What’s the Best Sealant for Concrete?
It’s worthwhile to help preserve your driveway or other concrete investment by sealing it with the right product, but what is the best sealant for concrete, overall? It certainly depends on the job, but don’t feel overwhelmed by the number of options available. Below, we focus on a few straightforward points to help narrow it down.
The Right Tool for the Job
Some concrete sealers are meant for indoors, such as products specifically formulated for use on new foundations. Other indoor products are meant to renovate or beautify decorative living room floors or even cement bar countertops that will have no other covering applied afterward. Highly specialized products are developed and marketed for exact purposes, and users can benefit by utilizing them as intended.
A product labeled for improving garage floors, for example, may be tested to hold up against petroleum-based spills like motor oil more so than, say, a product expressly intended to lock harmful radon gas from entering a person’s home through the foundation. Countless square feet of concrete a day are sealed outdoors on patios, walkways, and driveways. These areas endure years of traffic and the elements, again, calling for formulations tested and sold to stand up against these particular challenges.
Gamble at the Casino, Not on your Driveway
The sun’s relentless UV rays alone, for example, will eventually degrade even the very best sealant for concrete over time but, as with many things, we tend to get what we pay for.
A cheaper product will usually prove itself inferior to one that cost a bit more upfront and, often, winds up eventually costing homeowners more after having to strip it off and apply it much sooner, as is so often the case with areas like driveways. A low-cost option at a local big box store, for example, will be consistently outperformed by something with a little higher of an initial price tag, purchased from a supplier of cement materials, or even from a paint and coatings store trusted by professional contractors for the purpose.
It’s worth the investment, and that’s worth considering ahead of time rather than regretting decisions later on.
Using the Right Tool, the Right Way
Another factor that may help determine what the best sealant for concrete is for you is whether or not you already have certain equipment to use for the purpose. If so, some sprayers, for example, are designed for use only with solvent-based products or water-based products in mind. Deviating from this may cause harm to the equipment, poor results, or even physical danger. It’s important to be thoroughly familiar with the specifications of the equipment as well as the products.
A Clear Vision of your Clear Coat
Lastly, the best sealant for concrete for you may depend, also, on how you want the finished product to appear. There are glossier, wetter finishes or more satin, matte finishes, sealers that darken or intensify the colors or appearance of your surface, and other aesthetic considerations. More natural finishes have gained popularity and can be safer against slippery conditions where people walk, especially when wet.
Seal n’ Lock offers a professional line of industrial-grade products just as suitable for sealing concrete as they are for pavers. Ultimately, if you still have questions after narrowing it down, the best thing to do is to consult a supply house that specializes in these types of jobs, perhaps more so than someone whose job is also recommending the best cow manure on the next aisle over.
