Friday, June 11, 2010

Common Acrylistain combinations
By Ethan Schneider

Acrylistain mixture is ¼ of 190 colorant to 1 gallon of water. This is a starting point and can be adjusted to achieve desired tones. In addition 195 Eurobond colorants can also be used for the Acrylistain process. Below are a number of color combinations. The possibilities are endless. You can use 1 color or several colors. There is no set rule or order in which the colors need to be applied. The base color of the skim coat can be any color you like. Many of the recipes below use a Sandstone base because it’s a light color and tends to work well with most other colors. It is also easier to make a job darker than it is to make it lighter. However, it is recommended that you make a sealed sample of the acrylistain and have it approved by the customer before starting the application.

Sandstone hook troweled skim coat
Burn’t Sienna
Desert Beige
Chocolate

Desert Beige hook troweled skim coat
Burn’t Sienna
Chocolate
Sanstone

Chocolate hook troweled skim coat
Burn’t Sienna
Desert Beige
Sanstone

Burn’t Sienna hook troweled skim coat
Desert Beige
Chocolate
Sanstone

Sandstone hook trowel skim coat
Chocolate full strength
Chocolate half strength

Sandstone hook troweled skim coat
Burn’t Sienna full strength
Burn’t Sienna half strength

Sandstone hook trowel skim coat
Dark Gray
Platinum Gray
Black



Dark Gray hook trowel skim coat
Black
Chocolate

Sandstone hook trowel skim coat
Dark gray
Platinum Gray
Desert Beige

Sandstone or Almond hook trowel skim coat
Desert Beige
Coral Reef or Salmon

Sandstone hook trowel skim coat
Dark Gray
Oxford Gray


Acrylistain


1. Prepare concrete by either acid etching and power washing or
Mechanically abrading.

2. Apply skim coat in color of choice using hook trowel technique to create
a vacuum under the trowel in order to create a stone like texture.

(skim mixture is 5 ½ qts. Modifier to 1 bag of grout with one cup of
colorant.)

3. Allow skim coat to dry. Dry time may take from several to 24 hours depending on temperature.

4. Flat scrape and or rock mop then broom and blow the surface twice.

5. Apply acrylistain mixture.
Acrylistain mixture is ( ¼ cup colorant to 1 gal. of water)
mix colorant and water in a standard pump sprayer.

6. Lightly mist plain water over area to be stained then apply stain mixture in
a random circular pattern allowing stain to pool in some areas and not in
others. You can apply more than one stain color at a time. Be careful not
to overlap the colors too much so as not to lose the mottled effect.

7. Allow the acrylistain to dry.

Exterior jobs 75 degrees in sun light allow to dry for several hours before
sealing.
Indoors, allow to dry for a minimum of 24 hours before applying any
sealers.

8. Apply sealer of choice.



Acceptable sealers:

150 or 155 acrylic solvent based for exterior applications.

Pro-seal 200 for both interior and exterior application.

Aquathane 6000 for both interior or exterior applications where low
VOC’s are required or odor is an issue.

Rapid Armor.


* Be sure to view “Acrylistain” video before attempting this
procedure.
* Always make a sample board with the skim and spray colors you
intend to use.



Acrylistain With Pattern


1. Prepare concrete by either acid etching and power washing or
mechanically abrading.

2. Apply a smooth skim coat in color of choice for grout lines.

(skim mixture is 5 ½ qts. Modifier to 1 bag of grout with one cup of
colorant.)

3. Allow skim coat to dry.

4. Flat scrape and or rock mop, then broom and blow the surface twice.

5. Lay out and apply filament tape over skim coat in desired pattern. Be sure to use “bondo blade” or plastic putty knife to press tape down firmly.

6. Before applying second skim coat, it is recommended that you very lightly spray over the tape with your hopper gun with the same color grout mix that you intend to trowel over the taped pattern. Holding the hopper gun about a foot away from the tape pattern, barely crack the trigger about a ¼ of the way to achieve a very light spray mist over the tape. It should be just enough to encapsulate the tape so as to minimize potential bleeding when you apply your acrylistain.

Note: Do not spray too much grout over the tape. To much grout over
the tape will cause jagged grout lines when the tape is finally
removed. Also it is a good idea to have saved a little bit of your
original skim coat material in case you have to touch up the grout
lines later on.

7. Apply skim coat in color of choice using hook trowel technique to create
a vacuum under the trowel in order to create a stone like texture over the
taped out pattern.

Note: Be careful not to trowel the stone texture too thick over the taped
out pattern. Skimming to thick may cause jagged grout lines when
the tape is pulled.

8. Allow the final skim coat to dry for at least several hours. Then very carefully flat scrape off any loose material, be careful not to damage the pattern tape. Broom and blow off twice.

9. Lightly mist plain water over area to be stained then apply acrylistain
mixture in a random circular pattern allowing stain to pool in some areas
and not in others. You can apply more than one stain color at a time. Be
careful not to overlap the colors too much so as not to lose the mottled
effect.

Acrylistain mixture:
( ¼ cup colorant to 1 gal. of water)
mix colorant and water in a standard pump sprayer.

10. Allow the acrylistain to dry.

Exterior jobs 75 degrees in sunlight allow to dry for several hours before
sealing.
Indoors, allow to dry for a minimum of 24 hours before applying any
sealers.

11. Pull tape, broom and blow.

12. Apply sealer of choice.

Watch you temperatures

by Ethan Schneider

Summer temperatures can affect your CTI products, especially sealers.

All CTI sealers are tested in a variety of different environments ranging from extreme cold to extreme heat. The figures that are provided on each product spec sheet for cure times, pot life, re-coat window times, and application procedures are all based on an average temperature of 77 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you store your products in your trailer and it is 90 degrees outside, your products are likely to hit temperatures close to 120 degrees. High temperatures can drastically affect pot life of two component products especially epoxy resins such as Rapid Armor, Superseal 210, Enviroprime, and 5000 Binder. Urethanes such as Aquathane 6000 and Pro-seal 200 can also be affected. Prolonged exposure of your products to high temperatures can also significantly shorten their shelf life.

Before using these products, it is recommended that you make sure the products are brought to the proper temperature range before mixing and application. For most products that range is between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

There are a couple of ways to insure that your products are in the proper temperature range before application.

  1. Try to store the products in the environment where they are going to be applied for several hours before the application.
  2. Store the products in the air conditioned cab of your truck on your way to the job site.

Interchanging colorants between systems

by Ethan Schneider

The CTI tech department has received a number of calls asking if the 190 colorants that are normally used for the Hallmark application could be used for Eurobond applications. The answer is yes, however the 190 colorants do not react the same way as the 195 series Eurobond colorants. Therefore, it's always better to experiment on sample boards before speaking with a customer on using 190 colorants.

On the other side of the coin, the 195 Eurobond colorants can be used as accent colors for Acrylistain system.

Questions About Stamped Concrete

by Ethan Schneider

The CTI tech department often receives calls from dealers about going over, repairing, re-coloring, re-sealing or all of the above in reference to stamped concrete.

While each situation is different there are some common similarities. In general working on pre-existing stamped concrete jobs involves a number of unknown circumstances. We don’t know what kind of grout products, color pigments, color release agents, mold release agent, sealers etc. Keeping that in mind we don’t know how our CTI products are going to react or perform. Therefore, we can not guarantee anything. Many CTI dealers do in fact try to help customers with existing stamped concrete finishes but it is very important that the customer understands that there is no guarantee.

If you decide to work on one of these projects it is highly recommended that you first test out your procedure on a small inconspicuous area before attempting to do the entire job. If there are any sealers on the job it is best to try and remove them before you start. Sandblasting or using a Sandcat attached to your power washer usually will remove the sealer from the lower portions of the stamp. It is best to handle the jobs on a case by case basis. You can submit pictures to the CTI tech department for opinions before proceeding or even quoting the job. We are not saying that you shouldn’t do these kinds of jobs. We are saying that you should proceed with caution and seek technical advice as needed.

FAQ's about the new Fast Acting 5000 Binder:

We have been receiving a lot of calls about our e-mail last week introducing the fast acting binder for the Durafleck 5000.

1) What is the new cure time? 3-4 hours depending on weather conditions.

2) How should it be applied? You should not roll out any more than 150 -200 s/f at a time before blowing chips on the binder.

3) Is the mix ratio different? No, the mix ratio is the same as the current 5000 binder.

4) What are the advantages? In a word, time. When used with the Rapid Armor sealer, most jobs can be completed in one day.

5) Are the specs different? No, strengths, etc. are the same as the current 5000 binder.