Seal concrete indoors??

[DizRotus]

We had to have repairs done to our sewer pipes under the basement floor in the laundry area.  The cement patch over the repair lacks the smooth finish of the original floor.  Amazon has a plethora of “indoor concrete sealers” with many favorable reviews. 

 

Any first hand experience with such a product?  Sealing the porous patch is the primary goal.  Cosmetics in that section of the basement are secondary to sealing the area to prevent constant shedding of dust and grit.

 

Recommendations of products to use, or products to avoid, is much appreciated.

[Marvel]

Neil,

When my parents retired to northern Wisc. , they put a modular home on a basement. The concrete was a constant dust struggle for them, but IIRC, by dad used Thompson's Water Seal, and was satisfied with the way it worked. 

 

I wouldn't use it now, because they have changed the chemistry to make it more environmentally friendly, and a LOT of folks say it is awful.

 

The reviews of Drylok and Vital Coat, seem to be good. They both use the same chemical.

 

Bruce

[CWelsh]

I used Thompson's a few years ago and was very happy with it. That was probably eight years ago, so may have been before the chemistry changes. If you're working with a relatively small area, it may still be worth a try. I used a Rust-oleum epoxy product on my garage and shop and loved it, but it is maybe more pricey and more complicated than what you need.

 

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Rust-Oleum-RockSolid-2-part-Dark-Gray-Gloss-Garage-Floor-Polycuramine-Kit-Actual-Net-Contents-152-fl-oz/1000201199?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-pnt-_-ggl-_-LIA_PNT_220_Exterior-Stain-Specialty-_-1000201199-_-local-_-0-_-0&ds_rl=1286981&gclid=CjwKCAjw9LSSBhBsEiwAKtf0nwPZWdlqsGlNGK9LqdT5z5m55e8ey5xuBZmWOl9Gk_rdjGAIDcHZHhoCsM8QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Marvel]

1 hour ago, CWelsh said:

I used a Rust-oleum epoxy product on my garage and shop and loved it,

While living in Wisconsin, we has some friends who had bough an old stone dairy ban to use as their house. When they went to cut a hole in the concrete to have water lines come in under a wall, they almost couldn't get the hole made. At the time, I was doing production work for a dairy industry paper. Probably very common these days, but the newer floor that was poured for this barn had a thick top layer of cement that was mixed with an epoxy/polymer. Very waterproof and more sanitary for the dairy cows, incredibly hard to break through...  We were visiting when the owner told me about it and I had just been working on a paper that talked about the different coatings becoming available.

[LTusler]

Go and check out https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/forums/flooring.20/

 

[314carpenter]

This.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/rental/EDCO-Concrete-Grinder-10-50200-HD/309419362

N95 mask required. Get a unit with HEPA or water attachment for the win.

 

Follow with a locally sourced interior concrete sealer. 

 

Like anything else, ask yourself.

VOC's ok? > If not, go to water based + get easy cleanup. 

 

Your sprayer will matter. Good pressure, fine mist.

 

Don't buy gloss. Match the existing floor sheen. Brand won't matter. Don't buy the one that says ECO on the front. You may want to call a local industrial concrete supply company or Sherwin Williams.

 

If you don't like my answer, you might as well tip over a paint can and walk away, cause it won't matter what you try if your not floor covering, which is what you should be doing in your laundry area now.

 

 

[Marvel]

Well then... we built a small house in the Philippines a few years ago, and put tile throughout... real tile.

 

Also did tile in our kitchen and laundry in current house to replace 'carpet".

 

 

[thebes]

If there already is a sealant on the rest of the concrete get some Goof Off, dribble a little on the sealed concrete and rub it with your finger. If it's sticky and some of the sealer comes off on your finger it's water based, if nothing changes it's oil-based.  Then go to Sherwin Williams or a BenMoore store and get the right product for the surface it will be mating with.

[Gilbert]

On 4/6/2022 at 11:37 AM, DizRotus said:

We had to have repairs done to our sewer pipes under the basement floor in the laundry area.  The cement patch over the repair lacks the smooth finish of the original floor.  Amazon has a plethora of “indoor concrete sealers” with many favorable reviews. 

 

Any first hand experience with such a product?  Sealing the porous patch is the primary goal.  Cosmetics in that section of the basement are secondary to sealing the area to prevent constant shedding of dust and grit.

 

Recommendations of products to use, or products to avoid, is much appreciated.

 

Neil,

Are you interested in localized repair (small area) or are you considering covering the entire basement floor?

 

Contact tech. department at "Master Builders" https://www.master-builders-solutions.com/en-us ......   Explain to them what you have and what you want to accomplish, and they'll take it from there. This is the exact same process that Architects and Engineers do when working with unfamiliar challenges.

 

Once upon a time there were Sonneborn (Big Orange Catalog) or Chemrex (Big Yellow) catalogs. They made everything Concrete and Masonry Related, but those products were all bought out by Master Builders.

 

 

[Bubo]

On 4/6/2022 at 11:37 AM, DizRotus said:

We had to have repairs done to our sewer pipes under the basement floor in the laundry area.  The cement patch over the repair lacks the smooth finish of the original floor.  Amazon has a plethora of “indoor concrete sealers” with many favorable reviews. 

 

Any first hand experience with such a product?  Sealing the porous patch is the primary goal.  Cosmetics in that section of the basement are secondary to sealing the area to prevent constant shedding of dust and grit.

 

Recommendations of products to use, or products to avoid, is much appreciated.

Battleship grey porch paint, $30gal at hardware stores