PAVER SEALER-THE EVOLUTION
On early Florida homes, if you looked down, you were either walking on a poured concrete slab or an asphalt surface. This was due to it's ease of installation, functionality and lower cost. However, over the years, more asthetically pleasing solutions gave rise to stamped concrete, chattahoochee, clay bricks and various other decorative concrete systems-- but none became as popular as the concrete paver. Since the 1980s, interlocking brick pavers became the premier hardscape material for driveways, patios, pool decks and commercial applications.
It did not take long to realize that a whole new industry would arise due to the high maintenance requirements of concrete pavers. Concrete pavers require regular sealing in order to prevent fading, mildew growth, surface wear, staining and marking. Acrylux recognized the tremendous need for cleaning and sealing products for pavers and launched their line of Colorback products.
The Colorback Xylene based paver sealer became a staple in the industry for maintenance and beautification. Acrylux offered a water based version for a more eco-friendly option which was more moisture tolerant but didn't quite match the xylene’s durability. Acrylux also added cleaners, degreasers and efflorescence removers to the colorback line of products.
Some of the biggest problems the paver sealer industry had were: 1) Xylene based sealers required a perfectly dry surface or it would blush. 2) A build-up of sealers would cause whitening and eventually have to be stripped. 3) Having to wait for pavers to dry during the rainy summers hurt the profitability of applicators. There was still a need in the market place for a water based sealer that would perform equal to Xylene but have the moisture tolerance to clean and seal in the same day. A solution would have to enhance colors, have good gloss retention, be eco-friendly and be applied over moist surfaces.
Acrylux soon launched its Colorlock line of paver sealers which would solve many of the issues facing the industry. The two-component chemistry was a departure from what most applicators were used to but the benefits far outweighed the costs. The two-part paver sealer could be used over wet pavers and be completely unaffected by the moisture. This allowed the applicators to pressure clean the pavers and seal them all in one day which potentially doubled productivity and profitability.
The 2-part paver sealer system proved to be beneficial in many more ways because of the urethane base being more UV resistant than acrylic based sealers. The two part urethane based paver sealers can also be diluted to adjust solids and sheen levels. These benefits along with others created a true benefit for the applicator and homeowner alike. Colorlock two-part paver sealer is available at Acrylux and other outlets in the South Florida area.