Method for treating concrete

A method for treating uncured concrete, comprising the steps of:

• i. pouring concrete to form a first concrete layer having an exposed surface;
• ii. applying a treating composition onto the exposed surface of said concrete layer,
• wherein said treating composition comprises:
• (a) from 5 wt % to 70 wt % of a water borne polymeric binder wherein said binder comprises as copolymerized units from 0.2 wt % to 10 wt % of at least one of an ethylenically unsaturated phosphate monomer or an ethylenically unsaturated phosphonate monomer, and
• (b) a liquid selected from the group consisting of water and solvent,
• wherein said applying is performed before said concrete layer has fully cured;
• wherein said applying is performed by spraying at a spray rate of from 100 to 300 g/m2.