Do I Need To Seal My New Concrete Driveway?

Yearly sealing of the driveway can cause unsightly hairline cracks and peeling. And to shield them from water infiltration and extend their lives, concrete driveways should be sealed every four to five years. Some people feel that there is no need for maintenance to concrete driveways, so they may never apply a sealer.

People make mistakes when it comes to sealing away their driveways. Asphalt driveways owners frequently seal them too often and concrete driveway owners should not seal them at all, experts claim. Sealing an asphalt driveway gives it a new, black finish, but it should only be done once every 2 or 3 years. Yearly sealing of the driveway can cause unsightly hairline cracks and peeling. And to shield them from water infiltration and extend their lives, concrete driveways should be sealed every four to five years. Some people feel that there is no need for maintenance to concrete driveways, so they may never apply a sealer. Concrete driveways For driveway work this is a perfect time of year. You want to do the project if the weather is warm, and if not many leaves or seed materials fall. You can not find concrete sealers at home improvement stores because most homeowners don’t think they need to seal off their concrete driveways. Look for a company that sells supplies to concrete contractors in the telephone book under “Concrete Accessories”

Repair of cracks and holes is the first step in driveway maintenance. Materials for filling small concrete cracks come in liquids which sell for a few dollars per gallon. But one issue with concrete-filler goods is that the color of the surrounding driveway is almost impossible to match. Reparatures should be clear. Check directions to see how long it takes for the drug to dry and to cure fully. Curing is the adhesives of the chemical cycle move when they reach their maximum strength. You can have to wait between filling cracks for a day or two, and the next step, a thorough clean.

Trisodium phosphate, often sold under the label TSP in paint and home improvement shops, is a perfect alternative to remove the oil stains from a driveway. In Beavercreek, Ohio, Ed Kirk of Kirk Paving said a pressure washer also comes in handy for the job. He recommends a penetrating concrete sealer to treat a mature passageway. Concrete is absorbent once it is aged, and a penetrating sealer is drawn into the surface to create a barrier which keeps water out. Blocking water prevents salt exposure and the freeze-and-thaw process in the winter. In a 5-gallon tub, which can cover up to 500 square feet when applied to smooth surfaces, such as the inside of garages, penetrating sealers cost around $90. Can you get as little as 200 square feet of coverage on a rougher surface.

For application guidance, check the container but concrete sealer is applied with a sprayer in most cases. To avoid unnecessary inhalation of the drug wear gloves and a mask. Apply a sweeping motion to the sealer with each pass through the driveway overlapping the sealer already in place, Kirk said. It is better to finish the entire driveway in one session, because if you require a dry area, the sealer section that overlaps the dry area will not conform well.