Customer asked if they should seal (or have it sealed by someone) their basic concrete after I clean it. Patio, drive, sidewalks.
I know nothing about sealing. Read the forums and saw mostly about sealing stamped concrete and pavers.
If it is sealed, roughly how long does it last under basic conditions (we are in Ohio) - a few years, 5 yrs, 10?
How much time will it buy them (typically) on having it cleaned again, allow them to go double the years, triple between cleans or not help that much?
Waste of time and money for basic concrete?
Driveways vs sidewalks and patios?
Garage floor - if free of oil stains and such?
I don’t plan to offer concrete sealing, but do think it would be good to know if it is really worth the money for the customer to hire it out, or diy, or skip it.
I live in a relatively small community, and want to keep a reputation of treating folks right, and giving them good info to help them care for their homes. Playing the long game.
Thanks a million for anyone who can fill in these gaps.
While sealing has many benefits , it also has drawbacks.
It should be applied by experienced applicators for best results.
Determining whether it is suitable for situations is a decision best made by qualified contractors.
Client’s are best informed of expected coating lifetime
and the need for subsequent maintenance coats before any coating breakdown takes place.
Coating performance is determined by many factors.
If you know a good painter then explain points above to client and pass on painters contact details.
Then you have the opportunity to observe the application process and methodology behind their coating selection.
Florida condo clean is a good guy to contact regarding sealing, he has introduced me to a new method of applying sealer thru 12v system- I’m yet to try it out but am looking forward to it.
Sealing residential concrete is not common but it is up and coming. Sealing commercial concrete is very common but for different reasons . Some companies like nanoseal claim a 10 year warranty on concrete sealer. The biggest problem with sealing concrete is no driveways after a year or so have no blemishes and unlike pavers there is no color or pattern to hide the blemish. When you seal it your sealing in the imperfections. It’s really a matter of necessity and expectation. If there is something that keeps happening to there driveway that sealer may prevent it’s probably a good option. It the home owner thinks it’s going to make a big improvement to the look of there driveway. They will be disappointed with the results
Driveway sealing in the affluent areas of Louisville is very common and normal. We have aggregate concrete here, except for the sidewalks which are smooth. I can attest to how dangerous it is for window cleaners such as myself, a guy died when his ladder slid back on a wet spot.
It does fade and thin out over time, not sure at what point you can surface clean it.
That was my thoughts for many years . It was a big mistake on my part. After several years of the same customers it was very evident how the sun damages concrete more importantly pavers. The ones that stayed sealed still look good many years later. The ones I talked the customer out of sealing every few years all show fading. This is especially a problem when only parts of the deck are exposed to sun while other parts are shaded . It’s a real eyesore without any good solution. It was the main reason we started sealing.
Cost was definitely hard to justify luckily sealers hav gotten much better over the last few years. Now we only seal decks every 3 or 4 years instead of every years . Much easier to justify average home here has about 2500 sqft of pavers. We charge $1 sqft . That’s a big investment every year knowing there going to get 3 to 5 out of it is much better
Are you talking basic concrete? Sounds like you are speaking of pavers and wood. Just trying to be clear, my question is about good ole concrete, not stamped or aggregate.
