Stripper and decorative concrete

[Tonyg 14]

Looks like I will be doing an acrylic strip with decorative concrete around the pool. How bad will a hot mix damage the concrete? Any tips?

[Celeste 341]

Charge ALOT because that concrete is in great shape and you're going to have to keep that stuff out of the pool water too? I would take some pretty serious precautions with heavy plastic in conjunction with berming.

[Tonyg 14]

Thanks Celeste. It will definitely be priced appropriately. I had figured the plastic duct taped but the berns is a great idea. I hadn't thought too much about the grade.

Plastic is scary because it always seems to get some water underneath. 'IF' anything gets on the concrete, would it be something that can be patched in anyway or is it done?

[Celeste 341]

The sealer on that concrete looks like what our higher solids thermoplastic sealer does. It is probably a solvent based product that yes, could be damaged by a hot stripper. With that said, if you were to "mar" the surface of the sealer - easy fix. If it goes beyond the sealer to the colors, this gets much touchier - we get paid LOTS of money to do that type of fix job. It's not rocket science but pure art to make sure it gets back right.

I would plastic that stuff TO DEATH - crawl under the deck and make sure that whatever water gets under the plastic has dirt before concrete. Pool noodles are a good way to lift the plastic so that your run-off drains back the proper direction.

When are you scheduled to do this one? We have sealers that we could do some quick testing with here and let you know (although knowing specifically WHAT sealer was applied to the concrete would be very very valuable info!)

[Adrian 155]

I can't wait until you come to Texas Celeste.

I have work for us. Fun work. With lots of lemonade. :)

Sorry to hijack Tony. Good luck with your project.

If you have Celeste in your corner, you can't go wrong.

[Tonyg 14]

When are you scheduled to do this one? We have sealers that we could do some quick testing with here and let you know (although knowing specifically WHAT sealer was applied to the concrete would be very very valuable info!)

Originally penciled in for May but could bump it up to as early as 10-14 days. I am up to scheduling painting for June but people really don't want to wait that long this time of year for decks. In this case, I gave the HO a high range for pricing with the final yet to be given. They already wanted to get in my schedule so I am about 80% sure it will go through.

The deck had Deckscapes semi-trans oil applied 5 yrs ago with two coats of Deckscapes acrylic applied 3 yrs ago. I think we've settled on the final scenario to strip the deck floors and stain with a custom mix of Ac semi-trans, knock out the balusters and replace with black aluminum, and stain whats left of the rails, risers, trim, and underside of the second floor deck with White Deckscapes. Also replacing the lattice with prestained AC semi. This makes me feel a little more comfortable not to be shooting the railings with a hot stripper to cover the area.

Edited April 6, 2010 by Tonyg

[Tonyg 14]

The sealer on that concrete looks like what our higher solids thermoplastic sealer does. It is probably a solvent based product

When are you scheduled to do this one? We have sealers that we could do some quick testing with here and let you know (although knowing specifically WHAT sealer was applied to the concrete would be very very valuable info!)

Hi Celeste,

Well it's a done deal and I will be out there after the 21st of April. The rails and trim will be going white so I will only be stripping the deck floor(s). HO is knocking out the wood balusters and installing a black decorative aluminum baluster after I finish to save on the cost. I spoke with the company who installed the overlay a couple of years ago and was told the sealer was a solvent based urethane. The local company is a Sundek licensee if that helps.

Planning on some good gorilla tape and a couple of layers of heavy mil plastic and drops.

Edited April 7, 2010 by Tonyg

[Tonyg 14]

Well, no problems with the stripper. Taped it off with 4mil poly and duct tape - stripped twice - then cleaned up. The duct tape on the other hand did pull up the sealer. I was really assuming that it was a hard seal coat rather than a flexible soft coating. Stripped it a third time on a different day, applied gently, and did not cover it at all, just kept wet.

These were right at the steps and was not real noticeable. The decorative concrete contractor that installed it two years ago was already scheduled to come out and do some touch up and maintenance so it wasn't an issue.