Sealing your concrete floors prevents damage – no matter how regularly your floors are used. So, if you want to ensure your concrete floors look and stay great for longer, sealing them is definitely a wise choice.
An unsealed concrete floor is going to be more reactive and sensitive to changes in temperature. It will freeze in cold climates and expand in warm ones. This can cause crumbling, chipping, and cracking.
While the advantages outweigh the negatives, there are some disadvantages that you should keep in mind before sealing your concrete driveway. Sealant can make the surface slippery. Sealants tend to dry down with a glossy or semi-glossy sheen that can be quite slick, especially when wet.
Concrete should be sealed to protect from mold and mildew.
When this moisture doesn't dry and the surface is left wet for an extended period of time, mildew begins to form and mold begins to grow. You'll know you have mold growing on your concrete by the greenish color that appears.
While you can expect that sort of life from your concrete, you'll likely end up replacing it sooner if you don't protect it. Without sealant, it'll suffer from discoloration, cracking or even crumbling. But when you opt to seal your concrete, you increase the chance that your concrete will last for those 25-30 years.
Acrylic Concrete Sealers: Acrylic sealers last 1-3 years before they need to be re-coated. Epoxy Coatings: Epoxy coatings last 5-10 years before they need to be re-coated. Urethane Coatings: Urethane coatings last 5-10 years before they need to be re-coated.
After discussing the factors you need to look for and the regional location of the project, in broad terms, Spring is in fact the best time of year to seal concrete. With its moderate temperatures and humidity levels, it tends to provide ideal conditions for the application and curing of sealers.
As we noted earlier, concrete sealers produce a very smooth surface on top of the concrete once it has fully cured, which gives your driveway valuable resistance to water, oil, and stains.
Sealers can be slippery. Sealing concrete can create a slippery surface, especially when wet.
Can Sealing Prevent Cracks on Concrete Surfaces? Concrete sealing can stop most types of concrete fractures. This fact is especially true if the crack is a result of poor-quality work in the concrete mix or site preparation. However, sealing can prevent future damage that may start from the top layer of the concrete.
The other benefit to sealing concrete is improved cleaning and maintenance. Sealers prevent spills and debris from staining the surface and make it much easier to clean.
Polyurethane sealers
Heftier than its acrylic counterpart, polyurethane sealer creates a thick layer of protection on top of the concrete surface. It also works well for both indoor and outdoor use and comes in both water-based and solvent-based forms. It's highly durable and provides great stain protection.
Leaving concrete unsealed will leave it with a flat look. The color will remain flatter and dull, in addition to the concrete remaining porous and easier to damage. Sealing the concrete will enhance the colors and give it more of a marble or mottled look, smoother and with richer colors.
If you are pouring concrete floors in any type of warehouse or heavy commercial setting, leaving them bare is asking for trouble. Vehicle traffic, chemicals, temperature changes, and other common industrial impacts can quickly damage bare concrete floors. If appearances are a concern, bare concrete is the wrong choice.
No matter if your concrete flooring is in your office, domestic kitchen, living area, or commercial space, it needs to be sealed properly. In this article we will be discussing concrete flooring sealers, what they are, how they work, and why they are so important.
Sealers, particularly solvent-based sealers, will darken concrete. If unevenly applied, it will create light areas where there is less sealer, and darker areas where there's more. If applied by sprayer, it may appear like “stripes”. Uneven roller application may leave darkened roller marks.
How long after sealing concrete can you walk on it? After applying the concrete sealer, avoid walking on the surface for 4-12 hours to allow the sealer to settle into the concrete's pores and to refuse moisture.
The acid washing of concrete is a requirement after the concrete has cured sufficiently, in order to remove surface efflorescence and to open the pores before sealing. This will help the sealer to penetrate and result in a superior bond between the sealer and the surface.
Another major drawback of sealed concrete flooring is their propensity for showing scratches and wear in high foot traffic areas.
As a general rule, sealing concrete driveways should be done with penetrating sealers, indoor floors with acrylic sealers, and concrete countertops with either an epoxy sealer or a polyurethane sealer.
Acrylics and epoxy topical sealants are the least expensive, but do require prep work. They aren't as durable and long-lasting as penetrating sealants.