The AgriCrete 2-product concrete preservation system

Let’s start with an “AgriCrete treated concrete” versus non-treated concrete:

Concrete treated with AgriCrete versus standard, untreated concrete

Concrete treated with AgriCrete PIM+ or PIM+ Type S with a PTS+ topcoat	Standard, untreated concrete
Waterproof concrete	No waterproof concrete
Up to 98% vaporproof concrete	No vapor proofing
Increases surface hardness by at least 1,500 psi	No hardness increases
Greatly reduces damage from acids, salts	No resistance to acids or salts
Traps bacteria under glass impregnated layer	No barrier to bacteria in the concrete
Traps chlorides under glass impregnated layer, stops new barn syndrome	No barrier to dissolved chloride salts
Bead-up surface is much easier to clean	No easy-clean surface
Less time/labour/materials means money saved	No change to cleaning costs
PIM+ treatment prior to applying epoxies ensures the epoxy’s bond	No benefit

AgriCrete PIM+ or PIM+ Type S with PTS+ overlay is less than a dollar per square foot.

• The AgriCrete 2-product system will ensure these concrete or cement-based surfaces either stop deteriorating or maintain their original condition.
• AgriCrete reduces future maintenance costs for material costs and labour.
• The AgriCrete 2-product system reduces deterioration of the concrete, caused by rain, water, pressure washing, acids, and salts.
• AgriCrete treated concrete will resist wear from equipment and make cleaning quicker and less costly.

PIM+, PIM+ Type S and PTS+ are water-based and not flammable. Clean up hands and tools with soap and water.

Each product has a safety data sheet. Read it before use and wear the gloves and eye protection it specifies.

The AgriCrete Concrete Preservation System is made up of water-based products.

Concrete is a brittle sponge. All concrete is alkali-crystal-based. These alkali crystals give concrete its strength. These alkali crystals are water-soluble, and as a result, standard concrete is continuously, slowly deteriorating from being flushed with rainwater, or worse, being pressure washed.

Being a brittle sponge, concrete also absorbs water that may contain dissolved chlorides and other contaminants. Salts, while dissolved in water, will penetrate concrete and when the water evaporates, the salt crystals formed with all the excess salt are now too large for the old voids in the concrete. This causes the surface of the concrete to flake or spall off the surface.

• The benefits imparted when the AgriCrete 2-product system is applied are provided by the silicate crystals formed by the PIM+ or PIM+ Type S in the concrete and the super-hard coating provided by the PTS+.
• The crystals formed by PIM+ or PIM+ Type S are water-insoluble. To the depth penetrated by the treatment, the concrete becomes up to approximately 1,500 psi harder.
• This concrete will now resist deterioration from rain, pressure washing, and wear due to abrasion.
• The AgriCrete 2-product system will not allow any liquids, oils, or salts to penetrate.
• AgriCrete PIM+ or PIM+ Type S adds 1,500 psi or more to the hardness of your concrete. This greatly reduces wear due to abrasion from equipment.

AgriCrete works best as a two-product system:

Why? Because all liquids, including farm-related acids such as uric, lactic, and anaerobic acids, clean up easier off a surface that doesn’t even get wet! With an AgriCrete PTS+ topcoat, all liquids will bead up, run off, and wipe off. Cleaning will be easier, take less time, and use less cleaning chemicals. You will save money at the same time as your concrete surfaces are lasting longer.

Step 1. AgriCrete PIM+

Preparation of the surface:
The surface should be cool, i.e. not in the hot sun if possible. To cool the surface, hose down the surface and squeegee the water off. Once the surface has dried you may apply the AgriCrete PIM+ or PIM+ Type S.

Application:
Starting at the lowest point, or closest to the drains, and using a hand-pump sprayer, several heavy soaking passes are made until the PIM+ or PIM+ Type S stops being absorbed, and the surface stays wet and shiny for at least 10 seconds. Six to 10 passes with the sprayer might be required depending on the porosity of the concrete. Then continue until the entire surface is done. Average coverage rates run from 150 to 200 square feet per gallon.

Note:
You should hose and squeegee off the excess material before it dries, because the liquid glass in AgriCrete PIM+ and PIM+ Type S dries to a 200 mesh, white glass powder. 200 mesh is the same size as talcum powder. This is very hard to broom off concrete; hosing it off before it dries is much easier. Doing so will not affect the treatment of your concrete. The gel forms “in” not “on” the concrete in the first 20 seconds or so, and the concrete is waterproof already.

These gels will take a minimum of 72 hours to hydrate into non-water-soluble glass crystals, replacing the water-soluble alkali salts. During this period the treated surface can be walked on and rained on with no negative effects to the surface.

Once cured, the concrete surface to the depth the AgriCrete PIM+ penetrated (up to 2 mm) or PIM+ Type S penetrated (6 mm or more) will be permanently waterproof, 98% vapour proof, and approximately 1,500 psi harder.

Step 2. AgriCrete PTS+

Preparation of the surface:
The surface should be dry, clean, and cool.

Application:
AgriCrete PTS+ is also applied with a sprayer; however, since it is a coating, you only want to thoroughly wet the surface. Coverage rates are about 150 to 200 square feet per gallon.

Being a coating, PTS+ will air dry in a couple of hours max, and cure in a minimum of 24 hours. Foot traffic is fine once the PTS+ has air dried, but NO vehicular traffic on this surface for a minimum of 24 hours. It must NOT rain on this surface during this 24-hour curing period either.

Maintenance:
You might need to periodically reapply the PTS+. While PIM+ and PIM+ Type S are internal densifiers and permanent, PTS+ is a top coating, and abrasion does wear it off over time. You can easily check by pouring a little water on the surface; if it still beads up, you are fine. If instead the concrete gets wet and darkens under the water, and does not bead up, clean the surface and reapply.