Potassium Silicate is a mineral coating, and, as such, needs 24-48 hours of curing time before it is exposed to moisture. Days with dew, rain, and/or high humidity can cause streaking. Providing a cover over or projection above the new coating during the first 24-48 hours can help prevent streaking.

Always work ahead of the sun, e.g., work on the west facing wall in the morning. If applied in direct sunlight, Potassium Silicate will dry too quickly, which will affect the final color. Additionally, paint drying too quickly can leave roller and/or brush marks.

ALWAYS WORK AHEAD OF THE SUN AND IN SHADE WHEN POSSIBLE.

The absolute ideal performance conditions for Potassium Silicate Coating is application directly onto masonry. That said, you can still apply Potassium Silicate Coating over other paints, but we highly recommend removing as much of the previous paint as possible.

The benefits of Potassium Silicate (handling of freeze/thaw and salts) is greatly diminished if the majority of any previous paint is not removed.

One of the best features of Potassium Silicate Coating is that it bonds with the masonry—i.e., it gets absorbed by the masonry.

Different masonry will have varying absorption rates--more porous masonry will absorb Potassium Silicate much quicker. The rate of absorption will have an influence on the final color.

We're all familiar with using paper swatches to preview paint colors when we paint drywall. Don't do this with Potassium Silicate when you're painting masonry. Always assess colors on masonry--at minimum, a cinder block will work.