What is the best concrete sealer for fall?

Fall is here and it is one of the most popular times to seal concrete. The fall season reminds us that winter is soon approaching and with winter comes deicing salts, chlorides, freeze-thaw cycles and snow. Choosing a concrete sealer that will be able to withstand all these elements is easier than you might think.

If you live in a northern climate and you are looking to seal your concrete from harmful deicers and chlorides that your vehicle tracks into the driveway or garage you are going to want to use a penetrating silane or silane/siloxane sealer. Silanes act like a chloride screen keeping the water and salt out of the concrete while simultaneously protecting against spalling, pitting and cracking. They are clear, leaving natural finishes so it wont be visually apparent that the concrete had been sealed, until it rains or snows and the water beads up keeping the concrete light in color instead of darkening it. Historically silanes have been used on bridge decks and bridge pilings to keep the concrete from erroding and decaying. If you have ever driven under a bridge and have seen the exposed rusting rebar chances are the concrete was never sealed. By using a penetrating silane based sealer concrete remains in tact and protected from the harsh winter season.

Fall is the season that all the summer projects you may have pushed off come to a head. Fall is also a great time to seal concrete because the temperature and humidity levels are more in check with the manufacturers recommended application parameters. When applying a penetrating silane sealer, a backpack sprayer is usually the best application tool. We like this one from Home Depot. It makes the application process go quick and easy leaving your back in tact.