Sealing a New Concrete Pour: Cure and Seal in One Step

Most moisture mitigation happens at the worst possible time: after weeks of cure and dry-down, after RH testing, and — when the slab fails — after an expensive coating and a retest. The conventional route runs pour, cure and dry down for weeks, RH test, mitigation coat, retest, then flooring. The Bone Dry route is pour, spray the same day, floor on schedule. The sealer penetrates deep into the fresh slab and reacts with free lime and alkali to seal the capillaries permanently, becoming part of the concrete; because it also functions as the curing compound, there is no second mobilization and no RH gate. The same logic applies outside: on new flatwork, Structural Sealer cures and seals in a single application, and the concrete goes into service with water and deicing salt kept out for good.

Choosing between spraying at placement and dosing the mix comes down to logistics: Pro needs no batch-plant coordination; Admix needs no spray crew. Both are also covered in Sealing a Slab on Grade Before Flooring. For the whole line, see the Bone Dry product selector.

Because Pro Admix is mixed through the load, the protection exists everywhere the concrete does: cut it, core it, or grind it and the fresh face is still sealed. A surface-applied sealer protects a reacted zone at the top of the slab. Both routes work; the admix simply makes the concrete itself the barrier. If an admix issue ever occurs, Bone Dry applies Pro Sealer at no cost and the warranty is unchanged.

Specifications often call for a curing compound by standard. ASTM C-309 covers liquid membrane-forming curing compounds. Bone Dry Pro and Structural Sealer penetrate the slab instead of forming a membrane, so the standard does not apply to them — used standalone, each achieves the results a curing compound achieves. Where a specification requires C-309 by name, pair the sealer with Bone Dry Dissipating Sealer, the membrane-forming half of the system. On a Li 200 Logistics floor, a separate curing compound is not necessary; if your spec requires one, apply it after Li 200.

• Pro Admix. 8–10 fl oz per 100 lbs of cement (520–650 ml per 100 kg), added with the tail water at the plant or into the batch on site with time for the drum to blend it through (about 70 revolutions). Always dose Pro Admix separately from other admixtures. Works in normal-weight and lightweight concrete; plan the pour at a minimum of 3 inches thick. Compatible with all resinous coating systems — profile the slab to CSP 3 first.
• Corrosion Inhibitor. 28 fl oz per cubic yard at the batch plant or into the ready-mix truck, about 70 drum revolutions. Add to fresh concrete only, never to dry cement, and do not allow it to freeze in storage. A 5-gallon pail treats roughly 22 cubic yards; a 55-gallon drum about 250; a 275-gallon tote about 1,250.
• Both in one pour. Dose the two admixes separately.

1. Bone Dry Pro. As soon as the slab can be walked on, a low-pressure spray at about 220 sq ft per gallon depending on porosity. No surface prep on a new pour — spray and go. Flooring in as little as 6 hours with Quick Dry; resinous flooring over Pro must be 100% solids over a CSP 3 profile.
2. Structural Sealer. One application on the fresh flatwork; it penetrates, cures, and seals. Shield adjacent finished surfaces, glass, and vegetation from overspray.
3. Li 200 Logistics. Fully wet the slab without puddling — spread any puddles with a push broom — keep it wet 10–15 minutes, and walk away; it dries clear with nothing to remove, and the floor takes traffic in 2–3 hours. Compatible with reactive and resin bond breakers; shield adjacent finished surfaces from overspray. About 300–400 sq ft per gallon.