Colloidal Silica is used a concrete finishing aid as well as concrete densifier. It reacts with calcium hydroxide, the byproduct of cement hydration that produces calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H), the same binder that results from adding water to cement and gives concrete much of its strength and hardness.
Concrete densifiers are typically solutions of silicates that react with calcium hydroxide which is a by-product of cement hydration process. These silicates in the concrete densifiers penetrate the concrete surface and a form a gel filling up the pores in the concrete thereby strengthen the concrete matrix.
Advantages of densifier:
- It delivers a denser, harder surface for polishing
- It blocks efflorescence caused by moisture vapor transmission
- It increase abrasion resistance of the concrete surface
Denifiers based on sodium, potassium and lithium silicates have been in used for quiet sometime. The latest densifier to be introduced is colloidal silica. The colloidal silica suspended in an aqueous phase and stabilized electrostatically. It is a concentrated mono-dispersion with particle sizes ranging from approximately 5 to 100 nanometers in diameter. The very-very fine particle size distribution in Hermetix allows for rapid surface penetration, and the irregular variations in the surface area make rapid bonding with calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2] in the concrete possible. It can be applied to freshly-poured concrete slabs as soon as it sets, while the concrete is still wet. It will also perform brilliantly with concrete slabs that are decades old.
Advantages
- Ease and speed of application; no overnight curing
- Deeper penetration
- No whitening potential; no caustic gel to scrub off
- Non-hazardous
- Zero VOC – qualifies for LEED points
The installation process is shown in these videos – https://www.duraamen.com/video-gallery/how-to-polish-concrete-toppings
Please contact us to discuss your next polished concrete flooring project.
