Anyone Sealed Concrete with Sodium Silicate ?

[awemawson]

I'm slowly knocking my foundry into shape - the floor is quite reasonable concrete that I laid perhaps ten years ago, but it's very dusty so I want to seal it.

It so happens that I have quite a quantity of Sodium Silicate from when my foundry was in full swing before I moved - it's is a very thick syrupy liquid so pretty concentrated.

Googling implies Sodium Silicate is an excellent concrete seal as it forms a chemical bond with the cement having soaked in, but I'm a bit stumped to find what dilution rate to use. Commercial stuff is saying 4:1 with water but there is no indication of how concentrated their 'concentrate' is and I don't think my stuff would flow through the necks of some bottles I've seen illustrated!

Has anyone any experience of using this as a sealant?

 

[steviec_lj]

https://mistralni.co.uk/products/sodium-silicate-solution-q70

This of any use?

 

[Agroshield]

Sodium silicate is generally used as a curing agent for the concrete, while it is still hydrating. We generally assume that most of the hydration is complete after 28 days. After ten years, it may have more limited effects but it won't hurt either, so try it. It's best to keep applying it until the surface won't suck up any more.

The reason the dust is there in the first place is because the concrete was not properly cured when it was laid.

If you go to http://www.dichem.co.uk/ and look at curing products, Surecure S and download the MSDS, it says 10-30% concentration.

Same concentration if you look at https://www.everbuild.co.uk/product/403-concrete-hardener-dustproofer/

Most of the dust-proofers I have seen are solvent-based. I would also look at the thinnest water-based epoxy you can find. I have bought in the past from Resincoat https://www.resincoat.co.uk/en/55-primers

 

[More Amps]

If you can work out the approx density, you should be able to have a good guess at which of the usual densities you have..The following was taken from

https://www.inoxia.co.uk/products/c...MI5Z_i95Hh6AIVgbHtCh3XyQrpEAQYASABEgKHy_D_BwE

Specifications

Type 75Tw------------------140Tw
Concentration 35 - 37%--------------52.5 - 54.5%
Density (sg) 1.36 (+/- 0.015)-------1.686 (+/- 0.015)
Twaddle 75------------------- 140
Viscocity (Centipoise) 100------------------ 90,000
Viscocity (Similar to) SAE 10 Motor Oil------ Mustard
Formula Na2O(SiO2)3.0--------Na2O(SiO2)2.05

(don't ask me what sort of mustard they're comparing it to.....)

 

[Barking Mat]

Yep, it was rubbish, there's another post somewhere on here, about it, but I'm internet challenged this evening.

I've still got the pot floating around, I'll post a photo tomorrow, it didn't work.

 

[awemawson]

Well I went with 3:1 water to heavy thick syrupy sodium silicate. I moved all the 'stuff' to one end of the foundry, swept and vacuumed the concrete, mopped on the mix - so so far that's 2 litres of the concentrate - and leaving over night to dry. Tomorrow if it's dry the stuff will be shifted to the other end and I'll start again

NB that Flowcool water chiller is dead as a dodo so if any of you know of one going surplus PLEASE let me know !