A Three-Year Field and Laboratory Investigation to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Linseed Oil as a Concrete Sealer

Sealers are used to enhance concrete durability through their ability to prevent moisture penetration and chloride intrusion, consequently improving the freeze-thaw performance of the concrete and preventing corrosion of the steel reinforcement, respectively. This paper summarizes three years of comprehensive field and laboratory investigations which were undertaken at the University of Manitoba to study the effectiveness of boiled linseed oil/mineral spirits in comparison to silane and siloxane sealers. The field investigation examined the performance of three sealers applied to concrete pavements of a city street, provincial highway and airport apron in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The laboratory investigation included testing to evaluate salt water absorption/vapour transmission, abrasion, chloride intrusion, surface scaling resistance, and rapid freeze-thaw cycling on sealer performance. Test results indicated that the linseed oil sealer was the most effective sealer in reducing the intrusion of chloride ions into the concrete as well as reducing surface scaling, and remained effective when subjected to salt water absorption after abrasion.