Imprinted Concrete

[amole2006]

can anybody help,2 months ago I had my drive resurfaced with imprinted concrete.
i chose a local installer having saw several other drives he had done. Everything seemed fine,the old drive removed, the prep work looked good and the concrete pour and imprint likewise. The weather was also perfect over the 2 days, They left it to dry for about 48 hrs and returned to seal the surface, again the weather was good, We were very pleased at the final result. the colour (plum) looked lovely with its high gloss sealing coat. We payed the guys and thought that was that, WRONG two days later i noticed whitish patches all over the drive, a phone call brought the installer back, He said no worries, it had just BLOOMED. He put a coat of solvent on the entire surface and then resealed it all. Again it looked fab but alas not for long. three more coats of solvent and sealer later and we are no further forward. the drive only looks good when wet but a horrible pinky colour when dry.
The guy is still adamant we have nothing to worry about and he says he will rectify the problem in the spring when the weather is favourable.Can any body tell me what the problem is and is it curable?

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Normally when concrete blooms, you can acid wash it which should remove the surface blooming.

 

[amole2006]

Thanks PrenticeBoyofDerry,
can you tell me what causes the blooming, is it common or are we just unlucky Also do you think the whitish surface appeartance is indeed blooming or could we have some other problem.
Thanks again for your help
Alan

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

It could be a number of things,
the admixtures used, the weather, water volumes in mix to name a few.
But in genral

Blooming occurs when moisture is trapped between the sealant and the pattern imprinted concrete surface.
Damp may not allow a sealer to penetrate the surface area properly.
This will cause blooming.
Is it milky white?

 

[amole2006]

Hi again,
yes it is whitish but not so much milky white, more greyish than milky. It's gone from a lovely rich plum ( dark red) when first sealed to more or less the whole area greyish white.
It does not look to bad after heavy rain but awful when dry.Do you think it's fixable?
Appreciate your time and comments.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

it will be fixable, you want the guy back who laid it give him the opportunity to rectify the problem. Just a shame you have paid for job and not withheld money.
The sealant needs to be removed and the concrete allowed to cure, then resealed. It may need a light acid wash to remove current stains, prior to resealing.
It must be frustrating but I guess with the current weather not that noticable.

 

[amole2006]

Thanks again PrenticeBoyofDerry,
The guy assures me he can restore it to its original beauty.come the better weather, so we will keep the faith and hope for the best.
Regards Alan.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Yes, he'll need better than this. Otherwise you'll just be back to square one but even more frustrated.
Sounds like it's been sealed and trapped some moisture, so wet weather no convenient.
Best of luck, hope good weather appears soon.