Once clean, allow it to dry for at least 24 hours before applying
Once you've pressure washed your concrete, it's important to wait at least 24 hours before applying a sealer.
Oil leaks, blood, and sticky residues can absorb and result in stubborn stains. However, using a driveway sealant after pressure washing can help prevent these stains from becoming permanent features in your driveway.
While the only requirement is porosity, we typically recommend cleaning the concrete before sealing to avoid trapping any stains or making them harder to clean later. If pressure washing is possible, it is the best way to clean your concrete without the risk of discoloring the surface with a chemical cleaner.
Concrete sealer is a protective barrier that gives longevity to concrete and makes cleaning easy. If your concrete is new, you'll need to let it cure; wait at least one month before applying sealer. Before you apply it, check the weather.
Wait at least 30 days before sealing a new concrete surface—whether indoors or out—so that it has time to completely cure first. For the best results, the concrete surface should be clean and dry.
Instead of penetrating past the surface, these sealers bond to the surface of the concrete substrate. However, if the concrete is dirty and has not been cleaned, then the concrete sealer will not bond to the surface of the concrete.
Apply chlorine to the surface with a watering can and ideally scrub into the surface. Allow to dwell on the surface for 30mins before washing off with a hose or high-pressure cleaner.
Concrete typically takes 24 to 48 hours to dry enough for you to walk or drive on it. However, concrete drying is a continuous and fluid event, and usually reaches its full effective strength after about 28 days.
Use Concrete Sealer After Power Washing
It soaks up everything! An effective pressure wash cleans the pores of your concrete. Make sure to apply concrete sealer after pressure washing.
A strong enough power washer will blast most types of sealer off of concrete with ease. The trick is to make sure to pressure wash the entire surface area. For more sturdy sealers, it may take a few passes with the pressure washer to get it completely removed.
After pressure washing, sealing concrete significantly changes longevity and future maintenance. Because concrete is a porous material, stains like oil leaks, grease, and sticky residue are easily absorbed. But if you're going to seal your driveway or patio, we highly suggest you pressure wash first.
Another reason penetrating sealers are popular is they don't change the concrete's appearance when properly applied. The major concern is that there can be no other membrane cure or sealer on the concrete when applying, and the concrete must be at least 28 days old before application.
The excess moisture that is still present after a new driveway installation needs to completely evaporate before you seal the concrete. This evaporation is known as the curing process. As a rule of thumb, it takes approximately 28 days for new concrete to seal.
The answer depends on the surface's square footage. For large surfaces such as commercial floors, a sprayer is faster and way more efficient. Finally, for small surfaces, such as garages or any other exterior surface, a paint roller or any other type of roller will do the trick. Rolling is a less expensive process.
Concrete sealers are best applied in two thin coats. The first coat of sealer acts like a primer. Most of it will disappear into the concrete surface, and the concrete will probably look fairly unattractive after the first coat. The second thin coat will provide an even finish, color enhancement and gloss.
Clean With Basic Tools Before Driveway Sealing
To clean your driveway before sealing, you can use a jet washer, a strong detergent solution, and a scrub brush. Be sure to remove any loose debris or dirt from the surface and allow the driveway to dry fully before applying the sealer.
Curing plays an important role in strength development and durability of concrete. This is done by continuously wetting the exposed surface thereby preventing the loss of moisture from it. If water evaporates too quickly, it will weaken the finished product with stresses and cracking.
Another mistake to avoid is applying the sealer too thickly. Concrete sealer is supposed to dry quickly, but it won't if you put too much on, and this compromises its long-term effectiveness. It's better to apply it too thin and apply a second coat later.
During the late afternoon, any moisture present from condensation or morning dew will have evaporated off during the day. Also, both the surface temperature and air temperature are declining, creating a more favorable environment for concrete sealers to properly bond to the substrate and cure.
It is also for this reason that you cannot typically apply a concrete sealer before the thirty day curing period. If you apply a concrete sealer to a concrete slab that has not fully cured, then you risk ruining and harming the concrete's potential future strength.
Experts who recommend having a concrete surface sealed are doing their customers a big favor. Without this extra layer of protection, concrete will absorb moisture and may begin to crack, spall, flake, and discolor, among other things.
And while it may be tempting to apply a new coat of stain immediately after pressure washing, most experts recommend waiting at least 48 hours before applying any new products.