STP ShaliCure AL WB
A water-based, silver-reflective sodium silicate curing membrane that locks moisture into freshly placed concrete and reflects solar heat, cutting early-age shrinkage cracking on slabs, decks and water-retaining structures.
What is it?
A one-part, water-based concrete curing compound built on sodium silicate and pigmented with aluminium. It dries to a silver, pore-blocking film over green concrete.
Where is it used?
Large exposed pours where wet curing is hard to sustain – roof decks, canals, dams, water channels, retaining walls, columns and industrial floors.
Why use it?
It holds mixing water inside the slab for fuller cement hydration, while its reflective silver film bounces off solar heat, so you get stronger, less-cracked concrete without ponding or wet hessian.
How is it applied?
Spray evenly over the surface once bleed water has gone (or straight after formwork strip on verticals); brush, broom or roller if no sprayer. Ready to use, no dilution.
About STP ShaliCure AL WB
STP ShaliCure AL WB is the aluminised, water-based member of the ShaliCure curing family, aimed squarely at the problem every site in an Indian summer faces: fresh concrete losing its mixing water to sun and wind before the cement has finished hydrating. Instead of relying on labour to keep surfaces continuously wet, you spray on a single ready-to-use coat that forms a continuous silver film across the slab. That film does two jobs at once – it blocks the concrete pores so evaporation is checked, and its aluminium pigment reflects a large share of incoming solar radiation, keeping the peak surface temperature down during the critical first day.
The chemistry is deliberately simple and low-risk. It is a one-part sodium silicate liquid, non-hazardous, non-flammable and, importantly for green-building work, zero-VOC. It carries ASTM C 309-81 and BS 7542 approvals, dries in two to three hours, and needs no removal – the membrane weathers off naturally over time on most surfaces. For contractors it means faster curing coverage over big areas, fewer curing-related cracks, and none of the water logistics that ponding or wet-covering demand on remote or elevated pours.
The technical insight
Concrete gains strength only while there is enough internal moisture for cement grains to keep hydrating. In hot, windy conditions the top few millimetres dry out first, hydration stalls at the surface, and the resulting tensile stresses show up as plastic-shrinkage and early-age cracking. ShaliCure AL WB works on both drivers of that moisture loss. As the water-based sodium silicate cures, it leaves a non-penetrating film that seals the surface pores, so the water the mix already contains stays in the slab and drives hydration to a more complete finish. At the same time the suspended aluminium pigment makes the film genuinely reflective – it throws back solar radiation rather than absorbing it, which lowers the peak surface temperature and reduces the steep thermal and moisture gradients that pull young concrete apart. Because it is applied as a thin sprayed membrane rather than a penetrant, uniform coverage with no dry spots is what governs performance; every gap is a spot where water can still escape.
Where it is used
- Roof decks and other large exposed horizontal slabs
- Canals, dams, water channels and water-retaining structures
- Retaining walls, columns and vertical concrete after formwork strip
- Industrial and commercial concrete floors
- Precast concrete elements and yard-cast units
- Infrastructure pours in hot, windy climates where wet curing is impractical
- Bridge decks and pavement-quality concrete needing solar-heat control
Key advantages
- Cuts water loss from green concrete for fuller cement hydration and higher realised strength
- Silver aluminium film reflects solar radiation, lowering peak surface temperature
- Reduces the risk of plastic-shrinkage and early-age cracking
- Single-coat, ready-to-use spray – no dilution, no continuous wet-curing labour
- Zero VOC, non-hazardous and non-flammable – suited to green-building and enclosed sites
- Meets ASTM C 309-81 and BS 7542
- Fast 2-3 hour drying keeps follow-on trades moving
- Membrane weathers away naturally – no separate removal step on most surfaces
Limitations & considerations
- Below +10C the product thickens and becomes difficult to spray
- Freshly coated areas must be protected from rain for at least 2-3 hours
- Overspray etches glass, aluminium and polished surfaces unless washed off immediately with water
- Adding water to the product is prohibited – it must be used as supplied
- Coverage is nominal (4-6 m2/L/coat) and drops on rough, porous or high-wastage surfaces
- Six-month shelf life in sealed containers, so stock should be rotated
Selection & best practice
Apply as early as the surface allows – spray a single even coat as soon as the bleed water has disappeared after final toweling, and on vertical work spray immediately after the formwork comes off. Make sure the surface is free of oil and stains for good adhesion, and stir the drum on a slow-speed paddle to a homogeneous silver before use; it is ready to use, so never add water. Where a sprayer is not available, lay it on with a soft brush, broom or wide-nap roller once the concrete is hard enough. Work systematically and leave no dry spots – touch up thin or missed patches, because uneven film is where evaporation restarts. Keep the coated area rain-free for 2-3 hours, and immediately wash any overspray off glass, aluminium or polished surfaces with water before it etches. When switching equipment from a solvent-based membrane, flush it with STP Thinner and then water to prevent clogging.
Specifications
| Type | One-part water-based, aluminium-pigmented sodium silicate curing compound |
| Form & Colour | Silver coloured liquid |
| Standards | ASTM C 309-81 / BS 7542 |
| Density | 1.20 +/- 0.05 gm/cc |
| Coverage | 4-6 m2 per litre per coat (varies with surface profile, porosity, wastage) |
| Drying time | 2-3 hours |
| pH | 9-11 |
| Packaging | 20 kg and 250 kg sealed drums |
| Shelf life | 6 months in unopened sealed containers, stored 5-38C away from heat and sunlight |
Industry use cases
Highways & Infrastructure
Curing pavement-quality concrete and bridge decks in open sun, where the reflective film controls surface temperature and the spray covers large areas fast without wet-curing crews.
Water Retaining Structures
Sealing moisture into canals, dams, water channels and reservoir walls so the concrete hydrates fully and stays crack-resistant – directly relevant to long-term watertightness.
Industrial & Warehouse Floors
Curing large floor slabs uniformly to reduce shrinkage cracking and surface dusting, with a zero-VOC product acceptable inside enclosed buildings.
Precast Yards
Fast single-coat curing of repetitive precast units and panels, freeing casting beds sooner without ponding or covering.
High-Rise & Roof Decks
Curing elevated roof slabs and decks where ponding water is impractical, while the reflective membrane limits solar heat gain during early age.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to remove ShaliCure AL WB after curing?
How much area does one drum cover?
Can I thin it with water for easier spraying?
How is it different from a white wax-emulsion curing compound?
Is it safe to use inside enclosed buildings?
What if it rains soon after application?
How we position STP ShaliCure AL WB
Within STP’s own ShaliCure range, choose the variant to match the pour: ShaliCure AL WB is the aluminised, solar-reflective option for hot, exposed work; ShaliCure SS (sodium silicate, transparent or white) suits jobs where a visible silver finish is unwanted; and the ShaliCure Acrylate WB grades are the resin-based route where you later need a bonded topping. Where a wet-cure workflow is preferred instead of a membrane, we also supply curing compounds and accessories from Fosroc and Dr. Fixit. Pair AL WB with the concrete-repair and admixture lines we carry so the whole placing-to-curing sequence comes from one supplier.
Fosroc Concure A — Specifiers standardised on the Fosroc system, or needing a resin-based reflective (Type 2 white) curing membrane with an aromatic-solvent option, may prefer Concure A over the sodium-silicate ShaliCure AL WB.
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