Epoxy vs Acrylic Sealant for Concrete

[BigBTree]

My company has some older concrete secondary containment structures for oily water tanks located in the Northwest. The concrete has shrinkage cracks that have been expanded do to freeze thaw cycles. The cracks are still relative thin but we want to take corrective actions before they get worse. My recommendation was to dry the surfaces, apply a trowel grade epoxy grout to any cracks or bug holes, and coat the surfaces with an epoxy sealant to prevent water from entering the cracks. I have since been asked if acrylic sealant would be appropriate. I have never used acrylic sealant for this type of application. My initial research found that acrylic may work but that epoxy is much more durable. Want to see what kind of results the group has has with either product for this type of application.

 

[Andrew1974]

Acrylic's don't have very chemical resistance. You are also correct about epoxy durability. There's a company in Portland, OR called Technical Coatings Int'l that has a very good epoxy line and sealant caulking that might be good for this application.

 

[dik]

I've used polyurethane coatings on concrete with success... can you use a Vandex type of product to 'bridge' the cracking?

Dik