How We Test

Right now, every product comparison on this site is a data sheet comparison. No product has been sprayed, timed or photographed by us yet, and no page says otherwise. This page explains how the comparisons are built and how field tests will work once they start.

What each comparison is built from

Each product is compared on what its maker publishes, read from the current data sheet and linked on the page.

• Standard, type and class: ASTM C309 or C1315, Type 1, 1-D or 2, Class A or B, as the sheet states.
• Base and solids: water or solvent, resin, wax or acrylic, and the solids percentage if the sheet gives one.
• VOC: the g/L figure on the sheet, checked against the rules on our VOC limits page.
• Application rate: the square feet per gallon the sheet gives to meet its standard.
• Dissipation or removal: whether the film breaks down, how long that takes, and what the sheet says about flooring and coatings later.
• Package sizes and sheet date: so you can tell whether the sheet is current.

When a sheet does not list a number, the page says "not listed" instead of filling the gap.

How prices are checked

A price appears only if it was read from a retailer or supplier page on a stated date, and that page is linked next to the price. Prices change often, so treat them as a snapshot. The curing compound cost page shows how each cost per square foot is worked out.

What we do not do

• No star ratings, scores or "editor's choice" badges.
• No claims of performance beyond what a data sheet, standard or cited source says.
• No paid placement. A product is included because buyers use it, not because its maker asked.

Field tests we plan to run

Where a side-by-side trial would answer a real question, the page is flagged for one. The planned method keeps everything but the product the same:

1. Test panels cast from one concrete pour with the same finish.
2. Each product sprayed at its data sheet rate, measured by weighing the sprayer before and after.
3. Air temperature, humidity and wind recorded at application.
4. Photos at 1, 7 and 28 days, in the same light, for film, gloss and color.
5. A water drop test on every panel at 28 days to show which films remain.

Each test will get a written record with dates, product lot numbers and photos. A page will say "we tested" only when that record exists, and the record will be linked from the page.

Found something out of date?

Makers revise data sheets. If a number here no longer matches the current sheet, email contact@concretecuringcompound.com with the product name and a link to the new sheet. Corrections are handled as set out in the editorial policy.