Acrylic sealers are very predictable so if the acrylic wet look sealer is failing, it is failing for a reason. In order to understand why a wet look sealer fails and how to prevent it, you need to understand the chemical in the wet look sealer.

There are two main types of wet look sealers. There are penetrating wet look sealers that won’t leave behind a surface film, and there are acrylic wet look sealers which leave behind a low to high gloss surface film. Both types of chemicals are very different and are designed to work in a very specific way on very specific surfaces. To learn more about these types of sealers in detail, please view our Wet Look Sealers Article.

First, let’s talk about penetrating wet look sealers. Penetrating wet look sealers are water repellent sealers that slightly enhance the color of the surface. They do not leave behind a visible surface film, they work entirely below the surface. They reduce water absorption and help to protect the surface by reducing damage, staining, and deterioration caused by water absorption. Penetrating wet look sealers can be used on virtually all unsealed porous surfaces such as concrete, brick, pavers, slate, flagstone, and natural stone. These types of sealers rarely every fail unless they were applied over another type of sealer or coating. As long as the surface is unsealed, you should have no issues with this type of sealer. Learn more about Penetrating Wet Look Sealers.

The second type of wet look sealer is an acrylic wet look sealer. Under this category there are water based acrylic sealers and solvent based acrylic sealers. Water based acrylic sealers won’t darken the surface to make them look wet, but they will provide a low to high gloss finish. Solvent based acrylic sealers will darken the surface to make it look wet and provide a low to high gloss finish. To learn more about the differences between the two types of acrylic sealers, visit this Acrylic Sealers article. Acrylic sealers are very predictable sealers. There are only so many factors that can cause an acrylic sealer to fail. When an acrylic sealer fails, it will blush, or turn white. This if caused by the acrylic sealer delaminating, or losing its bond to the surface. Here are a few of the most common reasons:

• Acrylic sealers are designed for use on concrete and pavers. If you apply an acrylic sealer to an overly porous surface like clay brick, slate, or flagstone, you run the risk of having the acrylic sealer fail anywhere from 1 day to 2 months. An acrylic sealer can survive on clay brick, slate, and flagstone, but the chances of survival are less than 5%.
• In some cases, there are issues with the PH of the surface and that can cause an acrylic sealer to fail. This is typically only the case with new pavers (pavers less than a year old), but it can also be the case in other circumstances as well.
• Subsurface moisture. This is perhaps one of the most common reasons for acrylic failure. Acrylics are breathable, but they are designed to let large amounts of moisture pass through. If you apply an acrylic sealer to a wet surface (or a surface that is still wet integrally), or if you apply an acrylic sealer to a surface with moisture issues, the moisture will build up below the surface and cause the acrylic to fail.
• Mixing sealers is another common reason. Just because a sealer is called an acrylic, it doesn’t mean it is compatible with all other acrylic sealers. Water based acrylic sealers need to go over water based acrylic sealers, and solvent based acrylic sealers need to go over solvent based acrylics. If you put one over the other, the solvents can attack the other coating and cause both coatings to fail. You also want to make sure there isn’t any other type of sealer or coating on the surface, such as a penetrating sealer, epoxy, or urethane. If another type of sealer or coating is on the surface you need to talk to a technician before applying.
• If the surface is wet, or if the surface gets wet before the acrylic has been able to fully cure, the coating will fail. Surfaces should be allowed at least 24 hours to dry before sealing, and should remain dry for at least 36 hours after.

Now, there are other factors that can cause a wet look sealer to fail, but the above are the most common. If your wet look sealer fails, there is often a solution to fixing it. How you repair the wet look sealer will depend on the type of wet look sealer you used, and the cause of the failure. If you have any questions about which wet look sealer to use, or how to repair a wet look issue, call a Foundation Armor technician at 866-306-0246.