Concrete sealers buying guide. There are just as many brands of concrete sealers as there are types. The market has become flooded with concrete sealers and everyone has a “proprietary blend” in their product. Our concrete sealers buying guide will help walk you through the concrete sealer buying process – so you can make the best decision on which brand concrete sealer to go with.
Want more information on the types of concrete sealers, concrete coatings, and concrete paints? Read our article on the types of Concrete Sealers And Concrete Coatings.
What To Look For In A Concrete Sealer
What to look for in a concrete sealer is dependent on where and what you plan on using the concrete sealer for.
Exterior Concrete Sealers
When considering an exterior concrete sealer, consider the following:
- Verify that once sealed, the surface is not slippery when wet.
- Verify that once sealed, the surface is resistance to UV staining.
- Verify that once sealed, the paint/coating/sealer will not trap water, moisture, or vapors under the surface.
- Verify that the sealer can be used where hydrostatic pressure is present.
- Verify that the sealer is resistant to high traffic.
- Research application and re-application. Many exterior sealers have to be applied every 9 months- 5 years.
- Consider the color – Does the sealer go on and dry clear? Does it have a shine? Does it darken the concrete?
- Consider the application – If you are required to roll sealer on, you will waste a lot of material. The more material the waste, the more material you use, the more expensive the project.
- Research square footage. Some sealers are $24.95 but you need 10 gallons of it!
Interior Concrete Sealers
When considering an interior concerete sealer, consider the following:
- Verify that the sealer is a water-proofing sealer, not just a damp-proofing sealer.
- Verify that the sealer is free of VOCs, odors, and fumes.
- Use a penetrant, not a coating. Coatings trap moisture under the surface causing the coating to flake and peel.
- Verify that the sealer can be used on vertical and horizontal surfaces.
- Verify that the sealer can be used where hydrostatic pressure is present.
- Verify that the sealer can stop water, moisture, and vapors.
- Research application and re-application. Many interior sealers have to be applied every 9 months – 5 years.
- Consider the color – Does the sealer go on and dry clear? Does it have a shine? Does it darken the concrete?
- Consider the application – If you are required to roll sealer on, you will waste a lot of material. The more material the waste, the more material you use, the more expensive the project.
- Research square footage. Some sealers are $24.95 but you need 10 gallons of it!
Where To Buy Concrete Sealers
You can buy a concrete sealer directly from the manufacturer or from a distributor. Here are things to consider:
Buying Concrete Sealer From The Manufacturer
While buying a concrete sealer directly from the manufacturer isn’t always the most convenient, it is the best way to buy it. When you purchase directly from the manufacturer you will be working with the company that knows their product the best. You will receive unmatched support, great customer service, and have access to their technical resources. No one knows a product better than the manufacturer. For them, your satisfaction is their success. They will go extra steps to make sure your experience with their product and service is a good one.
Now, some manufacturers are better to work with than others. A simple call to the customer care team or technical support staff will help you decide if the manufacturer you chose is the best one for you.
Buying Concrete Sealer From The Manufacturer
There are two scenarios for this:
1. You already know which brand you are going to purchase but are simply going to a distributor to pick it up. Most professional grade products don’t use distributors like Home Depot or Lowes. Home Depot and Lowes typically only buy products that fall within a certain price range. Professional grade sealers usually don’t sell for $14-95-$39.95. Next, your customer service and support gets transferred from the manufacturer to the distributor. Any problems, questions, and concerns are left up to the distributor to handle. Distributors have thousands of product lines – chances are, they don’t know each manufacturer as well as they should.
2. You don’t know which brand you are going to purchase and are going to a distributor to choose one. This is a bad scenario. If you go into a Home Depot or Lowe’s you are either going to get an employee that knows everything about everything or an employee that works there to help pay for college. In either case, they won’t necessarily recommend the product that is best for you, they will recommend the product they are most familiar with or the product their employer gets incentives for selling. Scary.
Cost Of Concrete Sealers
You can’t just go off the cost of the sealer alone because in many cases, the initial cost isn’t the only cost. When looking at the cost of the sealer, consider the following:
- What is the coverage? For example, does 1 gallon cover 75 square feet, 200 square feet, 1,000 square feet?
- How many coats are required? 1 coat, 2 coats, 3 coats?
- How often do you need to re-apply the sealer? Every 9 months? Every 5 years? Never?
- Does the sealer fade over time? If yes, an earlier re-application may be necessary.
- Can the sealer peel or flake from hydrostatic pressure or water? If yes, an earlier re-application may be necessary.
- Is the sealer resistant to high traffic areas? If not, ean earlier re-application may be necessary.
- Does the product leave behind a nice shine? If yes, the shine may wear fast and an earlier re-application may be necessary.
With sealers, you will pay anywhere from $14.95 to $149.95. You can never choose a sealer on the list price alone. Consider the above factors before making your decision. You really can’t even use total price. The most expensive sealer isn’t always the best – the manufacturer might just have high overhead. You also can’t always assume the cheapest sealer is the worst. Consider all factors explained in our buying guide before making your decision.
Recommended Concrete Sealers
We recommend the Foundation Armor Concrete Sealers, and here’s why:
- Silicate sealers have been around for as long as concrete has. Silicates have been used for decades and are the preffered sealer amongst concrete professionals.
- Silicate sealers are proven effective which is why Foundation Armor products are used by industrial, commercial, and residential clients.
- Foundation Armor’s sealer stops water, vapor, moisture, efflorescence, and radon.
- Foundation Armor’s sealer can be used as a base-coat to most sealers.
- Foundation Armor’s sealer goes on once and you never have to re-apply it again. Ever.
- Foundation Armor’s sealer isn’t a coating or a paint. The sealer reacts with the lime in the concrete to forma crystalline barrier within the pores. That structure is permanent.
- Foundation Armor’s sealer doesn’t in any way change the look of the concrete.
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