driveway and sidewalk sealer choices..

[slag]

What do you guys use to seal your driveway and sidewalk area? I don't want it to be slippery, but I also don't want oil and stuff to soak in and discolor the area. I will pressurewash and possibly use muriatic acid first prior to sealing it, and will spray on the sealer, but I want to use something that will last a year or two before having to reapply.

What do you guys use?

 

[Humpy]

Concrete, asphalt, brick?

Personally, my current driveway has been carefully sealed with a blend of used motor oil, bearing grease, paint, and dirt, over many years.

I don't know that sealing outdoor concrete is a thing, but I'm replacing my driveway later this year and am interested if people do it.

 

[Elixer]

I do recall seeing some concrete sealer at the local lumber store, so it is available, but, never used it.
For asphalt, I just use the '7 year warranty' thick rubberized pre-mixed jet black sealer they sell, and I only need to do it every 4 years, forgot the brand name though.
For cracks, nothing beats the Pli-Stix, you just lay it out, apply heat, and done. Great stuff!

 

[slag]

I'm not wanting to seal cracks. I want to water/weatherproof the concrete/cement, whatever it is that my poured driveway is made of.

 

[iamwiz82]

I'm interested as well. Have a brand new driveway that will need to be sealed this summer.

 

[TechBoyJK]

I just sealed my basement using exterior concrete sealer. The instructions suggest it's primary intended use is driveways and garage floors. It's $27 per gallon, and it took 5 gallons to do an area approx 30x20 with 2 coats.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_293575-4-024.0082020.007_0__?productId=3850763

I stripped, sanded, and sealed the basement in my new house. And it turned out wonderfully well. Water beads up on the surface, it's not slick, and it gave the floor a nice 'freshly poured concrete' look. One thing to note though, make sure the area is properly ventilated because the fumes are no joke. Serious.

 

[mizzou]

Is it even necessary to seal outdoor concrete?

 

[TechBoyJK]

Is it even necessary to seal outdoor concrete?

After seeing the results i got on my basement floor and how water acts on it, I'm going to do the same to all of my concrete.

Garage Floor
Driveway
Front Patio
Rear Patio
Front path (driveway to patio)

It gives a nice, fresh concrete look that is consistent and to me obviously seals the concrete based on how water beads up on it.

 

[echo4747]

Is it even necessary to seal outdoor concrete?

It is wise to seal concrete especially if you live in an area that uses salt as a deicer during the winter.

anyway there are 2 types of sealers for concrete... penetrating and those that form a coating on the surface. The best penetrating sealers are silane and siloxane based. They will not leave the surface slippery and after they dry you cant even tell its there unless it rains (you will see some water beading) The sealers that stay on the surface will wear off faster in high traffic areas. These types come in gloss ,semi gloss , and low sheen (one example is Thompsons Water Seal)

penetrating sealer: https://www.rustoleum.com/product-c...trating-silane-siloxane-sealers/sealers- s-20

 

[Subyman]

I wouldn't bother sealing the outside concrete, but a garage or basement is nice to seal.

 

[mizzou]

It is wise to seal concrete especially if you live in an area that uses salt as a deicer during the winter.

anyway there are 2 types of sealers for concrete... penetrating and those that form a coating on the surface. The best penetrating sealers are silane and siloxane based. They will not leave the surface slippery and after they dry you cant even tell its there unless it rains (you will see some water beading) The sealers that stay on the surface will wear off faster in high traffic areas. These types come in gloss ,semi gloss , and low sheen (one example is Thompsons Water Seal)

penetrating sealer: https://www.rustoleum.com/product-c...trating-silane-siloxane-sealers/sealers- s-20

"For use on vertical, flat, dense surfaces—brick/stucco walls, etc."

 

[boomerang]

Is it even necessary to seal outdoor concrete?

Coming next will be a product to protect the sealer.

 

[DrPizza]

Our school sealed their new concrete sidewalks a year or so ago. When it rained, they were slipperier than ****. I'm not aware of people falling, but no one walked at a regular pace across them when wet - it was like walking carefully on ice to avoid slipping and falling. They also sealed the asphalt with something. The driveway is marked for 10mph. There's a bend at the end of it to go toward the parking lots. This weekend, I took that bend at 40mph while in a hurry (prom stuff needed stat). The year they sealed that, if you took it at 15mph in the rain, you were going into the guard rail. So, make sure you look at people's ratings about their experiences after applying whichever product you're considering.