by

Richard P. Goldberg, AIA, CSI

President - Professional Consulting International, LLC

ost architects and structural often leads to compromised perform-

engineers are unanimous in their ance or failure unless the curing com-
professional opinion that fresh concrete pound is removed using mechanical or
be protected and properly cured with a chemical removal methods. New gen-
liquid curing compound. Curing com- erations of curing compound products,
pounds were first developed in the however, have been formulated to
1950’s to simplify the traditional “chemically dissipate” and not interfere
method of damp curing using protec- with adhesion of tile, bonded cement
tive coverings and periodic misting toppings, and other adhered finishes to
with water. Today, it is unusual to see a concrete treated with these types of
commercial project where concrete is products. Unfortunately, these prod-
not cured using a curing compound, as ucts do not simply disappear, and there
traditional curing methods are cost and are a wide range of procedures and
time prohibitive, and failure to cure will conditions that must be followed in
almost guarantee concrete defects, order to insure compatibility with
given typical aggressive construction adhesion of tile. Upon closer review,
schedules and sequencing. one could conclude that this new gen-
In the ceramic tile industry, it is gen- eration of curing compounds has been
erally understood that attempting to overrated, and that claims of compati-
adhere tile with a cement based adhe- bility are generally impractical or not
sive mortar to concrete cured with a applicable to cement based products.
curing compound is risky at best, and Let’s examine the technical realities.
2 May 2004 v TileLetter
TYPES OF CURING COMPOUNDS rely only on pure adhesive strength,
Curing compounds generally fall into such as epoxies or latex mastic adhe-
two categories: 1) permanent, impervi- sives. However, almost all curing prod-
ous film-forming compounds, and 2) uct manufacturers recommend a test
temporary membrane forming com- application to determine compatibility,
pounds, also known as chemically dissi- and they typically warn that cement
pating or oxidizing curing compounds. based adhesives are incompatible. In
As with most other construction prod- addition, the impervious nature of per-
ucts, many of the new generation of manent film-forming curing com-
products are water based emulsions of pounds can reduce the evaporation and
hydrocarbon resins which are V.O.C. absorption of water or solvents from
compliant. In contrast to water based adhesives, and affect curing of the
products, solvent based curing products adhesives. In some extreme cases, the
are still in use, and their lower molecu- encapsulation of solvents or moisture
lar weight allows deeper penetration of over film-forming curing compounds
resins. Solvents are typically used in the can retard adhesive cure, cause stains
permanent film type of product where and deterioration, or have other
maximum penetration and adhesion to adverse effects on the finish material.
concrete as a finished wearing surface is
required. COMPATIBLE CURING COMPOUNDS –
As you might expect, the permanent, FACT OR FICTION?
impervious film type of curing com- A new generation of curing com-
pound, whether water or solvent based, pounds have been developed that claim
will inhibit bond of cement based adhe- compatibility with cement based adhe-
sive mortars, as cement mortars rely on sive mortars or cement toppings. These
development of a mechanical bond to types of products are either solvent or
concrete by formation and penetration water based resin emulsions which pro-
of cement crystals into the pores of the duce a temporary membrane over con-
concrete. Naturally, if the pores are cov- crete to retain moisture, and then grad-
ered and blocked by a water repellent ually dissipate through chemical reac-
film, the adhesion of cement, or even tion or oxidation from solar exposure.
latex-modified cement, will be compro- Many chemically-dissipating curing
mised. Complete removal using compounds produce a topical residue,
mechanical scarification methods to which must be thoroughly removed. In
expose virgin concrete is necessary in some cases, agitation and washing is
order to install tile using cement-based required. Relying on oxidation is
adhesive mortars. impractical in most buildings and pri-
The high adhesion of some curing marily applicable to exterior construc-
compounds do allow adhesion of fin- tion where concrete surfaces will
ishes such as carpet, vinyl, or even receive cement toppings, adhesives, or
ceramic tile, when using adhesives that other coatings after significant periods
May 2004 v TileLetter 3
 EDCO’s CPM-8 scarifier EDCO’s CPU-10 scarifier
www.edcoinc.com www.edcoinc.com
of exposure to sun and traffic. removal (typically shot blasting) within
In reviewing most concrete curing the concrete or tile sub-contractor’s
product literature, you will find that scope of work.
there are no uniform recommenda-
tions for insuring compatibility with RECOMMENDATIONS
ceramic tile installations using cement- In order to avoid problems and dis-
based products. It is also important to putes over this issue of curing com-
note that the tile industry does not rec- pounds, a tile contractor should con-
ognize compatibility with concrete sider the following recommendations:
curing compounds, despite curing • Review Contract Specification Divi-
compound manufacturer’s claims. The sion 3 Concrete (preferably during
NTCA, TCA, ANSI standards, as well as the bid phase of a project) for con-
most tile installation product manufac- crete curing and sealing require-
turers, consistently recommend com- ments and products, as well as any
plete removal of curing compounds special preparation required for con-
prior to tile installation. crete to receive adhered finishes, top-
Many general contractors no longer pings or coatings
want to accept the risk of using curing • Review curing compound product
compounds on projects with large literature to determine limitations
ceramic tile or stone floor installations and residue removal procedures
that employ cement-based adhesives. • Investigate contract specification
As a result, they are either proposing requirements / responsibilities for
traditional moisture-retaining cover acceptance of substrate and/or reme-
curing, or including mechanical diation of substrate (curing com-
4 May 2004 v TileLetter
 pound) deficiencies that
would interfere with ceramic
or stone tile installation
• Consider recommending
mechanical scarification (shot
blasting) as a value added, fail-
safe preparation method to
eliminate adhesion problems
caused by curing compounds
as well as other contamination
typical of most project sites
• In the absence of information
regarding use of curing com-
pounds, utilize simple field
tests to determine the pres-
ence of a curing compound or
sealer: 1) place drops of water
on the concrete and observe if
the water beads up and does
not readily absorb, or 2) place
drops of hydrochloric (muri-
atic) acid on the concrete, and
observe if the concrete does
not effervesce. It is also rec-
Raimondi’s Floor Preparation Machine ommended to install a small
(800) 625-6686 test area of tile under actual
anticipated field conditions to
assess adhesion

Richard P. Goldberg, AIA, CSI,

NCARB is an Architect and
President of Professional
Consulting International LLC,
an international design and con-
struction consulting company.
Mr. Goldberg specializes as a
technical and forensic Architect in
the ceramic tile, stone, masonry
and concrete industries, and can
be reached by e-mail at rpgold-
[email protected]
May 2004 v TileLetter 5