Product Overview
Instaseal is a tough, semi-permanent, water-based floor sealer and base coat using thermoplastic technology. It provides a durable surface for interior or exterior applications.
It is formulated to protect fine stone flooring, terrazzo, terracotta and concrete from foot traffic and trolley wear in busy public areas, and it resists water blotching, scuffing and black heel marks.
Which pack size do you need?
This is the 15 litre bulk pack — around 750 to 1,200 m² per coat, for contractors doing floor work at volume. The 5 litre suits smaller jobs.
Benefits
- Tenacious bond — bonds to porous surfaces to form a durable, non-slip surface with a low sheen.
- Wide surface suitability — marble and fine stone, concrete, terrazzo, slate, pavers and vinyl flooring.
- Base coat — an ideal foundation for high-gloss acrylic finishes such as Instagloss.
- Protection — prevents powdering and degradation of concrete and stone floors, and dramatically improves the cleanability of porous surfaces.
- Verified non-hazardous — see the safety section below. In a category where the topcoat carries a reproductive toxicity classification, that is worth knowing.
Why seal first?
Porous stone and concrete drink polish. Building gloss directly on an absorbent substrate takes more coats, costs more, and gives a poorer result because the finish keeps sinking in rather than levelling.
Sealing first solves three things at once:
- Fewer topcoats. Two coats of Instaseal cuts the Instagloss requirement from 3–5 coats to 2–3.
- Lower cost. Sealer is doing the filling; you are not paying gloss-finish prices to fill pores.
- Lower exposure. Instagloss is classified H360Df, reproductive toxicity. Fewer coats of it means less handling and less time in the space. Sealing first is a genuine safety improvement, not just a cost one.
Application areas and surface suitability
A topical floor sealer and base coat.
Slip resistance
Instaseal displays satisfactory slip resistance when tested to the Australian Standards. For large commercial projects, conduct site-specific slip testing to confirm the rating achieved on the actual substrate. Slip resistance is a property of the coating and the floor under it, and a commercial client will expect a tested figure rather than an assurance.
How to Use
Read the safety data sheet before use. Always pre-test in an inconspicuous location.
Preparation
Strip off old polish and wax residues with a floor coatings remover. Rinse thoroughly with clean water and let the floor dry completely. Sealer applied over residue or a damp floor will not bond, and the only fix is to strip it and start again.
Dilution
Ready to use. Do not dilute.
Application
- Apply 2 to 4 coats depending on porosity and expected traffic. If it is functioning as a base coat under Instagloss, 2 coats is the figure, followed by 2 to 3 coats of Instagloss.
- Apply with a clean polish applicator, spreading a thin coat using slightly overlapping strokes.
- Allow 30 to 40 minutes to dry.
- Apply subsequent coats at right angles to the previous coat for even coverage.
- Instagloss can go on as soon as the Instaseal is touch dry — you do not need to wait out a full cure between the two products.
- Allow at least 12 hours before returning the floor to normal use.
Repeated thin coats beat one heavy application. Coverage is 50–80 m² per litre per coat depending on porosity.
Maintenance
Maintain the sealed floor with ProNeutro neutral cleaner. On flat, smooth floors a higher sheen can be obtained by buffing.
Neutral is the operative word. An alkaline cleaner will progressively soften and dull a thermoplastic sealer, which is why floors maintained with general-purpose detergent stop responding to buffing.
Safety
Verified non-hazardous — and we checked.
Actichem’s safety data sheet for AP420 records Instaseal as a non-hazardous chemical and non-dangerous goods. No signal word, no hazard statements, no poisons schedule, pH 7. The sheet states that all ingredients are non-hazardous.
We are being explicit because we have been correcting a great many pages in this catalogue that claimed “non-hazardous” when the safety data sheet said otherwise — including Instagloss, the topcoat that goes over this product. This one is correct. We read the sheet and confirmed it.
One caveat we want to be open about
The published safety data sheet for AP420 is dated 2 July 2021 — the oldest current sheet we have found anywhere in the Actichem range, where almost everything else carries a 2025 revision. Its composition section also names no ingredients, CAS numbers or percentages at all, only the statement that all ingredients are non-hazardous.
We have no reason to think the classification is wrong. But it is a four-year-old document with thinner disclosure than the rest of the range, and we have asked Actichem for a current revision. We would rather tell you that than present it as freshly confirmed.
Specifications
| Product code | AP420.15 |
| Pack size | 15 litres |
| Product type | Water-based thermoplastic floor sealer and base coat |
| Appearance | Opaque blue liquid (SDS); white when dried down |
| Dilution | Ready to use |
| Coverage | 50–80 m² per litre per coat |
| Coats | 2–4; 2 when used as a base coat under Instagloss |
| Drying | 30–40 minutes between coats; 12 hours before normal use |
| pH | 7 (Actichem SDS). This listing previously stated 7.5. |
| WHS classification | Non-hazardous chemical |
| Signal word | None — not applicable |
| Hazard statements | None |
| Dangerous goods | Non-dangerous goods |
| Poisons schedule | None applicable |
| SDS referenced | Version 2.2, issued 2 July 2021 — see the caveat above |
Related Products
- Actichem Instaseal 5 litre — the same product in the smaller pack.
- Actichem Instagloss — the high-gloss topcoat. Read its safety section before you order it — it is classified H360Df, reproductive toxicity.
- Actichem ProNeutro — the neutral cleaner for maintaining sealed floors.
Safety Data Sheet
Actichem Instaseal safety data sheet (AP420, version 2.2, 2 July 2021)
SKU: AP420.15
Planning a floor sealing and finishing job and not sure how many coats of each product you need? Tell us the substrate, the area and the traffic. Getting the coat schedule right first time saves both product and a return visit.
