Foundation Armor Sealers
Foundation Armor manufactures the best concrete sealers on the market. Foundation Armor sealers:
- Stop water and hydrostatic pressue up to 100 PSI
- Stop vapor migration up to 0.015 WVT
- Don’t change the color or texture of the surface of the concrete
- Increase the adhesion of paints and stains (if you decide to paint, stain, or seal the surface once a Foundation Armor sealer has been applied)
- Work 100% below the surface
- Are GUARANTEED to waterproof, strengthen, and protect concrete for a LIFETIME
Armor S1000 - 24 hour dry time, 2″ penetration.
Armor S2000 - 24 hour dry time, 4″ penetration.
Armor L3000 - 6 hour dry time, 2″ penetration.
Silicate Sealers: Sodium Silicate sealers are the most preferred type of concrete sealer on the market. Silicate sealers are deep penetrating sealers that stops the wicking process in concrete. The sealer reacts with the free lime in concrete and forms and expanded crystalline structure beneath the surface. These crystals fill the pores of the concrete and prevents the penetration of radon and moisture infiltration by capillary action. All silicate sealers however are not the same. When choosing a brand, consider things like chemical content, chemical concentration, how much water they can stop, etc.
Silane/Siloxane Sealers: Silane/siloxane sealers are clear water-based, low VOC, ready-to-use, breathable penetrating siloxane/silane water repellent for dense concrete and masonry surfaces – brick, cast concrete and stucco. Silane/siloxane sealers disintegrate quickly from traffic and UV-rays, darken the sealed service and can turn yellow, aren’t paintable and can be very slippery when wet. Needs an annual re-coat.
Polyester Sealers: Polyester sealers are low viscosity, rapid curing, penetrating sealers that anchor lacquers, urethanes, polyesters, vinyl esters and most epoxies to a variety of substrates. Polyester sealers are strong and effective against water but they do not completely stop the intrusion of vapors (water vapor) and gases (radon). Needs an annual re-coat.
Wax Sealers: Wax sealers are fairly inexpensive but you have to buy them (and reapply them) every 9-12 months. Wax sealers are temporary solutions, not permanent solutions. Needs an annual re-coat.
Latex Based Paints: Latex based paints are meant only for basement walls and shouldn’t be used on basement floors. Paint-based sealers can’t guarantee to stop and prevent the intrusion of water, insects and radon. They are known for peeling and if you use a paint-based sealer you have to repaint the basement walls every X amount of years depending on water pressure, what the basement is used for, how the paint was applied, etc. Needs an annual re-coat.
Acrylic Sealers: Aside from posing health and fire hazards, acrylic sealers (even when combined with water) are not resilient to high traffic areas and wear very quickly. Needs an annual re-coat.
Urethane Sealers: Like the acrylic sealers, urethane sealers (solvent based) pose health and fire hazards. When dry they give off a nice gloss look but the risks aren’t worth the beauty. Needs an annual re-coat.
Epoxy Sealers: Because epoxy coatings are so strong and durable they trap moisture under the service which will cause the epoxy to bubble and crack. The water it is trapping on the other side wants to come in, and eventually it will! Epoxy sealers are also not permeable to water vapor. Needs an annual re-coat. If you are using epoxy to get the “shine”, consider sealing the concrete first with the Foundation Armor concrete sealer.
View our updated Types of Concrete Sealers article.
View our Concrete Sealers Buying Guide.
