Description
Pro Seal 898 Gloss Concrete Sealer is an eco friendly, water based, non-toxic, breathable, natural stone and concrete sealer. The nano polymers in Pro Seal 898 penetrate deep into porous materials. As the product cures these polymers crosslink to form a structured, 3 dimensional matrix which fills the pores in the material being sealed. Not only does this seal the surface but it also consolidates and strengthens it. Additional coats will bond more polymer units to this matrix. This produces a glossy, hard wearing, protective wear layer above the surface.
Pro Seal’s nano ploymers ensure it can penetrate into materials with very fine pore structures. Pro Seal 898 is ideal for dense concrete, granite, marble and other natural stone surfaces. It’s tight, chemical resistant matrix provides strength, durability and excellent stain resistance. These attributes make it the perfect solution for commercial, workshop and warehouse floors. It is a pure, high cross-linking matrix sealer, developed and made right here in Australia by Water Based Sealers. for Australian conditions.
The Problem with Traditional Gloss Concrete Sealers
Common acrylic sealers consist of large individual polymer chains that are thousands of times larger than ProSeal 898. They are effectively a thick mess of long polymer strands. A good visualisation is to think of a bowl of wet spaghetti. As these sealers dry, the solvent evaporates out and these polymer strands shrink back, tangling themselves into a knotted mat. Since the polymers are tied up in random ways there can be high variability in how the film performs under stress. Failures can occur as a result of high wear, thermal expansion and contraction or exposure to harsh weather conditions.
The individual polymers in most topical sealers are far too large to get into most of the pores in the concrete. So the whole film is effectively just sitting on the surface. These films rely on a fairly weak adhesion to keep them stuck to the surface. To get better adhesion industry experts recommend acid etching prior to using topical sealers. An acid etch produces a rougher surface and there is more for the film to “hold on to”. For this reason, traditional film forming sealers are far more prone to delamination and failure than penetrating sealers.
Other common isues with traditional topical sealers:
- Polymers will swell and re-emulsify in the presence of their solvent (either oil or water based). If you spill solvent on them they will re-dissolve. An example is oil or diesel drips onto a driveway sealed with a solvent based acrylic will often just ‘melt’ into the seal.
- They are not breathable. Any moisture that comes up under the seal will get trapped. This will make the sealer look hazy and with time will lead to delamination.
- Poor or inconsistent levels of flexibility may lead to crazing, cracking and delamination.
Pro Seal is a Better Way to Seal Concrete
Pro Seal is completely different approach to sealing. It does the bulk of it’s work inside the concrete, not on top. It’s polymer chains are tiny. In Pro Seal 898 Gloss Concrete Sealer the individual polymer chains are just a few nano-meters in length. They penetrate deep into the substrate and bond together to form an interlocking, 3 dimensional matrix from the inside out. This matrix is permanent and serves to strengthen and protect the materials sealed.
Since it is anchored deep within the pores of the sealed material, the Pro Seal matrix has absolute adhesion. It is completely embedded in the surface and therefore cannot be peeled off. The top of the matrix sits above the surface and provides a wear layer. Appling a maintenance coat every few years will bond to the matrix in the substrate and replenish the wear layer, delivering the ultimate in ongoing protection.
Pro Seal 898 Gloss Concrete Sealer has the smallest polymer size in the Pro Seal range. So it can be used for extremely dense materials with very fine pore structures like densified concrete, granite and even uncrystalised marble.
ProSeal does not re-emulsify in the presence of water or oils and is resistant to most chemicals. As such it can be used with confidence for most applications, both indoors and out.
The ProSeal matrix structure is such that water molecules can diffuse through it. This means that any moisture that gets into the substrate can slowly escape without damaging the seal. This is important for most external applications, and is essential in areas with porr drainage and significant rising damp.
Gloss Levels
How glossy something appears is a function of how much light is reflecting off a surface and into your eye. Textured surfaces reflect light at varying angles. The light is scattered, so less light actually reaches your eye. To increase the gloss on a highly textured surface you need to artificially smoothen the surface. The most common means to achieve this is by mechanically polishing or by applying a high build self leveling coating.
Being a true nano sealer, Pro Seal 898 Gloss Concrete Sealer builds a very thin, yet tough surface layer. Although the sealer itself has a very high gloss level it won’t produce a thick film and won’t artificially fill or smooth out highly textured finishes, like a self leveling product will. This means that the gloss level that will be achieved may vary depending on the texture of the surface to which it is applied. On smooth surfaces Pro Seal 898 will be very shiny and it can be buffed to produce even higher gloss levels if desired.
Application Methods
Apply as a 2 coat stand alone sealing system on natural stone or polished concrete. Or use as a final coat over Pro Seal 896 or Pro Seal 770 on more porous surfaces. For more porous surfaces, like normal concrete, Pro Seal 896 Satin Concrete Sealer may be more efficient at filling the larger pores. Pro Seal 896 is also recommended where more grip is required or if you prefer a lower gloss finish.
Simon G. –
I have not used the product on the area as yet. However, I’ve completed a small sample and the results are looking great.
Ken –
Little disappointed at level of gloss however it has sealed quite well.
admin –
Hi Ken, sorry to hear you didn’t get the look you were after. ProSeal 898 provides a good level of gloss but it is not a high build sealer. This means that the amount of perceived gloss will vary according to the texture of the materials to which it is applied. This is due to how light reflects of the surface and how much of that light reaches your eye. There is more on this in the description of the product. Higher gloss can be acheived by applying additional coats to create more build. On smooth surfaces ProSeal can be buffed to acheive very high gloss levels.