need to seal some concrete

[bansil]

for cheap

okay I used $2 a bag quickrete (on sale) to cover some barrels that are part of a goat play ground

concrete was used so it helps "file/cut" their toe..ugh..hoof nails down and give some traction

I want to seal it and thought just use some enamel paint, except it may be to slick, so I thought add some sand to the paint and it will adhere to the concrete

Main reason to seal is to keep moisture/water from getting under it this winter and freezing and cracking it

watcha all have to say????????????????


be nice tho'

[family wagon]

I say there's no way of reliably keeping water from getting between the concrete and the barrel (well.. if the concrete lapped over the top of the barrel then maybe), so make a plan for dealing with the water that gets into that gap.

As far as water in the middle of the concrete surface, I liked Shark Grip I added to sealer I used on some indoor concrete. Outdoors though you won't have to have much water standing on the surface before it'll freeze into ice thicker than the additive, and then there's no grip at all. I used a xylene-based sealer in case it seems relevant. But I'd expect if the hooves are grinding on the concrete much, they'll soon wear away the grip stuff and the sealer too in their favorite spots.

[Tango]

Concrete is very sensitive to thermal extremes and it is very likely the barrel may fracture the concrete due to differences in expansion & contraction rates. I sculpt concrete and cement with steel reinforcement and there is plenty that can go wrong.

As for sealing it...it will help somewhat by limiting how much additional environmental moisture goes in, but concrete that is fully set retains enough water to cause freeze/thaw fractures.

There are a couple of tricks for limiting the freeze thaw effect but one of the simplest I have seen involves adding Styrofoam beads. They don't hold moisture and can absorb expansion pressures around them.

Contractors add "air entrainment " admix but you must use a commercial quality mixer to get the benefit.

As for footing...throw some really coarse sand onto the surface while it is still unset.

[opus]

You'll still need to be trimming feet. No way around it.

[family wagon]

Originally Posted by Tango

As for footing...throw some really coarse sand onto the surface while it is still unset.

I like pressure washing the fines off after it's partially set, exposing the more coarse aggregates below. Adjust the set time and the pressure of the spray to control how deeply it cuts into the concrete and how rough the surface will be. I did this through a mask made of 1/8" hardboard once and it had a neat effect.

The foam beads tip is a good idea. It sounds much easier than air entrainment for a backyard DIY-level job.

[crazycal]

Just teach the goats to use the outhouse.

[bansil]

All good notes, Tango the barrel won't be moving, I purposely beat the snot out off the top with a ball pen hammer to stretch and then deform the metal, hitting from inside didn't even give a hollow noise,

Opus, I realize that now after checking feet out, pretty cool actually kind of like wearing steel toe shoes to protect feet (wishful thinking on my behalf)

[crazycal]

Originally Posted by opus

You'll still need to be trimming feet. No way around it.

I used small, sharp pruning shears.

[HolyBus]

You could drill holes in the barrel so any water that gets under the concrete will hopefully drain thru.