Bone Dry Original
Price range: $75.00 through $305.00
Bone Dry Product’s Original Sealer. Waterproofs, densifies, prevents cracking, and prevents salts.
Key Features
- Do you need a faster cure time? Add Quick Dry to your order and flooring can be installed 6 hours after application.
- Protects against damage from freeze/thaw cycles.
- Extends the life of the concrete slab.
- Prevents additional cracking, spawling, and chetting on the concrete surface.
- Protects against concrete moisture vapor emissions.
Use
- Indoor
- Outdoor
Coverage
- 240 square feet per gallon
Product Info
- Prevents penetration of salt and other contaminants
- Prevents dusting
- Seals and creates a barrier below the surface
- Eliminates moisture emission from below
- Protects against damage from freeze/thaw cycles
- Extends the life of the concrete slab
- Prevents additional cracking, spawling, and chetting on the concrete surface
- Protects against concrete moisture vapor emissions
Benefits
- Indoor & Outdoor Applications
- Sealing Concrete Subfloors
- DIY Projects
Important Documents
Description
Bone Dry Original wasn’t designed for your garage. It was designed for hazardous waste. The namesake of the whole line was originally developed to seal concrete for hazardous waste containment — a job where “mostly waterproof” isn’t a grade. That same chemistry has spent more than 35 years on countless subfloors since: a penetrating, permanent, non-toxic sealer that fills the pores of the slab and puts a strong vapor barrier between the ground and everything you build on top of it.
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The origin: hazardous waste containment chemistry
Bone Dry Original began in hazardous waste containment — sealed containment where nothing gets through. Today the same chemistry seals your subfloor: the same seal, under the carpet instead of the drums. Built to contain the worst, and proven on countless subfloors since.
Overqualified on purpose
Original penetrates the surface and seals the porous areas of the slab from within — there’s no film on top, nothing to peel, and the concrete looks unchanged. It also works as a densifier, reacting with the free lime left over from curing to produce a harder, denser surface. The result is a permanent, impermeable barrier that stops moisture from ever rising to the surface, eliminates the causes of concrete sweating, and shields the slab against the penetration of salt, alkalis, and oils.
What it does for the slab
| Function | What it means for the floor |
|---|---|
| SEALS | Permanent waterproof vapor barrier — born in hazardous waste containment |
| STOPS SWEATING | Eliminates the causes of concrete sweating and moisture vapor emissions |
| DENSIFIES | Reacts with free lime for a harder, denser, more durable surface |
| SHIELDS | Blocks the penetration of salt, alkalis, and oils |
| ENDURES | Freeze-thaw protection; extends the life of the slab |
What moisture ruins
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What moisture ruins
Buckling wood, curling vinyl, peeling carpet, bubbling paint — all four start as moisture vapor. Original stops it at the slab.
Buckling wood, curling vinyl, peeling carpet, bubbling paint — four different failures with one shared cause: vapor rising through unprotected concrete. Moisture emulsifies and weakens the water-, latex-, and acrylic-based adhesives under flooring, feeds organic growth beneath mats and non-permeable coverings, and even wicks into cardboard stored on the floor until it loses its strength. Seal the slab once and the whole failure chain never starts.
The epoxy alternative — at a fraction of the cost
| Bone Dry Original | Epoxy sealants* | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Up to 4× more affordable | Premium pricing |
| Application | Standard garden sprayer — anyone can do it | Multi-step, often professional |
| Cure | As little as 6 hours with Quick Dry | Slow cure windows |
| Where it lives | Inside the slab — can’t peel | A film on top |
| Appearance | Concrete looks unchanged | Changes the floor |
*Typical published characteristics of epoxy floor sealants. Verify against specific products.
Not sure it’s a vapor problem? Test it this weekend
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The plastic-sheet test: find out in 48 hours
Tape a 2×2-ft plastic square to dry concrete, leave it for 48 hours, then lift it and look underneath. Beads underneath mean vapor is rising — seal the slab. Bone dry underneath means it’s room humidity — ventilate. Beads mean the slab needs sealing, not the room dehumidifying.
Tape a 2×2-foot square of plastic sheeting to a dry patch of your slab, leave it for 48 hours, then lift it. Beads of moisture underneath mean vapor is coming up through the concrete — a faulty or missing vapor barrier — and the slab needs sealing. If it’s bone dry under the plastic, your moisture is coming from the room’s humidity instead, and ventilation is the fix. Two days, zero cost, and you’ll know exactly which problem you have.
Which Bone Dry does your slab need?
| Your situation | Use |
|---|---|
| Standard slab under flooring — home, garage, most projects | Bone Dry Original |
| Mold-prone basement or hygiene-critical facility | Bone Dry Plus — Original + antimicrobial |
| Large commercial pour — cure + seal in one, warranty program | Bone Dry Pro |
| Outdoor driveway, patio, or sidewalk | Bone Dry Driveway Sealer |
| CMU block, shotcrete, or gunite | Bone Dry Block Wall first, then Original or Plus |
Application
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Application steps
- Spray — garden sprayer; soak the whole slab.
- Mop — wet-mop the leaching alkali and lime as it surfaces.
- Floor — in as little as 6 hours with Quick Dry.
Everything ships in the pail — Quick Dry comes premixed, no process change.
Good to know: application is a simple spray over the whole slab with a standard garden sprayer. As the seal works, it pushes impurities — leaching alkali and lime — to the surface; a minor wet mopping clears them off while the barrier keeps forming below. Add Quick Dry and flooring can go down as little as 6 hours after application — it ships premixed in your pail, with no change to how you apply. A 5-gallon pail covers approximately 1,100 square feet depending on the slab’s porosity. Like all Bone Dry sealers, Original is slightly corrosive: goggles or a face shield, rubber or plastic gloves, and a NIOSH-approved respirator in confined areas.
Technical data
| Type | Permanent penetrating concrete sealer and densifier, non-toxic |
| Origin | Developed for hazardous waste containment; 35+ years in service |
| Coverage | ≈1,100 sq ft per 5-gallon pail, depending on porosity |
| Cure | Quick Dry option: flooring in as little as 6 hours — ships premixed |
| Appearance | Concrete looks unchanged after application |
| Climates | Extremely effective in all temperate climates |
| Flooring | Adhered systems: hardwood, vinyl, tile, broadloom carpet, carpet tile, sheet goods, luxury vinyl, VCT, and more |
| Testing | ASTM E-96 and ASTM F-1869 third-party results available on request |
| Aftercare | Minor wet mopping as leaching alkali and lime surface |
| Safety | Slightly corrosive — goggles or face shield, gloves; NIOSH respirator in confined areas; see SDS |
Sealing before flooring? Send us the square footage and we’ll size the order — call 262-694-9748 or email [email protected].
FAQ
Will Bone Dry Original make my concrete slippery?
No. Our penetrating concrete floor sealers will not make your concrete surface more slippery.
Can I apply a concrete floor sealer to an already-painted surface?
In general, you should not apply a concrete floor sealer over a painted surface, as the sealer may not properly adhere to the paint.
Can I apply a penetrating concrete floor sealer over an existing sealer?
No, you should not apply a penetrating concrete floor sealer over an existing sealer. The old sealer must be removed first to allow the new sealer to penetrate the concrete surface.
How much Bone Dry Original do I need?
About 1,100 square feet per 5-gallon pail, depending on how porous the slab is. Soak the whole surface with a garden sprayer; if what you sprayed disappears into the concrete within 10 minutes, the slab wants more, so reapply.
How soon can I install flooring after applying Bone Dry Original?
With the Quick Dry option, premixed in the pail, flooring can go down in as little as 6 hours. Otherwise allow the product to dry overnight. If efflorescence appears, flush or mop the surface with water after application to clear the alkali and lime the sealer brings up, then install the flooring.
Does Bone Dry Original work on an existing slab, or only on new concrete?
Both. On an existing slab the surface has to be clean and porous. Profile an existing slab prior to application to remove any existing coatings. Then apply the sealer.
Should I use Bone Dry Original or Bone Dry Plus?
Both give the same permanent penetrating seal at the same coverage. Choose Plus where mold, mildew, or musty odors are a concern, such as a damp basement or a hygiene-critical floor; it carries antimicrobial protection that keeps working for the life of the seal. Original is right for a standard slab without a growth problem.
How do I know if moisture is coming through my concrete?
Tape a 2-by-2-foot square of plastic sheeting to a dry patch of the slab and leave it for 48 hours. Beads of moisture underneath mean vapor is rising through the concrete and the slab needs sealing. A dry patch under the plastic means the moisture is coming from room humidity, and ventilation is the fix.
Specifications
Read more about the specifications here.
Additional information
| Weight | N/A |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | N/A |
| Size | 1 Gallon, 1 Gallon with Quick Dry, 5 Gallon, 5 Gallon with Quick Dry, 10 Gallon |
