Things You Need to Know When Sealing Concrete Driveways

Your concrete driveway, without any type of sealers applied, may be vulnerable to wear and tear from any kind of source. Be it your car or simply nature, your unsealed concrete driveway can instantly shred your money into nothing.

Applying sealers has proven to help a lot of home and property owners in maintaining their concrete driveways. Concrete surfaces are known to be porous, which means that a minimal amount of moisture can already damage the concrete in a matter of time. These surfaces can still live without sealers, but sealers prolong and extend the lifespan of your concrete surfaces and can even give you more added benefits in the long run.

Now, before you look for sealers, you must know the following things first when sealing your concrete driveways.

Sealers Have Different Types

Coming up to the store and asking for an unspecified sealer are just some of the things that you must not do in front of a store owner. You see, there are differences among the types of sealers so save yourself from scratching your head and do yourself a favour by knowing your sealers.

• Acrylic resin-based sealers: These sealers lay down a film of acrylic resin on top of a surface, which provides excellent performance relative to their inexpensive cost. If you want a sealer that lasts longer for your concrete driveway, then go for the pure acrylic resin variant.
• Epoxy or polyurethane sealers: A more expensive option, an epoxy or polyurethane sealer provides a thicker layer on the surface, which can be slippery when applied to patio or walkway. These sealers don’t let moisture out of the concrete, which can be a problem since trapped moisture can cause white haze to form between the concrete and the sealer layer.
• Penetrating sealers: As the name suggests, a penetrating sealer can penetrate through the concrete and form a chemical barrier to water, oil, and other contaminants that cause wear and tear on the concrete surface. This kind of sealer can effectively protect concrete surfaces against stains and other harmful elements.

Sealers Vary in Gloss Levels

Concrete sealers have different levels of gloss or shininess. The gloss level is categorized on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the highest level. Gloss level of 80 to 100 gives you a gloss to the high-gloss surface, which is found on solvent-based sealers. Water-based sealers, on the other hand, give you a gloss level of 50 to 80 that can produce a matte or semi-gloss surface. A no-gloss surface with a gloss rating of 0 is evident with penetrating sealers.

Preparation, Application, and Maintenance

Once you have your sealers on hand, all you have to do is to prepare your concrete surface, apply the sealer, and maintain your concrete surface. Before applying the sealer, you must see to it that your concrete surface is clean and dry so that the sealer can stick on the surface tightly. Soap, degreaser, and patches can be used to clean the concrete.

One more important thing before you apply the sealer is to protect yourself from it. Wear gloves, long sleeves, trousers, and eye protection so that the sealer won’t have any harmful effect on you. For more in-depth instructions, read the label directions of the sealer.

Through a roller or a sprayer, apply the concrete sealer completely on the concrete surface. Apply two or three thin coats of sealer on the surface, but allow each coat to dry first before applying another coat.

Maintenance can be easy once the concrete surface is fully sealed. Simple cleaning is enough through soap and water. Areas that are worn can be fixed with just a light application of sealer. Depending on the status of your concrete surface, the resealing action must be planned and done every one to three years.

Now that you are somehow knowledgeable about concrete sealers, it is time for you to test out and buy some sealers for your concrete driveways. If you want to buy high-quality concrete sealers, then contact us at Auseal. We can help and guide you with everything regarding sealing your concrete surface.

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