Long story short, I had a stamped concrete patio poured 2yrs ago this May. The contractor stamped it too late so some areas had some crumbling. It looked fine for the first year, but over the first winter, some areas started to break away. I was pretty busy with project last summer and didn't want to reseal the patio until I was done. I ended up finishing up most of the projects and laying sod around October. So essentially I ran out of time, to do probably one of the easier jobs.
With the cold weather approaching I paid one of the workers who tar'd my driveway to come back and spray wet look solvent sealer over the patio to fill the cracks, and protect it from the winter and do any further damage. It was 60 degrees that day. He came back the next day when I was at work and it was high 30's low 40's and did it. So I am not sure if it looks milky/cloudy because it was done in the cold weather, or because the original sealer was water based…
I would like to fix it this summer, and looking over how to remove the sealer, there are different methods for solvent vs water based. So now I am not sure what the original sealer was.
What is the best approach for stripping the sealer off?
Pictures:
What it shouod have looked like, and did after first applied:
Best Answer
The best way is to test each removal technique, side by side in an inconspicuous area. Then compare the results. Photograph your progress, take notes.