurry.
 
#17 ·
I spent the weekend applying Xylene, waiting 5-10, and pressure washing, and all the sealer is gone. It was a messy job, but I'm optimistic about the over all results of the project. The color has much less red now, which is one of the things I was going for. I'll post some follow up photos in a couple of weeks, and thanks again for the help.
 
#18 ·
Update- It's been almost a month, but we are almost there. After much, much Xylene and pressure washing, we finally got all the old sealer off and removed a good bit of the red color using muriatic acid. Next, we applied Valspar etching stain (color="coffee") and let it dry for 18 hours. Afterward, we rinsed it with water and reapplied more of the same stain and let it dry for 8 hours. After that, we used baking soda and water to neutralize the acid (very interesting to watch), then rinsed it again with water. It has been drying for 4 days, and we are now ready to clean it once more and seal it. I've read blog posts that elude to Valspar sealer leaving a haze, so I'm going to test the $20 per gallon Quickcrete sealer on a sidewalk by my workshop. Will post a follow-up when I finish that job.
 

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#25 ·
I contacted Conteq Supply in nearby Huntsville, Alabama, and they have a solvent based product called Clemons SUPREME SEAL-25. At the moment, it seems to be the best option that I can buy locally. I'll try it on the slab by my workshop, and if the results what I'm looking for, I'll use it to seal the patio. All my slabs are stamped, so I decided against a traction additive. However, if I apply the first coat of sealer and change my mind, can I add it to the second coat of sealer and be ok?
 
#26 ·
i contacted conteq supply in nearby huntsville, alabama, and they have a solvent based product called clemons supreme seal-25. At the moment, it seems to be the best option that i can buy locally. I'll try it on the slab by my workshop, and if the results what i'm looking for, i'll use it to seal the patio. All my slabs are stamped, so i decided against a traction additive. However, if i apply the first coat of sealer and change my mind, can i add it to the second coat of sealer and be ok?
yes but also ask them IF the sealer's to be diluted OR applied full strength,,, you can spray it or roll it on,,, ALWAYS work from a wet edge !
 
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