Not true. Most sealers are rolled on to concrete. The water based sealers for brick and stone are sprayed with a pump sprayer, then back rolled. The reason for so many crappy sealer jobs is the contractor not heeding the application instructions. I see sealers put on before the surface is fully dry which makes it turn cloudy. Or, the most common mistake is applying acrylic when the concrete is too hot or in direct sunlight, causing bubbling and delamination.
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@Steve is right. You just have to choose the right sealer. Keep it simple. I use a back sprayer. Almost impossible to mess up. I use two different water-based sealers.
It wouldnāt work for pavers. But for an aggregate driveway/patio or concrete driveway/patio, itās amazing.
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Guess Iāll just keep it at washing only, donāt have time to wait for mother nature.
I remember years ago the guy I worked with would have to squeeze in time to stain and/or seal decks, and it really put a crimp in his schedule.
@dcbrock I clean the concrete and then seal it. No waiting. In fact, both sealers can be used in a very light drizzle.
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Boy am I getting conflicting info.
@dcbrock Weāre all probably using different sealers. I keep it simple. I want something that I absolutely can not mess up. If you want to try a gallon, let me know. Iāll send you one.
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I think around here the customer chooses what sealer they want, Iāve seen anything from clear to dark tinted, shiny, matte etc.
I donāt give them an option. I explain why mine is the best and if they want a tint or a shine, theyāll need to have someone else seal it.
Again, I keep it simple.
Though I will say that there is one other tinted sealer that I would consider trying on aggregate driveways. At least around here, people like their aggregate driveways to have a darker look with a slight shine. So for those driveways alone, Iām considering trying this other sealer that Iāve heard really good things about.
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I have that problem sometimes. It can be a pain using the acrylic on exposed aggregate because of dry times and weather, but man it looks so good when you finish. I get at least one referral every time I do a job because the neighbors are so impressed.
On request, I have sealed brick walls that are not covered by eaves, patios, pavers, sidewalks and even the brick edging on driveways. I had one customer just have me seal the brick edging. Then, when he saw how the sealed areas were taking so much longer to get dirty again, he asked me to seal the whole driveway. I was very profitable and it is wayyy easier to clean now. The algae just grows on top of the sealer now and not in the pores of the concrete. I just do what the customer wants.
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Yeah, thatās pretty rough looking.
That wasnāt even cleaned properly, let alone sealed correctly.
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Very common here. People of KY are very āDIYā oriented and prefer to do a crap job just to say they did it themselves. Iāve gotten most of my jobs at the affluent neighborhoods because the wife got fed up with their husbandās so-so results.
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Hereās a driveway I just finished yesterday.
Now the neighbor wants a quote because his driveway looks like
next door to my customerās.
I made $900 profit on this job in 6 hours.
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It does look nice. How long will that sealer last?
Are you in the south? There are not too many exposed aggregate drives in my area due to plowing. Iāve seen some walkways, but very few drives.
Reason I ask is because in my area smooth concrete has to have some type of traction material added to the sealer or you wind up with a skating rink in winter.
I tell clients that itās 1-3 years depending on environmental factors and how much use it gets. This is the home of an older, retired couple with one car, so 3 years is achievable.
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Iām in West Kentucky. Lots of aggregate here. I never use acrylic on smooth concrete because of the slippery factor. I use a water based penetrating sealer on that.
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