Restoring and Protecting Damaged or Weathered Concrete

Challenge: Treat concrete stairway to create a uniform color while retaining the aesthetic and safety needs of the customer.

When the contractor poured the concrete for the new stairs and ramps at this office for a northwest Ohio non-profit, weather conditions were not ideal and fluctuated in the days after the pour, which then lead the concrete to hydrate inconsistently. Inconsistent hydration means inconsistent coloring, making the new concrete look like it had been around for decades.

Rather than pouring again from scratch, Phipps worked with the contractor to find a concrete treatment solution. Treating the concrete with an acrylic coating would solve the coloring issue, but it was important that the stairway’s color and texture were consistent with the aesthetic of the rest of the building. Not only that, but safety was also a concern: application of acrylic coatings can make surfaces slippery, so making the stairway safe was just as important as making it visually pleasing.

We resolved to use MasterProtect HB400 for the verticals, as safety was not an issue for these surfaces. For the stairs themselves, we would use Masterseal 658, which, being a durable non-slip acrylic, is ideal for treating pedestrian surfaces. Because the 658 can be purchased in custom colors, we were able to choose a Pearl Grey color to make the surface look as much as possible as the original clean concrete look. The combination of these two gave the steps and the verticals a slightly different color, but both stayed within a pallet consistent with overall structure of the building.

Treating the concrete with the HB400 and 658 met both the requirements of the customer and made for an efficient fix!