Why Painted Concrete Floors Peel, and Options to Fix the Problem

Painted concrete floors in New Orleans sometimes peel, which is a problem that occurs for a variety of reasons:

Peeling Paint on Concrete Floor

• Inadequate product or coating quality for the type of substrate and amount of wear and exposure
• Poor adhesion, which is relatively common whenever hardeners are added to concrete
• Oil, grease, and/or dirt permeation
• Efflorescence caused by moisture migration and leaching alkali
• Aged concrete floors
• Seeping moisture due to no installed barrier
• Oil-based finished applied to bare, un-etched, and uncured floors

Viable Solutions

No matter the cause of the problem, several viable solutions exist.

• Moisture – Concrete flooring must be void of moisture. A professional contractor can conduct a moisture or dampness test. If a problem is discovered, it must be eliminated prior to staining the floors.
• Surface Contamination – The surface of concrete floors must be properly washed. In this case, Concrete New Orleans offers several different products, each powerful and effective. Sunkleen is strong enough to penetrate greasy soil where the bond is broken at the surface. For decorative textures, Sunspot eliminates all types of oil-based stains, including grease, tar, tire marks, asphalt, and tree sap. Suntouch is an environmentally friendly product as powerful as concentrated Muriatic acid yet safe and ease to use.
• Adequate Adhesion – To ensure the surface of the concrete has a sufficient profile for strong adhesion, it must be profiled.

Surface Preparation – Existing peeled or checked paint on concrete floors in New Orleans must be scraped and removed to create a sound and dull surface. In addition, release agents, salts, laitance, curing compounds, efflorescence, and other foreign matter need to be removed using chemicals or mechanical means. Once the floors are thoroughly swept or vacuumed, they can be coated or stained with a Concrete New Orleans product, followed by being sealed with SunClear EcoProtect, which is eco-friendly and ideal for everyday protection, or SunClear UltraProtect, an industrial-strength clear coat formulated for high-traffic surfaces.