Water Vapor Transmission and Waterproofing Performance of Concrete Sealer and Coating Systems

Abstract

Abstract. This paper reports the water vapor transmission and waterproofing performance of a silane-based penetrating sealer (PS), two cementitious coatings (CC1 and CC2), and a polymeric coating (PC). The sealer and coating products were applied on 100-mm concrete cubes. In total, fifteen concrete cubes including the control specimens were prepared.The treated concrete cubes were tested to determine the ability of the selected products to improve waterproofing and to transmit water vapor. The correlation between water vapor transmission and waterproofing performance was also examined. Experimental results revealed that the cementitious coating CC2 had the lowest degree of water vapor transmission but the highest degree of waterproofing performance. In contrast, the highest degree of water vapor transmission but the lowest degree of waterproofing performance were observed for the cementitious coating CC1. The penetrating sealer PS provided greater water vapor transmission but lower waterproofing ability than the polymeric coating PC and the cementitious coating CC2. The best-performing coating with regard to water vapor transmission and waterproofing was the polymeric coating PC. Furthermore, the water vapor transmission and waterproofing performance of the sealer and coating systems were strongly correlated; this suggests that one of these two properties can be predicted by testing the other.

Protection of Concrete Structures: Performance Analysis of Different Commercial Products and Systems

“…In terms of water vapor permeability (Figure 3), the best performance is offered by the polymer-modified cementitious coating that has the lowest values together with acrylic coatings. To the detriment of other excellent performances, epoxy coatings can suffer from low vapor permeability which strongly increase, in the presence of wet concretes and/or exposure to solar radiation, the risk of detachment and blistering of the coating [83,84]. 0 200,000 400,000 600,000 800,000 1,000,000 1,200,000 1,400,000 1,600,000 1,800,000 In terms of water vapor permeability (Figure 3), the best performance is offered by the polymer-modified cementitious coating that has the lowest values together with acrylic coatings.…”

“…0 200,000 400,000 600,000 800,000 1,000,000 1,200,000 1,400,000 1,600,000 1,800,000 In terms of water vapor permeability (Figure 3), the best performance is offered by the polymer-modified cementitious coating that has the lowest values together with acrylic coatings. To the detriment of other excellent performances, epoxy coatings can suffer from low vapor permeability which strongly increase, in the presence of wet concretes and/or exposure to solar radiation, the risk of detachment and blistering of the coating [83,84].…”

Concrete Damage in Field Conditions and Protective Sealer and Coating Systems

“…The performance of sealer and coating systems also largely depends on their capability of transmitting the moisture vapor from the interior of concrete. Both sealers and coatings should have an acceptable level of "breathability" when it is desirable for the moisture to transmit from the concrete through the treated surface [28]. Otherwise, delamination or blistering may occur on the sealer and coating systems.…”