Etch Concrete safely with no neutralization or rinsing!

Coatings bond to surfaces based on a chemical interaction plus a mechanical bond. Rough and porous surfaces are much easier to "stick to" because of the increased surface area thus more points of chemical and mechanical interaction. Standard methods of roughening the surface include sand-blasting, grinding and acid etching.

On concrete the historical method of etching the surface has been Muriatic (hydrochloric) acid. This attacks the calcium that is in cement. There are several disadvantages to using Muriatic acid.

• Extremely hazardous to work with.
• If the calcium in the concrete is not free then not effective.
• Soaks into the concrete making it difficult to remove when finished.
• Hard to neutralize or rinse away. Soaks into concrete often causing continuing reaction which can cause coating to release.

NuEtch is a hydrofluoric acid generator for limited etching of glass, tile and concrete. A thin film will etch any silica surface in 15 seconds. It does not need to be rinsed. The coating can be applied directly over the etched surface once the etching solution completely dries.

Advantages:

• Etches all surfaces such as stone, tile, concrete and glass.
• It only generates the etching compound upon evaporation.
• Doesn't require neutralization or rinsing.
• Saves time! Can be applying the coating in hours vs up to a day with HCl.
• Improves coating bond to the surface. Etches not just the cement portion of concrete but also the fillers.
• Sterilizes the surface while etching.