Fosroc Nitoflor Lithurin M
A sodium-silicate liquid hardener and dustproofer that chemically densifies concrete floors to stop dusting and lift abrasion resistance, at a fraction of the cost of a coating.
What is it?
A milky, water-based liquid surface treatment based on a sodium silicate solution. It is a penetrating chemical hardener and dustproofer for concrete and granolithic floors, not a film-forming coating or screed.
Where is it used?
Warehouses, factory aisles, godowns, parking decks, loading bays, old dusty concrete floors and pre-cast yards across Delhi NCR and Pan-India, wherever a bare concrete slab needs to be sealed against dusting.
Why use it?
It eliminates surface dusting, hardens the wear surface and improves resistance to oils, greases and common chemicals, the lowest-cost way to extend the life of a plain concrete floor without laying a topping.
How is it applied?
Diluted 1:1 with water for the first coat on old/porous slabs, then applied undiluted in subsequent coats by broom, brush, mop or spray at roughly 1 litre per 10 m2 per coat, typically 2 to 3 coats. Surplus is removed within 2 hours; the floor opens to traffic 24 hours after the final coat.
About Fosroc Nitoflor Lithurin M
Fosroc Nitoflor Lithurin M is a clear-to-milky liquid floor hardener and dustproofing compound based on a sodium silicate (water-glass) solution. It belongs to Fosroc’s Nitoflor industrial flooring range and sits at the entry point of that range: rather than building a thickness on top of the slab the way an epoxy or polyurethane system does, Lithurin M soaks into the existing concrete and reacts chemically with it. The result is a denser, harder, dust-free wearing surface produced from the slab the floor already has.
The “M” denotes the milky water-based grade familiar to most Indian contractors. Its job is narrow but valuable: take a plain power-floated or trowel-finished concrete floor, or an old slab that has started to powder under foot and forklift traffic, and convert the top few millimetres into a tightly bound, low-dust surface. For a distribution warehouse, a manufacturing shop floor or a parking basement, that often removes the single biggest day-to-day complaint, fine cement dust settling on stock, machinery and vehicles.
Because it is a treatment and not a coating, Lithurin M does not change the appearance of the floor beyond a slight sheen, does not delaminate the way a thin paint film can, and asks for no special application skill or equipment. That combination, low cost, simple application and a genuine improvement in durability, is why it remains a default specification for large plain-concrete areas where a full resin floor cannot be justified.
The technical insight
The chemistry is the whole story. Sodium silicate carried in water penetrates the open pore structure of the concrete and reacts with free lime (calcium hydroxide) and other soluble cementitious by-products left over from hydration. That reaction forms insoluble calcium-silicate crystals inside the pores. Two things happen at once: the free lime that causes dusting is chemically consumed and locked up, and the new crystalline growth blocks the capillaries so the surface becomes denser and less absorbent. This is why Fosroc describes the finish as penetrative and permanent, the hardening happens within the cementitious matrix rather than as a superficial skin that can wear or peel off. The same pore-blocking effect is what lowers absorbency and lifts resistance to oils, greases and many common chemicals. The practical corollary for the applicator is that the treatment can only work where it can penetrate: laitance, curing membranes and old coatings must be removed first, and the slab must be dry, because moisture and surface skin both stop the silicate reaching the lime it needs to react with.
Where it is used
- Surface hardening and dustproofing of new concrete floors once they have cured (minimum 14 days)
- Rescuing old, worn and dusting concrete floors in warehouses and godowns
- Sealing of plain concrete in distribution centres, factory shop floors and storage areas
- Hardening floors in light-to-medium industrial units subject to foot and forklift traffic
- Treating granolithic toppings, power-floated and vacuum-dewatered concrete
- Dustproofing of parking decks, loading bays and service corridors
- Curing-and-hardening of pre-cast concrete products and pavers
- Pre-treatment of slabs being assessed before a heavier topping or coating decision
Key advantages
- Chemically hardens the wear surface from within, producing a more durable finish than skin-forming treatments
- Eliminates surface dusting by consuming the free lime that causes it
- Improves abrasion resistance and extends the service life of the floor
- Reduces absorbency and improves resistance to oils, greases and commonly used chemicals
- Very economical, the lowest-cost route to a sealed, dust-free concrete floor
- Simple to apply by broom, brush, mop or spray, no special equipment or skilled labour needed
- Water-based, non-toxic and non-flammable, suitable for occupied and food-adjacent premises with good housekeeping
- Does not build a film that can delaminate, and leaves only a slight sheen rather than changing the floor’s look
- Lowers ongoing maintenance and cleaning cost for large plain-concrete areas
Limitations & considerations
- It is a hardener/dustproofer, not a decorative or heavy-duty coating, it adds no measurable thickness and no colour
- Cannot deliver the chemical resistance, hygiene or impact performance of an epoxy or PU screed (e.g. Nitoflor or Ucrete systems)
- Works only by penetration, so laitance, existing coatings and curing membranes must be fully removed first
- Requires a dry substrate, it will not react properly on damp or green concrete
- New concrete must cure 14 days, and coloured/pigmented floors 28 days, before treatment
- On very dense, well-trowelled or power-floated slabs penetration is limited and a single coat may be all that is achievable
- Surplus must be removed within about 2 hours, ponding/puddling leaves a weak glossy silicate film that is hard to wash off
- Effectiveness on a given floor and its resistance to specific chemicals should be confirmed with Fosroc and a trial area
Selection & best practice
Start with surface preparation, this product lives or dies on penetration. The slab must be structurally sound, dry and free of laitance, oil, grease and any existing coating; degrease and wash contaminated areas and let them dry, and repair cracks/holes with a Fosroc repair mortar that is allowed to cure first. Respect the cure windows: 14 days for new concrete, 28 days for coloured floors (test a small area first to check the effect on colour). For old, dusty or porous slabs, dilute Nitoflor Lithurin M 1:1 with water for the first coat so the low-viscosity solution is drawn deep into the pores, then apply subsequent coats undiluted. Apply at roughly 1 litre per 10 m2 per coat with a soft broom or brush, normally 2 to 3 coats, dense power-floated or granolithic surfaces often need only one. Critically, let each coat soak for up to 2 hours and then squeegee off any solution that has not been absorbed; never let it puddle. Allow 24 hours between coats with the floor dry, and open to traffic 24 hours after the final coat once it is dry and free of tackiness. For estimating, the verified coverage is 5.0 m2/litre over 3 coats, 7.5 m2/litre over 2 coats and 10.0 m2/litre for a single coat, add about 10% for surface irregularities and wastage. If the floor will later be over-coated with paint, tile or a topping, evaluate and remove the sheen first and consult Fosroc/Space Arc before specifying.
Specifications
| Product type | Liquid concrete floor hardener & dustproofing compound |
| Base chemistry | Sodium silicate solution (water-based) |
| Appearance | Milky liquid |
| Mechanism | Penetrates and reacts with free lime/cementitious components to form insoluble crystals |
| Dilution (first coat, old/dusty floors) | 1:1 with water; subsequent coats undiluted |
| Application method | Spray, squeegee, broom or mop / soft brush |
| Application rate | Approx. 1 litre per 10 m2 per coat |
| Number of coats | Typically 2-3; single coat on dense/power-floated/granolithic surfaces |
| Coverage (1 coat) | 10.0 m2 per litre |
| Coverage (2 coats) | 7.5 m2 per litre |
| Coverage (3 coats) | 5.0 m2 per litre |
| Wastage allowance | Add ~10% for surface irregularities |
| Soak / surplus removal | Allow up to 2 hours absorption; remove unabsorbed surplus |
| Recoat interval | 24 hours (floor must be dry) |
| Open to traffic | 24 hours after final coat (dry, no tackiness) |
| New concrete cure before treatment | 14 days (coloured floors 28 days) |
| Suitable substrates | Concrete and granolithic surfaces; pre-cast products |
| Pack size | 20 litre pails |
| Shelf life | 6 months stored at 10-30 C in dry conditions |
| Health & fire | Non-toxic; non-flammable |
Industry use cases
Warehousing & logistics
Dustproofing large plain-concrete floors in distribution centres and godowns so settling cement dust no longer contaminates stored goods and forklift traffic does not raise powder.
Manufacturing & light industry
Hardening shop-floor and aisle slabs subject to foot and trolley traffic where a full resin floor is not budgeted, improving abrasion resistance and reducing maintenance.
Cold-storage & FMCG storage
Sealing bare concrete in storage halls to cut airborne dust around packaged and food-adjacent goods, applied with good housekeeping as the product is non-toxic.
Parking & infrastructure
Treating parking decks, basements, loading bays and service corridors to bind the surface and limit dusting under vehicle movement.
Pre-cast & concrete products
Hardening and dustproofing pre-cast units, pavers and granolithic toppings at the yard to improve surface durability before dispatch.
Refurbishment of old floors
Rescuing aged, powdering concrete floors with a 1:1 diluted first coat to drive the silicate deep into worn, porous slabs and re-bind the surface.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nitoflor Lithurin M a coating or a paint?
How much Nitoflor Lithurin M do I need per square metre?
How long before I can use the floor?
Can I apply it to a brand-new concrete floor?
Will it make the floor chemical- and waterproof?
What is the difference between Nitoflor Lithurin M and an epoxy floor like Nitoflor SL?
How we position Fosroc Nitoflor Lithurin M
Nitoflor Lithurin M is Fosroc’s economical, entry-level answer to one specific problem: a bare concrete floor that dusts and wears. It is the right product when the brief is “seal and harden this slab cheaply,” not when the brief calls for chemical resistance, hygiene certification, impact toughness or a built-up wearing course. Within the Fosroc range, contractors who need more should step up to the Nitoflor resin family, Nitoflor self-levelling epoxy floors for smooth, chemical-resistant finishes, Nitoflor PU screeds for thermal-shock and wet/heavy-duty environments, and dry-shake metallic or non-metallic floor hardeners (Nitoflor Hardtop range) where the hardener is broadcast into fresh concrete rather than applied to a cured slab. For a true liquid densifier with similar intent, Lithurin M is the milky water-based grade in the same family as other Lithurin variants. Against the wider market, the closest competitors are silicate/lithium densifiers and hardeners such as Sika’s Sikafloor sodium/lithium silicate hardeners and Master Builders Solutions MasterTop and MasterKure densifier products; for the heavier resin work it sits below, Sikafloor epoxy/PU systems and MBS Ucrete are the credible alternatives Indian specifiers will benchmark against. As an authorised Fosroc distributor and applicator across Delhi NCR and Pan-India, Space Arc Engineering can supply Nitoflor Lithurin M, advise where a simple densifier is genuinely enough, and specify the right Nitoflor or Ucrete system when it is not.
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