Outside Water features deliver a sense of peace of the backyard, adding relaxing sights and sounds to your space. Concrete water features, such as ponds, fountains or birdbaths, require some maintenance to keep them in top form. Coating them with a concrete sealer will help stretch their lives and maintain their attractiveness.
Purpose
Sealing concrete fountains serves two main functions. It also helps protect the concrete from water damage. Because concrete is porous, the water seeps into it over time and causes it to erode or crack in the winter when temperatures fall. The sealer also helps keep the concrete from fading or seeming weathered. This is especially important if your water features are stained or painted.
Kinds of Sealers
Acrylic-based sealers dry fairly quickly, typically in less than a day, and they remain true to their clear-coat claims. But they need to be reapplied at least every two decades. Solvent-based sealers have a tendency to yellow slightly as soon as they dry, which occasionally takes two to three days. The yellow tinge is able to make your water attributes appear older than they are or dull paint and stain colours. All these sealers usually last several years without needing to be reapplied. Both types come in spray and liquid forms. If you are coat a pond or fountain that has fish, select a sealant that is ranked safe for aquatic life — the tag must clearly state whether it is safe.
Educate Your Water Feature
Before you seal a water feature, then you must first get it ready so that the sealer will stick properly. Drain all of the water out of the basin. Clean the concrete thoroughly, even if it’s painted. Scrub it with water and dish-washing liquid to eliminate dirt and dirt, and get rubbed after mould or mildew that is gathered on the water feature. Let it dry for about two days time your cleaning and sealing on days when no rain is expected, preferably when the weather is warm.
How to Apply
Employing a concrete wax is fundamentally the same as using paint. Use a roller or paintbrush for liquid sealer, applying a coat. Starting at the top and working down can enable you to control drips, which may leave uneven lines from the sealer. If you are using a spray-on sealer, start and also the top and spray back and forth above the water feature, then ensuring that you have a layer across the entire slice. Sprays are best used on intricate pieces, such as ornate birdbaths, instead of pond basins. Allow the sealant dry thoroughly before replacing the water.