Remove concrete sealer from fresh concrete

[Steve Miles]

I poured a concrete garage floor 7 days ago. My contractor told me to seal it the next day, but neglected to tell me to get a product designed for fresh concrete. I used Armor All Waterproofing Sealer 24 hours after the concrete was poured. The product says it contains Petroleum Distillates. It's been 6 days now and (not surprisingly) it's still wet.

I know I screwed up... but how badly? Did I damage the concrete? I'm assuming I need to remove the sealer. What chemicals do I use? How much will I need to remove the product from a 725 sq ft floor? Will it be safe to wash the chemicals down my drain (which eventually drains into a grassy field)?

Thanks for any advice!

[Trai' La Trash.]

I would stay off the floor a week and leave it alone atleast 2 weeks.

It may take even l> I poured a concrete garage floor 7 days ago. My contractor told me to

[David W.]

[e-mail] (Steve Miles) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Try contacting the manufacturer of the sealer and ask them for recommendations. If there's any benefit to removing it (or just cleaning the wet part off the surface), they should be able to tell you what the best product would be for that purpose.

[flamethrower]

Get a bulldozer, remove the entire floor, (and the garage if it's already built). Start over.

Next time learn to read........ Consider this punishment for being illiterate.

[Richard J Kinch]

Just wipe it off. You paid money for wax dissolved in mineral spirits.

[Babbling Brook Photography]

Just leave it alone, it will take longer but it will cure. Concrete will cure underwater (ie: bridge pylons) not to mention a slow cure is stronger than a fast one.

[RB]

Leave it alone. It will take longer to cure but the water will react with the concrete and you'll get a good cure. It will just take longer. Coatings of this sort are sometimes applied to concrete after pouring in very hot situations to slow the drying and improve the cure.

Take two aspirin and call us in a month if it's not ok then.

RB

Steve Miles wrote:

[tonyg]

Its concrete. Throw on some sawdust to soak up the stuff, sweep it off and then burn the sawdust in a hot fire. good luck.

---------- > I poured a concrete garage floor 7 days ago. My contractor told me to

[Steve Miles]

I thought I'd post a follow-up for the group. I called Armor All and spoke to a knowledgable individual. He said the floor would eventually cure, but it might take another week, or it might take 6 months. I followed his suggestion of using paint thinner to remove the sealer. There was too much sealer to actually mop it up, so I basically scrubbed the floor with a cotton mop and shop broom, then washed the floor with a hose. It took about 4 gallons of paint thinner for a 725 sq ft. He said I could use mineral spirits, but the paint thinner was cheaper if the area was well-ventilated. A week later the floor dried with only a little remaining sealer in spots. I then sealed with "Cure And Seal" and the floor is fine.

[Tom Wait]

I didn't read your original post, so anything I say here is moot but maybe someone else in the group can obtain some benefit from my remarks.

You made a couple of mistakes.