Concrete is one of the most widely used structural materials due to its excellent strength and durability; however, its long-term performance can deteriorate as a result of various environmental degradation factors, leading to reinforcement corrosion,...
Concrete is one of the most widely used structural materials due to its excellent strength and durability; however, its long-term performance can deteriorate as a result of various environmental degradation factors, leading to reinforcement corrosion, surface delamination, and spalling. Applying surface coating systems is an effective and economical method to mitigate such deterioration, and is therefore commonly adopted for enhancing the durability of concrete structures. Accordingly, quantitatively evaluating the barrier performance of coatings used in buildings is an essential task. Previous studies have largely focused on high-performance coatings incorporating nanomaterials or functional additives, and have generally assessed resistance to individual degradation factors such as chloride ingress, carbonation, or water vapour transmission. In this study, four coating types most commonly used in building applications—water-based acrylic, silicone-based, epoxy-based, and polyurethane-based coatings—were evaluated with respect to major degradation mechanisms, including gas diffusion and permeability, chloride ingress, and carbonation. The results showed that, in terms of gas diffusion and permeation, epoxy- and polyurethane-based coatings exhibited excellent barrier performance comparable to multi-layer high-performance coating systems, while the silicone-based coating also demonstrated unexpectedly high gas-blocking capability. Conversely, the acrylic-based coating exhibited the highest gas permeability. Under chloride exposure, epoxy- and polyurethane-based coatings provided superior inhibition performance, whereas water-repellent and acrylic coatings were unable to effectively block moisture and chloride ion ingress under immersed and pressure-driven conditions. Carbonation tests similarly revealed that polyurethane- and epoxy-based coatings exhibited the highest resistance, while water-repellent coatings showed negligible protective effect, with carbonation depths comparable to uncoated specimens. The barrier-performance data obtained from this study for basic coating types commonly applied in building structures are expected to serve as foundational reference values for durability design and service-life prediction. Further investigations considering combined degradation environments, as well as additional durability indicators such as water-vapour transmission and solubility characteristics, are recommended. Keywords : concrete, deterioration, surface coating, diffusion coefficient, permeability coefficient, carbonation resistance, durability