Then you’d be looking at the AggreSeal I listed above.
Takes a whole lot longer to apply. But if that’s the thing in your area, then educate the customer and charge accordingly. If you can do glossy sealers right, you can charge a good amount.
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How much is a fiver of Top Seal, do you know off hand? Just tried calling and it is after business hours. Got home and was working up an estimate for ~6000 sq foot clean and seal on a newer driveway. Thought I might give them a try, since they are a local company.
6,000 sq ft? Wow, that’s a huge driveway! You’re looking at more than a fiver. You’d need about 40 gallons if you’re sealing all of that.
The contractor price runs around $30/gallon.
PM me when you’re ready to seal it and I can give you some tips on using it.
I lost yet another job because I don’t seal. 2k sq/ft drive but she’s gonna call “the guy that did it a few years ago” which by the look of her drive I’d say was at least a decade ago, very dirty.
Maybe you could just look into sealing, or find a good sub contractor who does sealing? I’ve thought about getting into sealing so I offered an older lady who can barely walk to seal her driveway for her at cost if she did my did my entire quote… win/win I end up with a higher ticket price and get some practice. She ends up with a sealed driveway for cost of materials
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Talk to @qons. He does a ton of sealing. It pretty much goes hand and hand with pressure washing. Start sealing and maybe you can hang up those squeegees and ladders for good. 
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Oh if only. 90% of my pressure washing is asking my WC customers if they’d like their house washed in various ways.
What is everyone’s favorite sealer for concrete? water based or solvent?
@dcbrock you can make good money sealing. It’s an easy up sell. I’m convinced you’d make more money sealing than window cleaning. What makes you pause?
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Hey! Quit recruiting! Someone’s got to do the windows 
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Not even close. Lots and lots of pressure washers here in Louisville, very few window cleaners that actually give a rat’s behind about their work. I get the ‘sealer’ question maybe twice a month.
I just turned 50, been washing half my life. I just want to scale back WC some and make money more…efficiently.
But do all those washers also seal concrete? We have many companies in my area that don’t want to mess with it. Kinda like how many don’t stain decks or fences. So maybe it’s a smaller market than you think.
Plus, what’s the harm in giving a quote at the same rate or slightly above what you get for cleaning windows? The worst the customer says is “no”.
For your current customers, I’m guessing you’d have a great shot at winning the job.
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Hi everyone. I think I may also be able to add to this. I added sealing to the menu myself. I do not use a sprayer. For driveways and patios, I use an 18" roller and a deep rolling bucket. The high solids don’t seem to spray well unless you have higher pressure, in which case, the overspray could cause exponentially more problems. Also, improper coverage and light areas will show and not look well, or last as long. Temperatures and humidity will be a factor, as well as educating the customer about the smell that will linger for days. Even if they are water based and low VOC, they will smell to some degree and make sure the customer understands that. Make sure to get the surface clean, as whatever you miss will surely stand out in the final product. I seal more exposed aggregate that brushed or troweled concrete. On regular concrete, I will use a waterproofer. As was previously stated, most of these will strengthen the concrete. These can be applied with a sprayer, but keep a brush handy to remove puddles. The product looks like milk when you apply, and if there are puddles, they will dry milky as well. I have not noticed any difference in traction. Sealing exposed aggregate helps prevent pebbles from releasing and renews the surface leaving a deep finish. It makes the house pop and whatever work you did look better. It is an inexpensive add on with great return. Just research, talk to other vendors where you purchase chemical and do your homework. Also, as was mentioned, be aware that this requires multiple visits, so plan and price accordingly. Hope this helped…
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I have guys that I know that do the staining and sealing for me. I’m not a general handyman and don’t want to be known as that or build my business/ brand that way so I don’t offer anything that’s not related to me washing.
I explain to customers that I’d rather be a master of certain skill sets then a mediocre jack of all trades so I work closely with other guys who all they do is seal or stain the decks and fences after I’ve cleaned it and prepped it. I let them know that I would be happy to give you a their quote for that along side my wash quote.
So that’s when I take photos and measure, reach out to the seal or stain guy I’ve made a deal with and they give me their bid and I tie their bid in with mine and I send it to the customer. If they agree, then she pays each of our invoices separately. I get a referral fee from the guy I got the job for and customer is happy.
I also don’t like being responsible if the seal goes bad or stain isn’t what the customer wanted and wants it redone. Because once I do my part, I’m no longer who she is working with and she discusses the seal or stain with the other guy that was hired to do that. I’m a big CYA guy. In air traffic control you learn that quick. Avoids lots of headaches.
Just my $0.02
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Adding concrete sealing goes hand and hand with pressure washing. That’s far from being considered a handyman or mediocre jack of all trades. That’s not a fair statement at all. It’s not like they’re mudding drywall or fixing a leaking toilet. Even staining wood. Anyone can add two additional services and become a master of those two skill sets. Nobody is going to look at you as a general handyman for doing concrete sealing. Concrete sealing could probably be considered a specialty skill and far from being considered a handyman. @qons only works part-time and does extremely well concrete sealing. It’s not difficult adding one or two more services and becoming an expert at them.
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Yeah, most do with varying results. I do see a lot of DIY homeowner seal jobs, trying to make sure I don’t fall into that quality range.
I may look into subbing out the sealing, I already have four other skillsets I’m trying to juggle.
All I can say is that I hope all the guys in my area think like that. 
Less competition and more business for me. 
But, seriously, y’all are missing out on good money.
@JimD depends what type of sealer you’re using. Solvent? Multiple trips. Water-based? Same day.
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Just a personal preference! I like using the washer, not really a seal or paint kind of guy. I keep my services limited in a small service area. Target target target. Sealing and staining is a great way to make extra money for sure, just not for me, I’d rather just collect a referral fee from the other guy
Referral fee, I don’t think they honor those here.
True. Like I said, I do more exposed aggregate than regular concrete. I have not found an affordable water based sealer that compares to the solvent based. So, I usually have to schedule work accordingly.
