WHAT IS THE BEST CONCRETE SEALER? Archives

25 February / Published in BEST CONCRETE SEALERS, WHAT IS THE BEST CONCRETE SEALER?

What is the Best Concrete Sealer?

When it comes to answering the question of what the best concrete sealer is, its hard to pin point one type of sealer for all applications. There are a lot of factors that go into choosing a sealer including application (driveway, patio, etc.), substrate (concrete, brick, masonry) and functionality (salt repellent, waterpoofer, oil repellent, decorative).

Below is a quick reference guide that highlights common applications, substrates and functionalities:

Concrete Driveway: If you are looking for deicing salt protection use a silane/siloxane blended sealer. If you are looking for oil and staining protection use a silane/siloxane with a stain protector like the Siloxa-Tek 8505.

Concrete Basement: If you have active moisture or water issues it is best to use a two step application by first using a densifying primer of a lithium silicate carrier, followed by a penetrating silane/siloxane product. If you do not have active moisture issues and are looking to proactively seal, use this fantastic all-in-one product found at homedepot.com

Concrete Blocks/Cinderblocks: Because of the porous nature of the concrete cinderblocks it is best to apply three to four coats of a penetrating silane/siloxane sealer.

Stone/Stucco/Slate/Bricks: Stone, stucco, slate and bricks are best protected using a penetrating, natural finish silane/siloxane sealer that will not encapsulate the substrate so it is still able to breathe.

Patio/Pavers/Pool Deck: When sealing a patio, pavers or pool deck it is best to first figure out the desired finish if you are looking for a natural/clear finish, low sheen or wet look/gloss. If you are sealing a salt water pool a silane/siloxane blend is going to be the best option to keep the pool deck from spalling and pitting. Keep in mind that the natural finish products are penetrating and give the longest lasting, best protection. Whereas low sheen and gloss finishes typically need to be reapplied on a more frequent basis.

Natural/Clear Finish: Penetrating silane/siloxane sealer

Low Sheen: Water based acrylic

Wet Look/Gloss: Solvent based acrylic

Waterproofing/Salt Protection: A penetrating silane/siloxane like this one that gets great reviews from HomeDepot.com

Oil/Staining Protection: Lowes.com offers this product in a concentrate so you get to control the mixing and application. It’s great to protect driveways from oil stains and leaf staining and backyard patios from BBQ grill and food stains.

The market for concrete sealers is crowded with products all professing the same level of protection, quality, and benefits. For consumers well versed in concrete, as well as for homeowners who just want to protect their homes, the plenitude of information is overwhelming. To make matters worse, there aren’t really any websites unconnected to companies that sell concrete sealers that give reliable information. Instead, most websites only offer information that directly supports their product, which may or may not be the best actual advice. That's why we created concretesealerreviews.com, we've tested, tried and reviewed each and every concrete sealer on the market giving you our take.