What Chemicals Can I Use on Microcement Surfaces?
Sometimes, things don’t exactly go to plan & with other trades & building materials on site during & after microcement installations, it’s not unheard of for building materials and other chemicals to be spilled on the surface of the microcement.
Likewise, you may find certain stains take more than your average cleaning product to remove.
This guide explains more about using chemicals on the microcement surface.
Finding the Right Cleaning Product
First, you need to establish what chemicals you need to do the job in hand.
Start by checking with the manufacturer of the material that has been spilt on the microcement surface, to find out what products they recommend for removing their product.
Then, check whether their recommended cleaning product is suitable for use on polyurethane, which is the sealer used as the final coat in all our microcement systems.
What Chemicals Can I Use on Microcement Surfaces?
As long as you clean them away so that no residue is left on the surface for a prolonged length of time (ideally within 15 minutes), you can use most cleaning products on sealed microcement surfaces.
Just don’t let anything sit on the surface for too long as it could start to breakdown the sealers or change the appearance of the surface.
We always recommend doing a test in a discreet corner with any chemical to be sure of the impact before using it across a wider area.
All our microcement sealers can resist exposure to the following chemicals for up to 24 hours:
- 95% Alcohol
- 3% Ammonia
- 10% Bleach
- 24% Hydrochloric Acid
Mechanical Removal
If you can’t remove the spill with cleaning products, or they are raised then it might be better to scrape it of instead.
Wrapping a damp cloth over the end of a scraper will help to stop the scraper scratching the surface.
Sand Back & Reseal as a Last Resort
As an absolute last resort, you can use a 220 or 120 grit sanding disc to sand back the surface to remove the mould and then apply another coat of sealer, to replace any that you have sanded off.
This guide explains the process for Resealing Microcement Surfaces.