I asked Bryan if he could give us some insight on what it takes to actually remove a coat of sealer from concrete. He recommends starting with 2,000 psi and stepping it up to no more than 4,500 psi. The temperature of the water varies but is vital in this removal method.
An effective pressure wash cleans the pores of your concrete. Make sure to apply concrete sealer after pressure washing.
FastStrip Plus is a Solvent-Based concrete sealer remover that can be used to remove old sealers before repair or resurfacing. Most concrete slabs are not immediately ready to receive a new coating or overlay. Most have a pre-existing coating on them that must first be removed before any new product can be applied.
The first, and in our opinion easiest, way to remove concrete sealer is a powerful pressure washer. If it's powerful enough, the pressure of the water will easily strip away any type of concrete sealer. If a pressure washer isn't an option, certain chemical strippers are also quite effective at removing sealer.
This is because any old sealer left on the surface of your concrete can impede the effectiveness of the newly applied sealant, preventing proper adhesion to the concrete surface. The removal of old concrete sealer can be done in one of two ways: mechanical or chemical.
Yes, because a pressure washer is 30-80 times stronger than your hose, it can cause damage if used improperly. If your concrete becomes etched during the pressure wash, you should stop before causing further damage and reduce the pressure.
While pressurized water can be enough to clean your driveway, cleaning agents such as soap or detergent help loosen up all the dirt, grime, and grease. They're also great for targeting stubborn stains. Choose a cleaning agent that is specifically made for your driveway pressure washer.
When the sealer is applied too heavily, the air displaced through the surface can't escape, and it forms a bubble in the sealer surface. Bubbling of a sealer can also occur if application is done in hot weather, or if the concrete is in direct sun.
Smooth Concrete Sealer Basics
Penetrating Sealers soak into porous concrete and masonry and create a permanent chemical reaction. They offer a flat appearance and protection that will only wear away if the substrate itself wears away below the level of sealer penetration.
However, vinegar isn't strong enough to remove concrete sealant. Sealants can resist acid, and vinegar is a much weaker acid than chemical removal agents. And worse, vinegar can damage concrete by dulling it and causing pitting.
After the concrete has dried for at least 24 hours, you can effectively apply a concrete sealer. A sealer helps prevent future stains and potential damage from products like ice salts.
Concrete cleaning calls for powerful pressure washers featuring high pressure levels of 3000 PSI. However, if you will be using the power cleaner to maintain a range of surfaces in addition to concrete, choose one with adjustable pressure levels and set it to about 3000 PSI when you need to clean concrete.
In fact, vinegar removes mold from concrete better than bleach. Bleach will only remove the top layer of mold, causing the mold to return.
Once the pressure washing is complete, it is important to wait until the surface is completely dry before applying any sealant. Depending on temperature and humidity levels, this process can take anywhere from 24-48 hours.
The hardening, or curing, continues as long as moisture remains in the concrete. If too much water is lost from the concrete through evaporation, the hardening process slows down or ceases.
Our recommendation ranges from as low as 3,000 PSI to as high as 4,000 PSI. But, there are quite a few factors at play influencing your ideal PSI rating.
If the rain begins after 2-4 hours from concrete placement, the surface needs to be covered; otherwise, the concrete surface will suffer damages. If rains pound on concrete 12 hours after placement, the likeliness of any damage is negligible.
Acrylic Concrete Sealers: Acrylic sealers last 1-3 years before they need to be re-coated. Epoxy Coatings: Epoxy coatings last 5-10 years before they need to be re-coated. Urethane Coatings: Urethane coatings last 5-10 years before they need to be re-coated.
A simple floor stripper or paint and epoxy remover is something you can use to remove asphalt sealer. A caveat, though: you can only use paint and epoxy remover on concrete, metal, wood, and masonry. Do not use this on vehicles and walls as the product could strip the clear coat or paint off.
Soda blasting, a less aggressive mechanical method, has become more widely used in recent years to remove sealers and coatings successfully. Soda blasting utilizes special high-pressure blasting equipment with commercial-grade baking soda granules as the blasting medium.
Medium Duty 2000-2800 PSI
This classification ranges from as low as 2,000 PSI to as high as 2,800 PSI. You can use a medium-duty pressure washer for almost any surface. They're great for cleaning concrete, brick, and wood.