Sealing your concrete driveway can help to preserve the look and extend the life of your concrete driveway.
There are many reasons why you should consider sealing your driveway, but the 10 top reasons are as follows:
- Reduce deterioration and dusting caused by surface abrasion.
- Reduce cracking, spalling, and pitting caused by water absorption.
- Reduce staining caused by irrigation systems, the absorption of water, and organic matter.
- Reduce staining caused by oil, gas, and other vehicle spills.
- Reduce discoloration caused by exposure to the elements.
- Reduce efflorescence caused by the movement of salt to the surface.
- Reduce mold, mildew, and algae growth on the surface.
- Reduce fading and discoloration caused by UV rays.
- Reduce fading and discoloration caused by surface abrasion.
- Extend the life of the surface.
You work hard for your house, and hard on your off time to maintain your property. Your driveway is a main focal point and even though it gets the most traffic, it is often overlooked. Stamped concrete, poured concrete, brick, and paver driveways are as vulnerable as they are durable. Something as simple as water absorption can take years of life off of your driveway.
There are several driveway sealers that can be used in order to protect your driveway. Each category of sealer offers its own set of benefits.
Penetrating Sealers: Water repellent sealers, like the Armor SX5000 and Armor SX5000 WB, are designed to protect the driveway without changing the look or color. They chemically react below the surface to form a hydrophobic barrier within the pores that can reduce surface water absorption by up to 95%. By reducing the absorption of water, damage and deterioration caused by water absorption is also reduced. Water repellent sealers are popular because they help to protect concrete and masonry without leaving behind a surface film, and without changing the look or color. A second type of water repellent sealer is the Armor WL550. If functions a lot like the Armor SX5000 and Armor SX5000 WB, but it also contains a small amount of resin that helps to slightly darken the color of the surface.
A second type of penetrating sealer is a densifier like the Armor S2000 and Armor L3000. Densifiers are very different from water repellent sealers. Densifiers are designed to increase the surface strength of the concrete and help reduce deterioration caused by surface abrasion, such as dusting. They do not repel water and won’t help against deterioration caused by water absorption. Densifiers are great for weak or deteriorating concrete, but if your concrete is not currently problematic, a densifier may not be necessary.
Coatings: The most common type of coating for a concrete or paver driveway is an acrylic sealer. Acrylic sealers help to enhance the driveway with a low to high gloss finish, and they coat the surface with a protective film. Penetrating sealers are designed to reduce damage and deterioration to the driveway, and coatings are designed to stop damage and deterioration.
Acrylic sealers are available in both water and solvent formulations. Water based acrylic sealers include the Armor WB15 and Armor WB25, and solvent based acrylic sealers include the Armor AR350, Armor AR500, Armor AX25, Armor AG Brown Seal, Armor LV15, and Armor LV25. Which acrylic sealer is best for your driveway depends on what you want your driveway to look like once sealed. Water based acrylic sealers offer a low to high gloss finish with little to no change in the color, while solvent based acrylic sealers offer a low to high gloss finish and a color enhancement. Solvent based acrylic sealers can also be tinted with a semi-transparent tint back, and an opaque tint pack.
For more information about which concrete driveway is best for your application, or for help in choosing a concrete driveway sealer, contact a Foundation Armor technician today.