Taking the Pain out of a Stain With Acryl-Pen

When one of her customers wished they had an eraser for an acid stain gone awry, Emily Reese with PNW Polishing in Puyallup, Wash., had an even better tool— Nox-Crete's Acryl Pen.

Reese was approached by a customer who topped a partial aggregate, broom-finished sidewalk at a residence with an acid stain. Upon completion, the stain turned a displeasing shade of orange. Reese was dispatched to fix the color issues.

"After hearing about the deep pigment of the sealer, we knew we needed something really penetrating and resilient," Reese said. "Acryl Pen was that solution."

The result, a much more calm and collected shade of Acyl Pen's "Charcoal Gray," covers up the entire history of the acid gone awry, shown in Reese's "before" and "after" photo sets. The pictures speak volumes for the magic that Acryl Pen can perform. But so can Reese.

"We at PNW Polishing have accomplished our first of hopefully many projects using Acryl-Pen by Nox-Crete," she said.  "It was extremely user-friendly to apply and was not overly labor-intensive. Spray and back roll. We will certainly use this product again! It’s a quick but resilient transformation, and the color selection is also a good variety to fit every customer’s desired look!"

Nox-Crete Goes Bronco Blue

bronco blue

Nox-Crete was proud to go Bronco Blue with a custom order of Acryl Pen. Our lab technician and colorist collaborated on the exterior concrete stain to match the widely recognized blue turf at Boise State's Albertson's Stadium. A match was crucial since the concrete to be treated would lead right up to field fondly referred to as "The Blue".  Other Nox-Crete team members worked together to rush this product off to the folks at Boise State and our sales rep later reported we had happy customers. Happy customers are always the goal and we're proud to have played a small role in outfitting Boise State's stadium in Bronco Blue.

Read more about "The Blue" here

Comparing Decorative Concrete Sealer Stripper Application Methods

Nox-Crete was asked to consult on a difficult decorative concrete sealer stripper project. A 3500 square feet stamped pool deck had been sealed and resealed over time with up to five coats of an acrylic sealer with 25% solids. No stripping had been done between layers.

This thick film buildup had created an impermeable barrier that trapped water vapor coming up from the subgrade. Pressure from the water vapor caused the sealer to delaminate from the concrete, which turned some areas white in color. In addition, the thick film had suffered UV damage, and appeared dark green.

Test Methods to Strip 5 Coats of Decorative Concrete Acrylic Sealer

A test was conducted to determine the best method to remove the old coats of sealer. The test was scheduled for a clear day with a temperature of 84-degrees Fahrenheit. There was a slight 7 mph wind and 52% humidity.

Three methods were tested to remove the thick film of decorative concrete acrylic sealer:

  1. Aro-Peel stripper system with an engineered cellulose blanket was applied to a small area next to the house. Aro-Peel decorative concrete sealer stripper blanket system is sold in Canada, and a similar product—Deco-Peel—is sold in the United States.
  2. Deco-Strip sealer stripper was rolled on a large section, and then pressure washed according to use instructions.
  3. Deco-Strip sealer stripper was applied with a sprayer to another large section. The section was then scrubbed with an electric floor scrubber to loosen acrylic layers and then pressure washed according to use instructions.

Aro-Peel Decorative Concrete Sealer StripperAro-Peel Decorative Concrete Sealer Stripper Test

Aro-Peel’s controlled blanket application strips decorative surfaces of aged, chalky or faded sealers without pressure washer, accidental splatter, or the creation of hazardous waste. This is best for areas against a house where splatter can cause problems. The test area was next to the house, and was applied in direct sun in an area with little to no wind.

The surface was swept clean of debris, and the crew cut and shaped the blanket to fit the test area. The Aro-Peel was rolled onto the blanketed surface until the fabric was fully saturated and had turned translucent. Special care was taken to saturate all valleys, joints and ridges on the surface until the surface texture was visible through the fabric.

Aro-Peel Stripped 5 Layers of Decorative Sealer StripperAfter 3.5 hours, the blanket was peeled up to check for evidence of acrylic and to ensure that the surface wasn’t slimy. This is an indicator that the acrylic is still softening and has not absorbed into the blanket. Once the blanket had dried, it was peeled back and placed into garbage bags for proper disposal.

Aro-Peel successfully removed all five layers of acrylic sealer in this test. However, it must be cautioned that a second application with fresh blanket may be required to remove this many layers of sealer.

Pressure Washed Deco-Strip Test

Deco-Strip Results On 5 Layers of Decorative Concrete Sealer

A large section of the pool deck was swept clean of debris, then Deco-Strip was roll-applied and allowed ample dwell time to penetrate all the way through the acrylic sealer. Multiple light coats kept the Deco-Strip wet until the acrylic had been softened. Dwell times generally range from 30 to 90 minutes depending upon thickness of sealer to be removed and application rate of Deco-Strip. When the sealer was soft all the way through, it was time to remove with a pressure washer.

With five layers of sealer, this method was difficult. In this test, the traditional way to use Deco-Strip required a lot of water, gas for the blowers and also took a long time. If the patio had two to three light coats and was smaller—this would be an acceptable method. The test did resolve the problem, but it was decided to use another method to reduce the man hours required.

Electric Scrubber Modified Deco-Strip Test

Using a scrubbing machine to speed decorative concrete sealerA modified application test used a sprayer to apply the Deco-Strip to a large area. The Deco-Strip was allowed to sit for 3 to 5 minutes. The crew then moved the floor scrubber onto the wet product and started scrubbing in a circular direction using scrubbing pads.

The scrubbing pads were replaced every 3 to 4 minutes. To remove 5 layers of hardened acrylic, 3 pads should be used in a cycle pattern: using one, cleaning one and holding one on standby.

Once the scrubber operator and machine had moved to a new area, the previous area was lightly pressure washed to direct the stringy/sticky bubble gum-consistency old acrylic residue into a “rope” line. Larger pieces were scooped up with a shovel.

This modified method shortened the required time by 80%. The stamped concrete was successfully restored back to original unsealed condition. Natraseal LVOC acrylic sealer was used to finish the project. UV inhibitors will prevent yellowing over time, and the homeowner can expect a sealer lifetime of up to five years.

Nox-Crete Pro: Leone Concrete Corp.

In the second edition of Nox-Crete Pros, Nox-Crete Products Group highlights Eric Leone and Leone Concrete Corp.'s quest for top quality builds through the use of top quality concrete construction products.
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The Proof is in the Pudding

Eric Leone, Owner Leone Concrete Corp. *Photo courtesy of Eric and Harmony Leone

Eric Leone, Owner Leone Concrete Corp. *Photo courtesy of Eric and Harmony Leone

That old saying, “the proof is in the pudding” really held true recently for Eric Leone, owner of Leone Concrete Corp. of Newport, Maine.

When he called his A.H. Harris account manager, Alan Gould, and asked for an order of form release agent, Alan was getting ready to head to Eric’s project site—a new wood chip plant—to confirm that a form order arrived in full. Alan was driving there with Rob Wagner, Nox-Crete Product Group’s Northeast Division Manager, who was planning to demo a form sprayer for Eric.

Eric didn’t ask for a specific brand of form release, so, at Rob Wagner’s recommendation, Alan brought a drum of Nox-Crete’s Chembeton.

Because Eric isn’t convinced of a product’s quality until he sees it for himself, he decided to do a quick comparison test. He still had some of the form release he and his crew had been using, so he used the existing release agent—not a Nox-Crete product—on one wall, then tried Chembeton on two walls.

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Nox-Crete Pro: A.H. Harris

In this first edition of Nox-Crete Pros, Nox-Crete Products Group puts the spotlight on A.H. Harris and its willingness and excitement to work together to find the best solutions for customers.

AHHARRIS

Building Trust

Customers put a lot of faith in A.H. Harris to recommend products and present them with innovative solutions. That trust exists because A.H. Harris is truly invested in all of its business relationships.

Alan Gould, A.H. Harris account manager in Maine, said he believes in becoming a business partner with customers and manufacturers. And Eric Leone, owner of Leone Concrete Corp. in Newport, Maine, definitely agrees that Alan and A.H. Harris are partners, as well as problem solvers.

“The big thing with A.H. Harris is that so much of what we do in cast-in-place and concrete formwork is specialty work,” Eric said. “We have unique form issues and design challenges. When you’re coming up with solutions, you have to have a good relationship with your supplier. A.H. Harris is a great resource to bounce ideas off of or to supplement what we have going.”

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