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 Bone Dry Products determines an issue has occurred with the Pro Admix, Bone Dry Products will apply Bone Dry Pro Sealer at no additional cost to the owner and with no change to the lifetime warranty.

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, a dissipating curing compound can be applied after the sealer is applied. 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. 10–12 fl oz per 100 lbs of cement (650–780 ml per 100 kg), added with the tail water at the plant or into the batch on site; when mixing on site, allow the mix to blend a minimum of 7 minutes before pouring. 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 300 to 340 square feet per gallon on broom-finished, troweled or mechanically profiled concrete, and 350 to 400 on heavily burnished, polished or Etch-A-Crete-treated slabs. No surface prep on a new pour — spray and go. It dries in approximately 6 hours, with 12 hours or overnight recommended before flooring; foot traffic and heavy equipment are permitted once the slab is dry to the touch. Quick Dry is always included; resinous flooring over Pro must be 100% solids over a CSP 3 profile.
2. Structural Sealer. Spray the fresh flatwork with a 50% overlap, let it absorb 5–8 minutes, then spray a second pass only where the first soaked in; it penetrates, cures, and seals in that one application. Shield adjacent finished surfaces, glass, and vegetation from overspray. Dried overspray from any Bone Dry sealer can be removed with concentrated vinegar.
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 400–800 sq ft per gallon.

Where this applies: Sealing at placement is the route on new commercial pours; see concrete sealers for general contractors, concrete sealer specs for architects and specifiers and retail and commercial building concrete floors. See all the industries we serve.