Shopping for concrete sealer is one of the most difficult tasks to undergo. The big-box chains like Home Depot and Lowe’s do not really offer a wide selection of products, which can make it difficult to find the right product for your particular project. The same goes for local hardware stores, though they often carry random products from local companies that you wouldn’t be able to find in a large retail store. The problem with purchasing products in stores is that the offerings are typically far more limited. Concrete sealers are best chosen with the particular project in mind, as there are a number of different sealing options available.
The smart consumer will shop for concrete sealer online, though this presents its own sort of problems. There are a number of unscrupulous businesses out there that will offer a severely diluted product or products that can hardly pass as concrete sealers. However, these companies are fairly easy to spot for the savvy customer. One of the biggest tip-offs is if the company is an unrecognized name. The same goes for its website – if the website is choppy, old, and inoperable, the company probably does not have the money to spend on a proper website, meaning it likely does not offer a strong product.
Similarly, what claims does the company make? Many companies, even reputable ones, offer concrete sealers that are shipping in their diluted form. This means that these companies pre-mix their concentrated concrete sealer with water to their own ratios before send it out to you, the consumer. While this is not always a bad thing, especially if the company is well established and well-reviewed, a much better option is to purchase concrete sealer in its concentrated form. This allows you to purchase the concrete sealer and mix it yourself, making sure that you aren’t being cheated out of any expensive sealer.
Of course, while you will want to save money, it is a good idea to be prepared to spend a decent amount on a quality concrete sealer. Sure, you could purchase an inexpensive sealer, but you would simply have to reapply sooner than would a more expensive offering. The sealer will likely not even work as advertised, leaving you with concrete at-risk for various ailments. In the concrete sealing business, it is better to spend a little extra money on a product that you know will work, rather than skimping and regretting it later.
Finally, when purchasing a concrete sealer, always be sure to research the manufacturer’s product. The manufacturer’s will include materials like MSDS sheets and technical data sheets on their websites with their products, as required by law. These materials will give you some insight into the product you are considering: What is the ratio of the mixture? Does the product feature some abnormal safety precautions? What is the VOC content? There is plenty of information in these materials to help augment your knowledge and understanding of a quality product.
Our Take: Our go to concrete sealers include brands Scofield, Prosoco, and Kretetek.
The Formula One lithium silicate concrete densifier manufactured by Scofield is a penetrating concrete sealer that will also densify your concrete. The densification is actually the fundamental purpose of the product, as that process will also increase the strength and longevity of your concrete.
The Fomula One Lithium Silicate Concrete Densifier works by transporting small particles of silicate suspended in a lithium carrier past the surface pores natural to concrete. Once inside the concrete, the silicate particles will react chemically with free alkalis and other minerals present within the concrete. The reactions will produce calcium silicate hydrate, or CSH, which will help block up pores and hairline cracks within the concrete, leading to a denser, stronger product.
The Scofield product is a high solids solution that is shipped in its concentrated form. This is a great quality for any concrete sealer, as the consumer needs only to mix the product with water according to the directions in order to have the strongest solution they need. It saves the consumer money and time, all while helping provide the best level of protection. The Scofield offering is of a high quality, as their product is marketed as not producing efflorescence while potentially contributing to LEED points for your company due to their VOC-free product. If you need a lithium silicate densifier, the Scofield product is one of the better choices.
The Prosoco Saltguard WB, manufactured by Prosoco, is a general-purpose silane/siloxane sealer that promises to resist water and the incursion of harmful salts and chlorides. The Saltguard is actually specifically manufactured and designed to protect your concrete from erosion from salts.
Overexposure to salts and chlorides is especially a problem in places with harsh winters. In the winter, the roads become icy and slippery due to snow and ice. Plow trucks, in addition to plowing away snow, also lay down large quantities of salt in most areas. As your car drives along roads in the winter, the tires pick up a lot of that salt, tracking it back into your driveway and garage. Once here, that salt can melt off with the snow, dripping onto the floor where it can seep into your concrete and cause structural damage.
Salt corrosion can also be a problem in places where the concrete is supported by rebar. The rebar, made of metal, can rust and corrode quickly, gravely threatening your structures. A silane/siloxane sealer like the Saltguard will help lock out that salt from the surface of the concrete. With a mixture of particles of silane and siloxane at work, the concrete will be protected from within and on the surface. The Saltguard can be applied to horizontal surfaces, as well as vertical ones, making it great for floors and walls. Additionally, the Saltguard is a great choice if you live in a coastal area, whether or not you have harsh winters. The salt from the ocean can also corrode your concrete over time, and applications of the Saltguard will help lessen the damage.
The LiON Hard sealer manufactured by L&M Construction Chemicals is one of the few lithium silicate sealers on the market. A lithium silicate sealer is a penetrating sealer filled with small particles of silicate transported by lithium carriers suspended in water. These particles, when applied to the surface of a concrete slab, will penetrate through the tiny pores lining the surface to react chemically within the concrete. These chemical reations will dustproof, densify, and lock out water from the concrete, ensuring lasting longevity.
The LiON Hard sealer is a VOC free product, making it safe for both the environment and your own application. The harmful fumes that plague solvent-based products are not as much of a concern here, as the water-based nature of the LiON Hard sealer makes it a lower risk. It follows a typical regimen of application following the surface preparation, making it a relatively easy-to-apply formula.
While the LiON Hard is an excellent example of a lithium silicate sealer, the biggest problem is that it is not shipped in a concentrated form. Because the LiON Hard sealer is pre-mixed, you really cannot be sure of the ratios of silicate particles to water. With a concentrated product, it is easy to mix it yourself, thereby knowing for sure what the ratios are.
The NewLook 100% Epoxy sealer is a chemically resistant epoxy sealer meant to be used as a top coat, not as a basecoat. While the NewLook epoxy sealer can be used as a standalone coat, it will function best as part of an epoxy system that includes another epoxy basecoat layer. Then, the NewLook 100% Epoxy can be applied atop that basecoat, giving your garage floors the requisite level of protection. Of course, if you want to ensure that the top coat of epoxy lasts looking as aesthetically pleasing as when it is first installed, you want to use yet another clear layer in order to protect the epoxy.
However, NewLook is not offering an epoxy system, so you would have to combine different epoxy products from a few different brands. While this is certainly feasible, it makes more sense to find an epoxy system from one manufacturer, as their products will be proven to work effectively together, designed as they were in concert.
That being said, the NewLook 100% Epoxy is a good choice if you just need one layer of epoxy for your garage floors, concrete countertops, concrete walls, and the like. As a 100% solids epoxy, the NewLook offering is great for your tougher concrete surfaces, as well as surfaces with high levels of traffic, helping protect from chemical spills, stains, and abrasions through its chemical formula.
The Ghostshield Lithi-Tek 9500 concrete sealer is one of the best product offerings on the market today. It is a penetrating, impregnating, densifying sealer. By using a penetrating, impregnating sealer that densifies and hardens concrete and also provides a hydrophobic surface barrier you can ensure a fully waterproofed substrate. The 9500 sealer is an invisible, penetrating concrete sealer that will not only densify concrete, but it will waterproof and help to prevent deleterious organic growth. The chemically reactive and active ingredients seal the pores within the substrate adequately blocking surface moisture while still maintaining the concretes ability to breathe. It will not significantly modify substrate appearance or traction and will only wear away if the concrete surface itself wears away.
The Lithi-Tek 9500 is VOC free with deep penetration and a wide range of coverage. This Ghostshield product is sold in its concentrated form, accompanied by easy-to-follow instructions on how to dilute it. A sealer that is sold concentrated is a much better option than one sold pre-mixed, as you can be certain of the ratios when you are mixing yourself.
In the end, the Ghostshield Lithi-Tek 9500 is an excellent concrete sealing product. New or existing concrete can be treated and performance can be improved in as little as two applications. The concentrated nature of the sealer allows for 1000 sq. ft. of coverage from 1 gallon and is now readily available at HomeDepot.com. This sealer only costs about $0.10 per square foot per application; considering the cost to replace concrete is about $7.00 per square foot, sealing concrete with the 9500 is a worthwhile investment. KreteTek achieved something great with their proprietary formula, and they are certainly on the wave of cutting edge chemical compositions that other companies will likely catch on to in the future.
