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Aliphatic urethanes are similar to epoxy sealers. They are both surface level concrete sealers that feature large particles of sealant that, rather than penetrate past the tiny surface pores natural to all concrete, will remain on the surface of the concrete to be spread out evenly during the application process. Once so spread out, the aliphatic urethane (like the epoxy sealer) will feature a strong adhesive bond to the concrete substrate, protecting the concrete underneath from abrasion, heat, water, chemical spills, and similar threats. However, aliphatic urethanes are significantly stronger than epoxies, featuring a greater level of resistance to the aforementioned threats. This makes aliphatic urethanes the preferred choice for industrial warehouses that feature heavy machinery and frequent chemical spills, as well as airports and large retail stores that have heavy foot traffic and frequent spills. Aliphatic urethanes and epoxy concrete sealers do not actually have to be mutually exclusive products, either. In fact, many people frequently choose to apply an epoxy base layer to the concrete substrate before adding a layer of aliphatic urethane over that epoxy layer. The aliphatic urethane will actually bond just as well to the pre-existing epoxy as it will to the concrete itself, making it the perfect choice for a topcoat. Of course, aliphatic urethanes are not the perfect choice for every type of concrete project. Sometimes you will need a penetrating sealer, like a concrete densifier, to achieve the desired results. Concrete densifiers are different from aliphatic urethanes primarily because they feature small particles of sealant that will penetrate past the surface pores natural to all concrete, passing through the extensive network of microscopic pores and hairline cracks to react chemically within the concrete. These chemical reactions actually enhance the very nature of the concrete, greatly increasing its strength, longevity, and structural integrity. Concrete densifiers are preferred to aliphatic urethanes for smaller projects, such as for homes or buildings, rather than large retail stores, airports, or warehouses. They are often waterproofers (if you find a silicate/siliconate variety), and some even create vapor barriers that make them the most effective type of concrete sealer against potential water damage. They feature many of the same benefits as aliphatic urethanes, though they are not as strong and will not withstand as harsh of conditions. Our Take: Some excellent aliphatic urethane choices we recommend are Superior Industries Aliphatic Urethane or Urethane 645. As far as concrete densifiers we recommend Lion Hard, Lithi-Tek 4500 and Formula OneCheck Price on Amazon
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Garage floors are one of the most high traffic areas of most homes. Not only do they feature the constant foot traffic of those entering and leaving the house, they also need to withstand the weight and abrasion of tires, as well as the chemical spills from oil and other acidic materials. This is not to mention the harm of the freeze/thaw cycle if water gets into the concrete, in addition to the oversaturation of sodium if you track road salts into your garage. In short, they require a significant level of strength and protection, or else they will likely crack and degrade, leading to costly repairs.
There are two main solutions to this problem, and they both involve treating the concrete with a high quality concrete sealer. The first is to use an epoxy sealer. Epoxies are surface level sealers whose large particles of chemical sealant cannot penetrate past the tiny surface pores natural to all concrete. The epoxy will pool of the surface of the concrete to be spread out evenly during the application process. As a result of this process, the epoxy will bond to the surface of the concrete substrate, leading to comprehensive protection from heat, water, chemical spills, abrasions, and so on. Epoxies are an excellent choice, especially if you want to add some visual appeal in the form of paint chips or decorative quartz to your concrete.
Epoxies, however, will change the surface texture of your concrete from that of natural concrete to a smoother surface, similar to what you would find in an airport or large retail store. If you happen to prefer a natural concrete garage floor, you should choose the second main solution, concrete densifiers. Concrete densifiers are also necessary if you want to polish your garage floor – be sure to apply one before the polishing or grinding process begins, as that would be too late, leading to widespread crumbling.
Concrete densifiers work by penetrating past the surface of the concrete to chemically react with the naturally occurring minerals and compounds to create more calcium silicate hydrate, or CSH, which is the compound that gives concrete its noted strength. Concrete densifiers come in two main varieties: sodium-based and lithium-based. For garage floors, we always recommend lithium-based concrete densifiers, as they are better when your car tracks in salt from the roads. Sodium-based concrete densifiers will lead to an oversaturation of sodium in your concrete, while the lithium concrete densifiers will help retain the balance of salts and chemicals necessary to preserve strength and longevity.
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When searching for a concrete sealer online, you can often be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of possible choices available to you. To make matters worse, companies, manufacturers, and distributors often do not explain which situations and types of concrete their sealers are appropriate for. For instance, if you do not do enough independent research, you could easily purchase an acrylic sealer without realizing that it is the wrong choice for a concrete basement floor – the manufacturer and/or the distributor will not give you this information, instead marketing their product in general terms designed to encourage the consumer to purchase their product.
There are two main varieties of concrete sealer types. The first are the penetrating sealers. These tend to be sodium silicates, lithium silicates, or lithium silicate/siliconates that are designed to penetrate past the surface pores natural to all concrete. Their small particles of sealant can seep through the microscopic holes dotting the surface of the concrete, which allows the sealant to enter the vast network of hairline cracks and microscopic pores that extend throughout the concrete. Once inside the concrete, these sealant particles react chemically with minerals already present in the slab, leading to the creation of more calcium silicate hydrate (or CSH), which is the naturally occurring mineral in concrete that gives it its strength. Because these types of sealers increase the concrete’s strength for life, they are often referred to as concrete densifiers – not only do they densify, they also block the passage of water, salts, and other potential harms through the concrete.
The other broad category of concrete sealer is the surface sealer. These topical level sealers contain large particles of sealant that cannot fit past the surface pores of the concrete. Instead, the solutions pool on the surface of the concrete to be spread out evenly during application. These products range from acrylic sealers to epoxies, urethanes, and polyaspartics, all of which are extremely different. However, they all bond to the surface of the concrete to lock out water and minerals from entering the material, much like a raincoat locks out water while you’re wearing it. For a more in-depth discussion about the various products mentioned here, please refer to other our other articles that we constantly update and add to for your convenience.
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Urethanes and polyaspartics are topcoating concrete sealers that are specially designed to adhere and bond to the surface of concrete slabs. Once properly applied to the surface, the sealers offer incredible levels of protection, leading to them often being referred to as the miracle concrete sealers. They both offer extensive heat resistance, comprehensive scratch resistance, resistance to abrasions and high foot traffic, as well as prevention of acid and chemical stains.
Due to their plethora of preventative and protective properties, urethanes and polyaspartics are typically in high demand for industrial warehouses and large retail stores, namely places that feature high levels of foot traffic or potentially damaging activity (such as lifting bales of product or driving with a forklift over the concrete). Urethanes and polyaspartics work to protect the concrete underneath from any and all types of damage.
They also, however, work best as part of epoxy floor systems. Epoxy floor systems are typically layers of concrete sealer that are applied one after another to increase the protection offered to your concrete floors. Most systems consist of an epoxy basecoat that is meant to adhere directly on the concrete substrate’s surface, followed by another epoxy coating to increase resistance to various problems. Now, after the first two epoxy coatings, many people choose to install a decorative, aesthetic piece by sprinkling in paint chips or decorative quartz (which is really just sand) onto the second epoxy coating. With this completed, the urethane or polyaspartic topcoat is applied to provide maximum, translucent protection.
The biggest, and really only, difference between urethanes and polyaspartics is a big one. Polyaspartics tend to be slightly more expensive because they have an exceptionally fast dry-time. No, really, it is quite exceptional. Polyaspartics tend to be the topcoating of choice for large retail stores that need to be open the next day: simply apply the polyaspartic coating overnight, and it will be completely dry in only a few hours. When compared to urethanes, the benefits and coverage are the same, by the dry-time is exceptionally different.
Our Take: The best urethane we have found is an aliphatic urethane Urethane 645 while a fast drying polyaspartic is Polyaspartic 745.
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Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
In the market of concrete sealers, there are a number of different options available to you. There are offerings such as surface-level sealers, such as acrylic sealers, epoxies, or polyaspartics and urethanes. Then, there are the penetrating variety of sealer, such as silicates, whose carriers can range from sodium to lithium. While it may be confusing to determine the difference between a silicate and a silane/siloxane, for example, the differences are not all that esoteric. For instance, we shall consider a silicate versus a silane/siloxane. A silicate is a penetrating sealer made up of small particles of sealant. These small silicate particles are suspended in a sodium or lithium carrier that helps transport the particles past the surface pores of the concrete. The water or solvent which the silicate sealer is based in will simply allow the particles of silicate and sodium/lithium to be spread on the surface – from there, the water will evaporate and the solvent will become part of the concrete. Once within the concrete, the silicate particles will pass through the vast network of miniscule hairline cracks and microscopic pores natural to every piece of concrete. Part of what makes concrete such a strong material is the build-up of calcium silicate hydrate. Silicate sealers react chemically with minerals present within the concrete to create more CSH, which makes the concrete stronger while simultaneously blocking out the passage of water, salts, and gases through the concrete. Silane/siloxanes, while also a comprehensive type of concrete sealer, work a little differently. While the silane particles penetrate within the concrete, they do not react chemically to densify the concrete. Instead, the silane and siloxane particles will work in concert to create a hydrophobic barrier that will block out water and moisture. The larger particles of siloxane will remain on the surface of the concrete to provide the brunt of this barrier, while the silane particles will complement the barrier, reinforcing it to make it stronger. As the silane/siloxane sealers feature larger particles, they are better suited for such concrete surfaces as cinderblocks, concrete blocks, and bricks – the more porous materials to which you cannot apply silicates. Both sealers are excellent choices for projects that require their particular strengths, but just make sure to do the requisite research to determine which your project needs. Our Take: Silane/siloxane sealers readily available are Siloxa-Tek 8500 and Okon S40 while a silicate densifier that has stood the test of time is The Ashford Formula.Check Price on Amazon
- Siloxa-Tek 8500 Ready to Use (1 gal.)
- Rust-Oleum OKON S-40 Water Repellent Sealer (5 gal.)
- Ashford Formula Concrete Densifier (5 gal.)
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When purchasing concrete sealers, the market can be somewhat cloudy. It is not apparent enough to just understand what you need to look for, nor is it clear enough to just purchase concrete sealer without any research. The best way to go about the process is to perform a substantial amount of research before buying a product. You want to make sure you know what exactly you want to accomplish with your particular project, as well as what steps you need to take to complete it. Once you have this solidly in mind, you should go online and research the best concrete sealers for your particular project.
Once you have found the best type of sealer (i.e. penetrating, surface, silicate, acrylic), you want to start researching manufacturers. Manufacturers of concrete sealer are different from the distributors of concrete sealer. In this field, manufacturers typically do not distribute their own concrete sealer. Some of the weaker varieties will do so to save money, but the higher quality manufacturers don’t tend to concern themselves with directly selling their products.
Thus, you have a most manufacturers simply producing the concrete sealer products to be distributed by a distributor. Distributors can be large retail entities like Home Depot, or they can be smaller online services. These online services are a much better choice if you want to find a truly high quality concrete sealing product. Concrete sealers vary so much in usage and type that the big retail chains cannot stock all of the necessary varieties. They simply keep a couple of brands of weaker material on hand to sell to the unknowledgeable consumer. However, their online retail has some more choice, making their websites a better bet. Despite this, you should still consider purchasing from a third-party retailer online that can offer you some of the stronger and more specific concrete sealing offerings.
In sum, the manufacturers of concrete sealer research and develop their concrete sealers, making sure they are optimally primed to work to their full potential. Then, once the products have been developed and tested, they are produced in large volume before being sent out to various distributors. These distributors sell the manufactured product for a small fee, leading to a symbiotic relationship where all participants, including the consumer, are happy.
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