Concrete Sealers When To Use Them

Concrete is a man-made construction product made by combining cement (containing lime), sand, gravel, and water. While concrete is one of the most useful materials used today in construction it is vulnerable and should be protected. The main weakness in concrete lies in the fact that it is so porous. These pores act like tubes or canals that carry damaging substances below the surface (often through the entire structure), which creates major deterioration problems to concrete structures. A sealant very well may double the effective lifespan of your concrete surface, and one should always be thought of and kept in mind.

Fortunately, all this can easily be taken care of with a quality concrete sealer. Concrete sealers do a lot for protecting and strengthening anything made from concrete.

Concrete that is not sealed and has de-icing salts applied to melt ice can subject the concrete to many more freeze thaw cycles.

Top contractors, architects and engineers know the destructive results when masonry and cementitious surfaces are not properly treated and protected. Not all concrete sealers do all things, so it is important to choose the concrete sealer that is right for your project. Even worse, using the wrong sealer or applying it improperly can ruin an otherwise flawless concrete installation.

A concrete sealer can: make concrete stronger, reduce cracking and splitting, protect against pitting, crumbling, dusting, resist moisture that will damage and weaken concrete, stop efflorescence ("white powder") and musty odors. Also protect against salts, acids and stains, prevent molds and mildew from forming. Concrete sealers should be used on driveways, basement floors and any exposed concrete that you want to protect.

Concrete sealers are needed for projects that require the material to be impenetrable, or at least, less penetrable than unsealed concrete. If you are an architect looking to protect a bridge deck, seal a concrete industrial warehouse floor; or a just a homeowner who wants that expensive concrete driveway, sidewalk, garage floor, basement floor, to last you need a quality concrete sealer.

Concrete Sealer Application

Once concrete is installed, whether it is a stamped pool deck, patio, an interlocking paver driveway, or a stained floor. Proper maintenance and protection with the right concrete sealer is key in keeping the concrete looking spectacular for many years. No decorative concrete installation is complete without the application of a sealer. While extending its service life. Concrete sealers are essential for surfaces exposed to heavy traffic. Concrete sealers significantly extends the life of a well traveled floor.

There are many different types of concrete sealers out there.

Epoxy sealers would work best for food preparation areas, concrete counter tops and industrial environments because they are able to form a tougher and thicker film to resist chemical substances. Some significant types of epoxy sealers are water-based epoxy sealers and epoxy penetrating sealers, as these are used for marine applications. For commercial areas, urethane sealers are used, as these are able to provide a finish that is abrasive-resistant. The concrete penetrating sealers like siloxane, siliconate and silane are the best alternatives for treating parking garages and concrete structures, which have been affected by acid rain and deterioration. The primary benefit from using penetrating sealers is their ability to penetrate the concrete surface's capillaries and to protect the concrete from abrasions, stains and other damaging factors. The best sealer should be safe for the environment.

Which one is right for you? That is determined by what you want the sealer to accomplish and what conditions will the sealer be exposed to. What is the life expectancy of the sealer, and does the manufacturer provide a warranty. These are the questions you must yourself before shopping for a quality concrete sealer. To obtain all these great perks, however, you must choose the right sealer for the job at hand. You'll find hundreds of products on the market to suit just about every type of concrete application, but no one sealer is perfect for all projects. You must know that a quality concrete sealer, becomes an integral permanent part of the concrete by reacting with the free lime and alkali found in all concrete. Thus completely waterproofing and substantially strengthening the structure of the concrete.

A quality concrete sealer, seals concrete and other cement based materials into a mass that is essentially solid, rather than porous. A quality concrete sealer product actually hardens and extends the life of concrete. The result of this is that the holes become micro cracks and begin to expand and spread across the surface of the concrete. And even if the surface begins to show wear after years of exposure to traffic and the environment, you can often restore its original beauty with special cleaning, stain removal, and polishing products. A penetrating sealer is below the concrete surface so it will give a long life. Penetrating sealers react chemically within the capillaries of the concrete to shield against moisture penetration and deicing chemicals.

We have been in the concrete business for 3 decades. We are proud to have the ability to share some of this knowledge. You can find a grat source of continually growing articles at http:customconcretesealing.com