In our first article in this series, we discussed the importance of sealing the concrete surfaces of your commercial property. Now we’ll turn our attention to the specific substances you can expect concrete sealer to protect your concrete against.
What Does Concrete Sealer Prevent from Staining Your Concrete Surfaces?
A concrete sealer can protect your concrete parking lots, driveways, patios, and floors from tire marks, deicing salts, the fading of UV rays, yellowing, oil stains, dirt, mold, mud, and lawn chemicals. As you can see, there are a whole host of potentially harmful or unsightly materials which your concrete can avoid being stained by when you use an effective concrete sealer.
What Types of Concrete Should Be Sealed?
Any exterior concrete at your commercial facility should definitely be sealed. This can include flat concrete, such as what you would normally use on your walkways, driveways, and sidewalks. It can also include designed concrete, stained concrete, stamped concrete, colored concrete, stenciled concrete, overlays, and engraved concrete. Since each of the aforementioned concrete surfaces has different qualities, the sealer you use for each one may vary.
When it comes to the most common outdoor commercial concrete applications of plain concrete for driveways, parking lots, walkways, and patios, you’ll want to look for a sealer that’s easy to maintain. Penetrating concrete sealer will prove to be superior to film-forming sealer for this type of concrete. It offers a longer-lasting, more natural-looking finish. Look for one that offers protection from the sun’s Ultraviolet rays. You should also look for a product that offers slip resistance yet will allow the concrete surfaces to breathe.
What Product Is Ideal for Sealing a Concrete Floor?
If you have an industrial plant, warehouse, or other large commercial property, chances are good that you have concrete floors in your buildings. It’s an extremely sturdy and reliable flooring material. Sealing can only increase your concrete floor’s durability and longevity. If you’re sealing your concrete floors, you’ll want to find a product that will address the unique needs of your concrete flooring. You want a sealer that will help to enhance the look of your floor, preserve it, keep it from sustaining water damage, and protect against stains and scuff marks.
For this particular set of desired results, the best product would be a film-forming sealer such as acrylic or epoxy. If you’re sealing a high traffic area, such as a large showroom floor or busy warehouse, epoxy would probably be the right choice because of its remarkable strength. A residential concrete floor may be able to get by with a softer acrylic sealer, but they’re not highly recommended for commercial floors that typically experience more wear and tear. Indoor sealers should be water-based in order to avoid any possible exposure to potentially dangerous fumes.
In our next article, we’ll take a look at the differences between sealing new or existing concrete. Then we’ll turn our attention to some of the other practical questions and concerns which property owners have when it comes to sealing concrete surfaces.
Continue reading with Part 3.
Combs Concrete
If you are based around the Charlotte, North Carolina region and need commercial/industrial concrete services, feel free to contact us at CombsConcrete.com or call us at 704.875.9022 to find out more about the benefits of enlisting our dedicated service for all your concrete needs.
Thanks for the reminder that sealing is also very important to consider when planning to work with concrete. I’d like to know more about residential concrete pumping services because I plan to have a small studio built that is separate from my house. I’d like to make sure that it will be sturdy and very durable.