Concrete Floor Sealer
Advertisements
There are many things we just take for granted. The floor beneath your feet or under your car in the garage is definitely something you take for granted. It is when you are having a new concrete floor, driveway or patio put in that you might stop to consider if there is any maintenance you can do to assure that the investment you are making in having that floor poured can be protected.
We really don’t think very much about the need to protect a concrete floor. But we should because like anything else, even concrete can be damaged and it can erode. The very word concrete or "cement" seems to denote permanence and indestructibility. But all concrete slabs have pours in them. And unless those pours are sealed off, moisture and dirt can get down into that flooring and eventually cause the floor to crack or break apart which means repairs or even the replacement of the entire floor.
Sealing a concrete surface is a step you can do when the floor is new and it isn’t that expensive or difficult compared to the effort and money you will need to put into maintenance after damage begins to show in that flooring. But before you even open your can of sealer to get started, the floor must be prepared for the task. That means that the concrete surface should be level without any low spots or pockets that will cause the sealer to pool up once applied.
Also, if you are working on an existing concrete floor that has been in use a while, do a meticulous inspection for small divots, holes, cracks or other flaws that will collect the sealant and reduce the effectiveness of the sealing operation. When you identify such imperfections, make the repairs and allow the patches or fills to dry for several days. Then level and smooth the repaired areas with a grinder and polisher to you have a consistent and smooth concrete surface to start with when you apply the sealant.
All sealers will accomplish two big goals, which are to make your concrete floor more durable and resistant to damage or decay and to make your floor more attractive. But don’t just buy the first sealer that you find on the shelf because each brand and type will target different goals with greater effectiveness. So if you are sealing a garage floor that is not primarily there for great looks, you want a very tough sealer that will withstand a lot of use and wear and tear. But for an indoor floor that you will polish and buff to a high shine, you want a sealer that yields the best look and its main selling point.
Advertisements
You can find out more about each kind of sealer and the components that make up the compound and learn not only what kind to buy for your purposes but the how long you should wait before applying it again either by going on the manufacturers web site or by just asking at the hardware store. You may end up buying several kinds for different purposes. While you can look forward to resealing your concrete floors every few years, that kind of maintenance leads to long life with reduced chances of having to do repairs to those floors and that makes it worth taking the time to apply the protection.
