Effect of imitation fair-faced curing and protective coating on the durability of concrete

The insufficient curing and protection of fair-faced concrete results in its poor durability and decorative effect, thus probably causing substantial economic loss. In order to improve the durability and decoration of the concrete, the self-made imitation fair-faced concrete curing and protective coating was used to protect the concrete from degradation. The properties of the concrete with self-made imitation fair-faced coating were compared with two commercial curing and protective coatings. Experimental results reveal that the water retention rate and 28 d compressive strength ratio of concrete using nano-modified imitation fair-faced concrete curing and protective coating were 91.7% and 95.3% respectively. Besides, the water absorption rate was 16.9%, the contact angle was 141.99° and the chloride absorption reduction rate was 75.5%. XRD and SEM-EDS showed that more hydration products such as CH were generated, indicating a high degree of hydration. The imitation fair-faced concrete curing and protective coating has the effect of inner curing and outer protection and improves the durability of concrete.