Concrete sealers have various properties that make them uniquely applicable for different situations and concrete surfaces. For one, general aesthetic can vary greatly from sealer to sealer, depending on the application and product. Concrete sealers, curing compounds, densifiers, hardeners, and concrete finishing products have different and sometimes shared purposes. From general weather resistance properties, to improving overall appearance, or increasing impact resistance, concrete sealers play an integral role in the finishing of various concrete surfaces and general landscape concrete designs.
Choosing the right concrete sealing product can be difficult, and that’s why we’ve outlined some of the options out there, and the characteristics / use-cases for each one.
As opposed to concrete mix-additives, these products are generally after cure, or hardening, of concrete surfaces. Although, there are products utilized with the curing process too.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Concrete Penetrating Sealers (general)
Acrylic Sealers (Surface Coating) – Residential & Landscape
Floor / Concrete for Applying Typical Sealing Products
Other Concrete Sealer Additives
Concrete Sealers & Compounds – Misc. Standards
Concrete Epoxy Sealers
Concrete Sealing Oils
Floor Hardeners & Concrete Densifiers
Dry Shake Hardeners
Polishing Products w/ Sealing Properties
Joint Sealers
Concrete Curing Compounds
Summary
Concrete Penetrating Sealers
A penetrating sealer provides another method as opposed to surface acrylic concrete sealers which prevents against water intrusion, by penetrating deep into the concrete surface to protect the concrete. They work by embedding chemicals into the pores in concrete elements.
A penetrating concrete sealer is not like a surface acrylic or surface-film sealer, as in, you will not get the same aesthetic effect, but rather just the properties of durability. Penetrating sealers are great where actual wear and tear on the surface of the concrete could be an issue.
Many concrete penetrating products promote hardening or densification. Some are more for water-tightness. Application varies greatly.
For instance, in an underground parkade, the penetrating sealer might be best because it allows for the water intrusion prevention benefits of acrylic sealers but without the negative consequences associated with surface sealer products that can deteriorate as for instance, with vehicles driving on top of the surface.
Due to the strength of these products they can be utilized for smooth trowel concrete surfaces like garage slabs or smooth interior floor slabs. That is not to say they can’t be used in broom-finish environments also, they can.
In out-door conditions a penetrating concrete sealer helps to prevent freeze/thaw condition cracking in concrete elements, and repels water and moisture.
Even though many concrete penetrating sealers are marketed for vertical applications, they should not be confused with actual concrete waterproofing products or methodology.
Typical Residential / Landscape Uses for Penetrating Sealers
A broom finish concrete driveway is another common use case of a penetrating sealer. Broom finish concrete such as sidewalks, driveways and patios, is cost-effectively sealed with penetrating sealers. The more open pores of broom finish concrete make penetrating sealers effective for water repellence and freeze/thaw protection.
Photo Above: Penetrating concrete sealers provide strong protection but with less actual aesthetic benefit. Concrete penetrating treatments can also be indicative of hardening and densifying applications.
Acrylic Sealers (Surface Coating)
Acrylic sealers give that high performance look and feel which is sought after when it comes to stamped concrete.
While an acrylic sealer is not always warranted for use cases like a broom finish concrete, an acrylic sealer is perfect for stamped concrete. Stamped concrete has unique patterns and textures which benefit greatly from the implementation of acrylic sealers because acrylic sealers generally provide a totally shiny, gloss, and unique aesthetic to the stamped concrete design of your choice. Acrylic sealers literally provide a film on the surface of the concrete.
Typical options differ from solvent-based to water-based acrylic coatings. For non-colored acrylic sealers you want a non-yellowing cure and seal product generally speaking because it is going to look best.
An acrylic sealer will give concrete what is known as a wet look. The sealer can totally transform the look of dull grey concrete elements. Mild sheen from acrylic sealers can also work well on stained/painted/colored concrete surfaces. Varying levels of strength of acrylic sealers can be utilized for varying levels of traffic on concrete surfaces.
Photo Above: Concrete sealing products (acrylic) are perfect to establish surface protection and enhanced aesthetic for stamped concrete or exposed aggregate concrete.
Overview of Acrylic Sealing Products
- Perfect for patios, driveways, sidewalks, pool decks, and concrete balconies.
- Not intended for high traffic durability or hardening of concrete surfaces.
- Can be found in non-yellowing and a variety of color packs to add extra style to your concrete surfaces.
- Ideal for residential and landscape concrete.
- Can be optioned for matte, satin, semi-gloss, and high-gloss – versatile from a design perspective.
- Can be optioned as moisture barrier for aiding in concrete curing.
- Can reduce concrete dusting.
Although some acrylic sealing products are marketed for industrial and commercial purposes, if true durability and hardening are your goals, other products as listed further below in this post may be more viable.
Application of Sealing Products – Floor Finishing
As is typical when applying any sort of coating or application to a concrete surface, sealers require the correct conditions for application. For instance, for one, the curing of the concrete is important. You want the surface of the concrete to be cured and set properly, sometimes after 30 days or 60 days following the initial pour. However, with some other products faster applications may be possible.
Obviously with direct application you will want to put forth the proper conditions for application of the product including the temperature, surface conditions, cleaning, etc.
Spray applying, as opposed to roll applying some concrete sealing products should give a better spread and final finish to the desired outcome of the sealing and concrete surface as a whole. Having the proper footwear if you need to walk over the surface of the sealed concrete is also essential.
Different products are used for different use cases, from freshly cured concrete hard, to totally cured concrete.
Note: Some concrete sealing products are very strong, and can damage actually damage plastic, so metal trays are best for roll-on applications.
Other Concrete Sealer Additives
GRIT / GRIP
You can add traction additives to your concrete sealer to add grit and grippyness. This is great for trowel finish concrete. While broom finish concrete already has traction, trowel finish concrete is best for additives like grit because it is smooth and can be slippery in winter or rainy conditions for instance.
MATTE FINISH
If you have an acrylic product sealer you can opt for a matte additive finish. Acrylic is a surface sealer so it typically gives a wonderful sheen to the surface of concrete items, but you can also imitate matte finishes like regular concrete to get a different aesthetic.
COLOR / TONE
Concrete sealing products can also be had in color, atleast depending on the manufacturer, such as a brown tone or shaded acrylic sealer. Still the gloss or semi-gloss sealers will slightly darken the appearance of most concrete, you can go darker, or with various color packs.
Concrete Sealers & Compounds: Misc. Standards
The reference-able standards for concrete sealing products are as follows. These documents are nationally or even sometimes internationally recognized, so when doing big jobs, to avoid quality issues, depending on the application, try and get a product that is certified to a standard!
- ASTM C 1315
- ASTM C309
- ASTM F 710
- AASHTO M 148
- EN 13892-4
- ASTM C779
Technically your adherence to a project specifications supersedes the requirements for installation or even product specification detailed guidelines.
Concrete projects, such as commercial or larger residential, often make reference to standards such as these seen above.
Concrete Epoxy Sealers
Epoxy sealing is an application of epoxy product for concrete surfaces that includes for products that are surface applied. Epoxy products come in various colors, finishes, and provide lasting durability, can be combined with grits for extra traction, and various color combinations.
Epoxy is not a traditional concrete sealer, more so to be understood as a finishing product for floors. Epoxy coating products are more expensive, for the simple reason that they are a premium finish. If you are looking to get a professional epoxy install for your garage or basement concrete floor, contact the team from Deluxe Concrete Services, they’re experts in installing this product for garages or other rooms you might want epoxy, like a mechanical room.
Photo Above: Sealing concrete products utilizing epoxy is best done with spiked attachments for shoes to ensure the finish is not affected.
Concrete Sealing Oils
Other products marketed for use with concrete surfaces / flooring for instance include concrete sealing oils. These products can be applied to increase appearance and provide protective qualities, marketed as oils or waxes.
These sealers protect concrete against stains, dust and moisture. They are typically all-natural, made from oils from any number of materials or products. The main point here is the negation of the use of harsh chemicals for concrete sealing. Concrete sealing oils can also be marketed as natural concrete waxes.
Floor Hardeners & Concrete Densifiers
Concrete floor hardeners produce substantially harder concrete surfaces. These products need to penetrate concrete in order to perform their duty. The role of the hardener is to provide chemicals in the pores of a concrete surface, which, increases density. Chemical reactions with the components of concrete can increase hardness too, even with liquid chemical products. Physical dry-shake hardeners with actual aggregates are not always necessary(described below).
Alternatively some other liquid products introduce solids to increase hardness. Concrete surfaces, such as in warehouses, or manufacturing plants, undergo allot of wear and tear. Hardening and densifying products provide added protection against general use and wear/tear.
These types of products can decrease the necessity and prevalence for concrete grinding and concrete resurfacing services by increasing the longevity of the concrete slab.
Some floor hardeners are also applied through polishing techniques.
Benefits of Concrete Floor Hardeners
- Reduction in concrete pitting.
- Can increase abrasion resistance.
- Provides protection against drops, impacts and significant damage.
- Added benefit of increased light reflectance.
- Increased resistance for vehicle, forklift, and foot traffic.
- Minimize rubber tire marks.
- Can make concrete surfaces easier to maintain.
Photo Above: Concrete hardeners make great use-cases for warehouses and places with high traffic and/or heavier loads.
Typical Applications for Concrete Hardeners or Densifiers: commercial floors, retail floors, warehouses, manufacturing plants, distribution centres, heavy duty parking areas, loading docks, etc.
Shake Hardeners
A shake hardener or dry shake hardener as the name implies is a shake mix of blends of aggregate components. Similar to other hardener products, when installed properly, these compounds help concrete resist abrasion and increase overall toughness of the surface.
Dry shake hardeners are put on as dry compound to fresh concrete surfaces and final floating and troweling procedures are carried forth.
Aggregates such as Quartz or Iron make for quality hardener (dry-shake) ingredients (others include Silica and Taprock), in addition to cement binders. In some cases color pigmentation can be added to alter the look of the concrete too. The goal with shake hardeners is to improve impact resistance too. Typically these products can achieve high strength quickly, giving faster floor usability. Depending on the amount of traffic, from foot, or forklift for instance, application rate for shake hardeners can increase, as in, more product to be utilized for the area of concrete.
Final finishing might still require water/moisture addition to the curing concrete.
Polished Concrete / Sealing Products
Another category of products in the mix of concrete sealers and hardener, are polishing products. These products can offer surface sealing and increased density properties, and are applied through floor polishing equipment.
Like most sealing products, warehouse floors, commercial/retail floors are the norm. Concrete polishing in itself due to the nature of the work is post-pour, with most products applicable for re-polishing following significant usage over years. However the capability for typical concrete polishing products to both provide hardening and sealing means we would be remiss if we did not mention them as a significant option in the final finishing of any interior concrete surface.
Polishing with the right compounds can also offer stain resistance.
These products are often followed-up with diamond polishing to get a super refined level of finish, sometimes providing faster polishing rates of concrete surfaces too. Considering chemicals beyond mechanical concrete polishing on it’s own certainly has its benefits.
Concrete Joint Sealers
Sealers have a variety of uses, from repairing concrete cracks, filling concrete floor joints, or transitioning from surface to surface. In some cases, concrete has to transition from element to element, and even allow movement, so concrete joint sealers give ability for the concrete to move, but also seal environments.
Generally good adhesion, and expansion/contraction characteristics are paramount to any good joint sealer.
You can find concrete joint sealants, in all different colors and characteristics:
Self-leveling: Self leveling joint sealants can create smooth transitions between adjacent surfaces. They, as the name implies, will self level on their own with gravity.
Polyurethane Sealants: For patios, balconies, sidewalks, and more. These sealants are available in various colors and can be applied for concrete joints.
Epoxy Joint Sealants: Epoxy resin joint fillers can we used for a variety of situations, including control joints, or filling cracks in concrete.
Sealing Shortly after Pouring
Some products are utilized shortly after pouring, meant as initial concrete sealers prior to application of more serious concrete products.
A product can be applied prior to application of an acrylic sealer, to promote adhesion of the subsequent product. They can limit damages from de-icing chemicals and freeze-thaw on their own.
Other sealers, with more permanent feature advertisement, are instructed for application immediately post-pour, within the same day even.
Concrete Curing Compounds
Curing compounds are great because of the moisture retention for curing and sealing properties.
Concrete curing compounds can be used post-pour to seal in moisture in a concrete slab to promote a structurally sound curing process. Some products in this category purport to replace the requirements for burlap, curing blankets or polyethylene sheeting, that could be used for moisture retention for a concrete slab in curing (wet).
The protective surface created by curing compounds also work to reduce stains, spills, some acids, and increase cleanability. Pores in the concrete of the slab are filled to establish an easier to clean/maintain surface.
These compounds have been known to reduce defects in concrete from curing process, such as hairline-cracks and dusting, among other defects.
Unique Features of Concrete Curing Compounds
- Moisture retention properties for curing process.
- Some products can reflect heat (sunny days).
- Typically dry to a film.
- Dual purpose for curing & sealing.
- Can produce harder/denser concrete surface.
- Can increase compressive strength.
Curing compounds can realistically be used for almost any type of concrete, residential, commercial, industrial and even bridges etc.
Conclusion
There are a variety of post pour concrete additives, for surface treatment, that can both enhance the look of your concrete surfaces, but also improve the durability of your concrete. From epoxy products, to acrylic sealers, penetrating sealers, and host of specialized concrete post-pour surface additives, concrete can be transformed into a totally unique product with the right techniques and processes.
Concrete sealers are essential for exposed aggregate and stamped concrete, throughout landscape concrete and architectural concrete finishes.
Whether you are looking to seal a simple concrete driveway, or totally transform the durability of a warehouse/garage floor, professional products are out there for your utilization. Just make sure to always double check your project specifications and product installation requirements to ensure you get the right finish, and lasting durability, for an outstanding result. There are so many different sealers and compounds out on the market, identifying the right choice can be difficult. A local or national product distributor should be consulted by all means.
If you are looking to learn more about concrete mix additives click the link to check out our latest post.
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