FAQs

Q: Will it work on outdoor concrete surfaces?

A: Yes, H-Seal is designed for indoor and outdoor use and is often used for outdoor BBQ’s, kitchens and Pizza oven projects. Due to its ability to fill the pores of the concrete H-Seal rejects and repels water and stains making. Additionally it’s provides additional protection against concrete cracking and breaking during the winter period because it stop water from entering the pores freezing and expanding.

Q: Is it food safe?

A: Yes, H-Seal is a solvent free food grade / safe sealer specifically design for food preparation surfaces. This means it is not only safe  to prepare food on once the sealer has cured properly, but it can be used for a variety of concrete application that might require ultra-safe or non-toxic surface finishes, like plant pots, bathroom countertops, arts and craft projects, sculptures, furniture and utensils.

Q: What will the concrete look like after the sealer has been applied to the surface?

A: H-Seal provides a smooth, consistent and streak-free clear Matt finish. It provides the most natural look to the concrete.

Q: Is H-Seal resistant to oil stains?

A: Yes, but it is important to wipe up oil spills in a timely manner. For full oil resistance and you may want to apply a food safe countertop wax to the surface, Like H-Seal Countertop wax. This can be refreshes once to twice per month to maintain performance. It is important to still use H-Seal countertop sealer before applying the wax as it will not serve as a sealer for the surface on its own.

Q: Can I apply over the top of an old water based sealant?

A: Yes this product fills the pores of the surface and is not solvent based so will not interact adversely over the top of another water based sealer. If you sand back the surface and get ride of all the dust with a vacuum and a damp cloth and then wait for it to dry completely. You can then apply straight over the top with 1-2 coats. Alternatively you can use industrial acetone after vacuuming the surface if you have it to hand and this will clean the dry pretty much instantly and won’t leave a mess. You can then apply the sealer much sooner. I hope that helps.

Q: What do the instructions say about applying to new concrete in terms of how dry the concrete should be ?

A: Generally you need to wait 4-7 days after pouring the concrete depending on weather conditions. If you’re concrete has already been cured for a while now already and you’ve just washed it with water, you can wait 2-4 hours for the water to evaporate.
If you want to clean the surface without waiting for it to dry you can use acetone it evaporates almost immediately and leaves no residue and you can get straight to sealing.

Q: Will this product leave streaks?

A: H-Seal has been specially formulated not to leave streak, it is already at the perfect concentration for applying directly to the worktop. Although it is still important to ensure that the sealer is spread evenly and there is no pooling of the sealer as you allow the sealer to dry between coats and especially after the final coat when it it left to fully cure and dry.

Q: Do I need to wet the concrete surface before applying the sealer?

A: It is not necessary to pre-wet the surface before applying H-Seal or dilute the solution.

Q: What is the best grit to finish sanding the surface with before applying the sealer?

A: It is recommend to finish wet sanding the surface with 1200grit or higher. You can even polish up to 5000grit. It’s important to not that if there are excessive pores / holes on the surface greater than approximately 1mm these should be filled with a cement slurry before allowed to cure fully and then sanded again to you final desired grit again before sealing the surface. If these pores are not filled this will allow oil and other stains and substances to enter the concrete and be difficult to remove. This is not so much and issues on verticals surfaces or in areas where only water will be in contact with concrete.
Alternatively, you seal the surface with H-seal sealer to give a base waterproof layer and then use a concrete countertop wax. This will partially fill the pores in the surface to create a perfectly hydrophobic surface and will perfectly resist water stains and oil excellently. Temperature resistant is limited to approximately 86 Degrees Celsius, depending on the wax used. This may not be ideal for use in kitchens, BBQs or pizza ovens, but may be perfectly acceptable for coffee tables, bathrooms and breakfast bars that have not hot items places on them. It’s important to not that you will need to re-apply concrete wax sealer 1 a week to maintain its performance and lustre.

Q: Do I need to wax the surface after using H-Seal on the surface.

A: This is dependent on a few factors,
-the final temperature resistance desired for the surface. If using concrete in application that require temperature resistance up to 200 degrees Celsius it is recommended to use H-Seal Sealer on its own as wax concrete countertop sealer on top of this would only have a maximum service temperature of up to approximately 86 degrees Celsius depending on the blend and type of wax used.
-the final surface finish look desired for the worktop. Using a wax generally provides a more lustrous / glossy finish to the concrete depending on the blend and type of wax used. The H-Seal alone provides a smooth and consistent Matt finish with no streak marks.
-the porosity of the surface porosity of the concrete. If there a pores on the surface of the concrete greater than approximately 1mm these can either be filled with a cement slurry and then sealed with the H-seal sealer for a stain resistant surface. As this will stop contaminant materials from entering the surface of the concrete. Alternatively the concrete can be sealed with a concrete countertop wax this will fill the pores to degree dependent on their size and how liberally the wax is applied. It is not advised to use this method if you have pores / holes in excess of 1 mm and you are trying to achieve a perfectly smooth surface. Instead it would be better to fill the pores with a cement slurry.