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Same Day Sealer - Troubleshooting:
The first step is always to test the product in another application other than your project. The purpose of doing this is to get over your natural reaction that something might be wrong with the product. This will aid in determining what is really happening and why.
If, after testing as described and reviewing the information on this page, you do not have an answer and do not know what to do - contact us for assistance as something is certainly different than you think.
Before emailing for assistance - do the following tests so you can give us the results in the your email. If you contact us before doing the testing and reviewing the information, there will be delays in assisting you because we must still ask you for these test results. We cannot be of assistance by guessing.
(It is important to do all 3 tests)
- Apply a small amount to a piece of flat, clean
glass
per the label directions. The glass gives you a clear view of what the product looks like when dry. With sealers or coatings, this will show you the degree of toughness and adhesion. With cleaners and other products, this will show you the what it looks like when dry.
In the case of Same Day Sealer on glass - you will see a white powdery residue. This is what happens when all the sealer does not penetrate into the surface and a puddle is allowed to dry on top. Removal of this white residue is not difficult and is discussed on the product label.
- Apply a small amount to an uninstalled piece of the same surfacing per the label directions. The uninstalled piece of the same surfacing takes away anything that occurred during and after installation.
- Apply a small amount per the label directions to a different type of surfacing with a similar absorption. This takes the surfacing itself out of the equation to show if there is something unusual about that particular batch of surfacing.
One of the things to keep in mind is that Same Day Sealer is a penetrating sealer that must totally penetrate down into the surfacing. Also, a water based sealer like Same Day Sealer does not penetrate as well as a petroleum solvent based sealer. Therefore, Same Day Sealer needs a surface with some reasonable amount of absorption. The label refers to an absorption test before choosing the sealer for two reasons. One is to make sure that nothing is present to interfere with penetration. The other is that putting a sealer like this on a very low absorption surface does not accomplish anything because none of the sealer will absorb. Therefore applying the sealer has accomplished nothing and a different sealer should be chosen.
Here are the things to look for:
Lightened the color or white patches appear as soon sealer is dry?
"Same Day" does not change the color at all, as proven if you did the testing above. The lightness could be a light deposit of sealer residue from puddles left to dry.
- Note:
- Removing puddles from the flat surface, but leaving a puddle in a depression or grout joint is not sufficient. A puddle left to dry anywhere can leave white sealer residue in those puddled areas. Any tool that moves the puddle out of a depression is fine, but allow a minute to insure sealer penetration. Then remove before it dries.
- The product label discusses this and the steps to remove the white residue.
- Tip: If the first steps are not easy enough, Aldon "Grout Residue Remover" will break down this white residue of the sealer. Apply, let it dwell a minute to break down the residue, then wipe it off with a clean, white cloth.
- Tip: If Aldon "Grout Residue Remover" does not break down the white stain, the stain is not from the "Same Day Sealer". See "Problem Solving" and
for information about grout additives that may be left on your surfacing. Grout additive stains are also white residue, but require other techniques to remove.
Darkened the color (overall or in patches)? "Same Day" does not change the color at all, as proven if you did the testing above. What you might be seeing is one or more of:
- The sealer may have moved light efflorescence down below the surface and revealed the true color of the grout or surfacing. Check against other samples from the supplier.
- The stone or tile might come with a very thin, light or hazy film on its face that lightens the overall color perception. This is never noticed until something happens to reveal it. When that thin film is partially removed by scrubbing, and/or water, and/or the sealer application tools, or something else, it can reveal the natural darker color below. What you may be seeing is not dark spotting, but naturally dark areas where the light film is partially removed.
In this case, it would be better to test one of the Aldon "color enhancing" sealers to see if the end result will be uniform in color.
If you did not do patch testing and the surfacing is now non-absorbent - the best choice to test will usually be the "S-B-S Sealer" as your surfacing will now be of low or no absorption depending on how it started and how much Same Day Sealer was applied. Normally, we recommend that no sealer should be used over another type sealer. But in this case - S-B-S Sealer should be able to bond to the surface texture well enough to perform well and make the job look good.
Does not bead water? The surfacing is more absorbent than you thought and needs more sealer. Be sure to apply per label directions.
Haziness, spots, splotches noticed after a week or two? It is not from the sealer. A sealer is like a piece of glass in that any liquid landing on it will evaporate and dry without penetrating. Any minerals or chemicals in the water are left behind as spots. They are usually white or gray in color. The sealer has kept these minerals on the surface where they are much easier to clean off.
Indoors: Usually from mop water.
- If you are not using Aldon "Maintain", it could be residue from your cleaning products. This has frequently been reported from using supermarket floor cleaners.
- There could be minerals in your mop water, even if you have a water softener. Let a 1/4" of water from the same tap evaporate from a glass to see if residue is left behind. See Problem Solving for "mineral deposits" for cleaning.
Outdoors: This can be from sprinkler water containing minerals, rain water picking up minerals during runoff from planters, roofs, etc. See Problem Solving for "mineral deposits" for cleaning.
After sealing you notice glossy spots? As the testing above proved to you, Same Day Sealer does not create gloss. Since the glossy spots did not come from the sealer, look to other causes, such as:
- A previous sealer that is mostly gone, but some glossy spots remain.
- A polymer additive that came from the grout and was deposited on the surface, either before or during sealing. This is a not uncommon occurrence with some grouts. See this issue in Problem Solving for removal of grout additive residue.
- The surfacing is naturally shiny and what you are seeing is duller areas from the sealer residue. Compare to an uninstalled piece. See the label for removal of the residue.
Applied sealer (1,2,3 or more) times and the surface below still shows darkening from water penetration.
It does not matter how many "times" you apply a sealer. What matters is the "quantity" of liquid applied and this is usually done in one application by following our label directions. If the surface darkens underneath a sealer, there was not enough liquid applied in however many times it was done. The more absorbent portions of a project require more liquid than the less absorbent sections. For instance, the grout joints surrounding a dense stone would need more sealer than a dense stone.
Basically, it takes what it takes. However, you might cut down on the amount of sealer needed by allowing more time between applications. For example, first application is good penetration with plenty of liquid below the surface to create a base. Wait 3 hours or more (a day if an extremely absorbent surface that has taken a lot of liquid) before the second application. The idea here is to allow the sealer to do some curing and that the base creates "support" for the next application.
"Same Day Sealer" has penetrated into an absorbent surface as designed, but now you want to remove it because you have decided you want color enhancement of the surfacing.
Same Day Sealer is not a coating. It is a fully penetrating type formula that is not broken down with a stripper. Therefore, there is nothing on the surface to remove and you cannot get a penetrated sealer out from below the surface. Just as the label says for removing its white residue, only Aldon "Grout Residue Remover" will effect it to any degree. Even so, whatever is below the surface will most likely remain there. Here are the options:
- Continue with Same Day Sealer until fully sealed. Use Aldon "Lifeguard" to add gloss, but this will not enhance the color.
- Assuming the application of Same Day Sealer was not according to the label and is only a paint job on the top of the surfacing, see if Aldon "Grout Residue Remover" will remove it to the extent that is will uniformly absorb water drops. Then test Aldon "SBS Sealer, but beware color differences between where SBS Sealer can penetrate and where it cannot.
"Same Day Sealer" was applied to a non-absorbent surface and need to be removed for whatever reason including residue from the grouting process underneath the sealer.
Aldon "Grout Residue Remover" (as referenced on the sealer label) will remove the residue of the sealer as well as the cement residue paste from the grouting process.
If this does not answer your situation - something is very different and unusual. You should be able to discover why by looking for the issue in "Problem Solving"