With the large amount of concrete sealers on the market today, its often confusing for the consumer, professional or not, to know which is the strongest product. With companies making all sorts of claims on their website, which is perfectly legal for them to do, it can be difficult to know which products are real, and which are just being manufactured to make a quick buck.
The best way to tell if a company is for real, aside from extensive reviews and a long-standing reputation, is for their products to undergo extensive testing. Testing for concrete sealers is not yet a uniform requirement – however, the companies that test their products have nothing to hide, which should make you feel comfortable purchasing and using their sealers on your concrete.
One of the most well known testing standards is ASTM International. ASTM has a wide range of testing fields, from concrete and concrete sealers to metals and plastics. When concrete sealers are independently tested they are put through a set of rigorous tests that will determine their effectiveness, especially compared to the claims of manufacturers. The sealers are tested in such areas as resistance to artificial weathering, bond strength, penetration, and flexibility, among many others. They essentially test every product that is sent to them by the manufacturer with a thoroughness designed to root out any pretenders. Manufacturers have to pay a significant amount of money for their products to be tested – a company would only do this if they are sure their product is legitimate and effective. Therefore, companies that have products that passed the ASTM standards should be trusted, giving you some peace of mind as you shop online.
