Way OT; concrete sealer on driveway

[Warren White]

I just had a new driveway poured. It looks great, and I am trying to decide if I should apply a sealer. I kind of guess that if I do I will be tied to resealing it periodically from now on. On the plus side, I assume that stains will be less apt to be permanent. Any thoughts you might care to share on the subject (either yup or nope)? What types of sealer do you recommend/suggest I avoid?

Thanks a lot!

Warren White

[Wes Bischel]

Warren,

When I built my garage years ago I had every intention of sealing the concrete as well. I was told by more than a few people not to do it because the sealer would make the floor "slick as snot" when it got wet. (not my quote, but an actual quote from a friend). This was ten plus years ago, so there may be newer products out that have addressed this problem.

Wes

[Chris Padilla]

http://www.aldonchem.com/index.html

I love this place. Great email communication and while the website has a bit of learning curve to it, they have great products. Do yourself a favor and order some sample kits to try out and see what you think.

[Warren White]

Warren,

When I built my garage years ago I had every intention of sealing the concrete as well. I was told by more than a few people not to do it because the sealer would make the floor "slick as snot" when it got wet. (not my quote, but an actual quote from a friend). This was ten plus years ago, so there may be newer products out that have addressed this problem.

Wes

Wes,
That was one of my fears, which is in fact born out by my neighbor's experience. Thanks for the input.

Warren

[Warren White]

http://www.aldonchem.com/index.html

I love this place. Great email communication and while the website has a bit of learning curve to it, they have great products. Do yourself a favor and order some sample kits to try out and see what you think.

Hi Chris,
I see we are 'neighbors.' I appreciate the URL. I looked it over and am currently suffering from information overload!!! Wow, do they cover the terrain. Thanks for the input; I am not sure that it made my decision easier, but it opened up a lot of options.

Warren

[Joe Pack]

Warren, look for a product having a high percentage of siloxane as the active sealing ingredient. It is expensive, and fairly specialized, so you will probably have to go to a concrete supplier to get it. Brand name is not critical, but the presence of the siloxane is. Most so-called "sealers" are just a plasticized coating that will wear off anywhere from 10 minutes to 10 days to 10 weeks after application, particularly where wear patterns exist. Essentially, they are Saran Wrap over concrete...not very tough if actually used. They make things shiny, and even slippery when wet, but even that doesn't last too long.

The siloxane will not just "seal" the concrete (a very porous material), but will actually penetrate and chemically bond with the top 1/4-1/2" of the concrete. The "new" concrete works much like GoreTex in that it will stop liquid water from penetrating, but will allow moisture below the concrete to evaporate. In other words, liquid molecules are blocked because they are too big, but gaseous molecules can pass through. With a siloxane-based product, you have a moisture barrier, not a coating that will wear off in no time.

I applied a siloxane product to my driveway 8+ years ago. It still beads water, but is not slippery because it is not a coating...it has chemically reacted with the concrete.

One caveat... the surface must be porous (read that as "not already coated, even with a curing compound) inorder for the siloxane to soak in and chemically bond. If the concrete has been coated with anything previously, you need to clean and pressure wash thoroughly before applying the siloxane.

Expensive (2-4 times more than the "as advertised on TV" stuff), and a bit of a bother, maybe, but you only seal one time instead of every year, and the stuff really does work!