Concrete carbonation, as long as chloride ion, is the main cause of corrosion in reinforced
concrete structures. Away from marine environments, carbonation-induced corrosion would be the
corrosion mechanism in reinforced concrete. After carbonation occurred, plain reinforcing steel bars are
known to corrode actively. The objective of this investigation was to study the performance of concrete
coatings as an alternative to avoid carbonation of concrete elements, and therefore, corrosion of the
reinforcement. Two different coatings (vynil-acrylic and acrylic) were employed in concrete specimens
to monitor the carbonation progress. Concrete specimens were cylindrical in shape, cast using three
water/cement ratios. The specimens were carbonated in an accelerated carbonation chamber at 4% CO2
and 60% RH. The results indicated that the acrylic and good-quality vinyl-acrylic coatings successfully
reduced the carbonation rate of the concrete specimens; regular- and low-quality vinyl-acrylic coatings
did not reduced the carbonation rate. Acrylic coatings may be a good material to prevent further concrete
carbonation under inland tropical environments.