You decided to be proactive and get ahead of the game in maintaining your decorative concrete, so you sealed it knowing that would protect it and add to its longevity.  And, lo and behold, instead of revitalizing the beauty of the finish, you now have a cloudy mess … what happened?

Moisture Entrapment – More than likely, you’re seeing moisture that’s trapped in the fresh coat of sealer. Moisture in concrete can come from any number of sources – ground saturation, sprinklers, or power washing the concrete and not allowing enough dry time before applying the sealer.

Incompatible Sealers – Another possible explanation for cloudiness is the use of incompatible sealers – if you use a solvent based sealer on your concrete one year and then reseal it with a water based sealer the next time, a cloudy/hazy surface will be the result.  And, as a side note, white or blotchy appearances are more often found with water based sealers.

Too Many Coats of  Sealer – Sometimes too many reapplications of sealer cause a white, cloudy, and streaky finish that appears randomly over the surface of the concrete.

There’s only one simple fix for cloudy sealer if moisture entrapment is the source of the problem – apply a thin application of solvent to the sealed surface which re-wets the sealer and should allow the moisture to escape.

If that doesn’t work …

Generally, the only solution for the cloudy, hazy, blotchy sealer on your concrete is stripping off the sealer, cleaning the concrete, and then reapplying the sealer.  Contact the sealer manufacturer for the proper process and product to use to strip the sealer.  Be sure you read the product label to determine the manufacturer’s recommendation for adequate dry time, and let the surface completely dry before you reapply the sealer.