Maybe ten years ago, nobody paid as much attention to the environment. Products were produced with only performative aspects and results in mind. There were not as many federal and state regulations on products, especially concrete sealers. Similarly, there was not a widespread understanding of the dangers of certain chemical and industrial products. For instance, worker would toil for hours in closed-quarters areas full of asbestos, a practice which only stopped less than a decade ago when the cancer-causing properties of asbestos were discovered.
While the chemicals in concrete sealers are not as bad as those found in asbestos and other known cancer-causing agents (as far as we know now), they certainly are not good for one’s health. The increasing realization of their harmfulness has led to a revolution in the industry. This revolution began with the understanding of the dangers of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.
VOCs are carbon-based compounds released from solvent-based concrete sealers. Technically speaking, they have a high vapor pressure that is released into the air from chemical-based products, like paints or concrete sealers, due to their low boiling points. Once in the air, they are absorbed into the environment, leading to a gradual build-up of harm. They also, however, can be absorbed by humans and animals in their vicinity, leading to a myriad of potential health risks ranging from allergic reactions to cancer, depending on the particular volatile organic compound and its level of release.
Federal law restricts the VOCs normally found in concrete sealers to be under 600 grams/liter. While this does not preclude the use of solvent-based sealers, it has led to manufacturers to begin producing water-based concrete sealers that offer the same level of comprehensive protection as their solvent-based counterparts. Even more recently, states in the Northeast including New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, New Jersey, and Delaware restricted the use of concrete sealers if their VOC content was over 400 grams/liter, further throttling the solvent-based sealers. Parts of California have the strictest regulations of all, requiring all sealers to have a VOC content of lower that 100 grams/liter, effectively prohibiting the use of solvent-based sealers.
While these prohibitions are rendering one of the primary concrete sealing staples obsolete, they are also encouraging research and development into new products. Manufacturers have begun to produce concrete sealing offerings that are water-based, thereby complying with all VOC regulations, all while giving concrete a competitive level of protection. In the years to come, these products will increasingly become stronger and more competitive until solvent-based sealers likely become a thing of the past.
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.
Picture this: you have just finished building your dream home and everything has worked out perfectly. The concrete in your basement has cured and proven its strength by holding up the rest of your house. The driveway has just finished curing, ready for your cars to drive up it. The garage has also finished its processes, ready to house your vehicles and various possessions, protecting them from the elements.
You envision yourself living in this home forever, at least until your kids go to college. However, you know the risks and the damages that can plague a home over the course of decades: natural disasters, floods, and everyday weathering can deteriorate your concrete over time. After investing so much time and effort into crafting the perfect home, how can you protect it?
The easiest and most cost effective way to protect your concrete investment is by treating the material with a high quality concrete sealer. While they have been around for a while, concrete sealers are fast becoming more and more popular as chemical formulas improve with recent technological advancements. The right choice in a concrete sealer, as well as proper application and care, can preserve the strength and efficacy of your concrete surfaces for as long as you would ever need them.
Concrete has potential to be one of the longest lasting materials in history – the Egyptian pyramids in Ancient Egypt were even constructed from a primitive form of concrete, and they’re still standing strong. Why shouldn’t your home, or any other concrete structure you own, exhibit the same longevity? Concrete sealers are cost effective and relatively east-to-apply solutions to preserving your concrete while protecting it from the long-term damage the sun, road salt, chemical spills, water damage, and many more calamities can have on the material.