Watco Etch & Clean

Watco Etch & Clean is a highly effective hydrochloric acid based etchant which removes surface laitance (a weak, cementitious dusty layer) from new, bare concrete prior to painting.

Best Uses

Watco Etch & Clean is the ideal way to prepare concrete and brickwork surfaces for painting. It removes surface laitance and also neutralises excess alkalinity in new concrete (concrete must be at least 4 weeks old before use), to help prevent new paint from flaking and peeling.

Application

Always ensure the surface is fully prepped prior to application:

Heavily contaminated concrete: Heavy grease deposits should be removed using Watco Concroff and flushed with clean water before being left to dry, prior to etching.
Particularly porous surfaces: Should be dampened slightly with water prior to applying Etch & Clean.

As a guide, new concrete should be left for four weeks to dry in the summer and six in the winter if you are intending to apply a water based coating after etching; eight weeks for a polypaspartic or high build coating (please contact our Technical Team for advice if you are unsure). 

Apply Etch & Clean to a maximum area of 20m² per 5 litres in conjunction with harsh scrubbing by a soft broom or machine, and leave for 15 minutes until all  frothing stops and the formulation has changed colour from pink to white/clear. Once the colour change has occurred the surface alkalinity has been fully neutralised.

Flush the area with generous amounts of water to remove all traces of Etch & Clean and allow the area to dry thoroughly before painting. Brush and vacuum the surface to remove any loosened particles of laitance. If a fine powdery film can still be easily removed from the surface, more etching with Watco Etch & Clean will be necessary.