What is the Best Sealer for Concrete 2019

What is the best sealer for concrete? The 3 best concrete sealers to buy in 2019 are outlined below:

Applying a concrete sealer to concrete may seem like a boring, unrewarding job. However, on the contrary we like to think of it this way, life is too short to spend your time worrying about sealing your concrete. If you choose the right concrete sealer in the beginning you will never have to worry or have to spend any future time researching and figuring out how a basement became wet or how a driveway became cracked. When people ask us what we do for a living and we tell them we review concrete sealers they look at us funny; concrete sealer what is that!? Concrete sealer is one of those things that most people don’t think about until it is too late. Your basement starts to leak and then you think about sealing it. Your driveway is showing signs of cracking and pitting and then you think about sealing it. Concrete sealers should be used as soon as concrete has been poured and cured in order to properly protect it. That being said it is never too late to seal your concrete. If you don’t know where to start, if you don’t know how to choose a concrete sealer or even what a concrete sealer is continue reading to learn more.

When it comes to choosing a concrete sealer and figuring out what is the best sealer for concrete, you need to determine what type of problem you are trying to fix, or what end result you are trying to achieve. Are you looking to waterproof a basement, are you looking to prevent staining or spalling in a driveway or are you looking to make your patio pavers look darker and wet. You’ll have to consider the finish vs. the type of protection you are looking for since the glossier the product the less likely it is to last. Most concrete sealers for the DIYer are water based and are generally an acrylic based sealer found at a big box store. There is a lot to think about when choosing the right concrete sealer, but thankfully we’ve done the dirty work and have found the best concrete sealer whether you are looking for a budget pick or an easy application.

Best concrete sealer overall for any type of concrete:

Your local supply store will have a ton of options for you to choose from when selecting a concrete sealer. However, they are not always the best concrete sealers to use since they tend to be cheap and not long lasting. We prefer concrete sealers that are industrial grade, used by contractors but are also available to the DIYer. To pick the best from the crop, you need to find a concrete sealer that will keep out the water. Water is a huge problem when it comes to concrete. Since concrete is extremely porous if left unsealed it will absorb as much water as it can. This can be problematic in basements since it can lead to wet basements. This can be problematic in driveways and patios since the water will take with it road deicing salts that can cause the concrete to spall, pit and crack. The best concrete sealer will be a water repellent or waterproofing sealer. We also prefer penetrating concrete sealers. What is a penetrating concrete sealer? Penetrating concrete sealers do just what their name infers, they penetrate and travel deep into the concrete.

According to Concrete Decor magazine,  “Penetrating [concrete] sealer is a catch-all or umbrella term used to describe multiple chemistries and hundreds of products. What these various chemistries have in common is that they all penetrate the surface, provide some level of stain resistance and don’t leave a film. This lack of a film means there won’t be any gloss or shine, and the concrete, not a sealer film, will be the wear surface.”

Ghostshield offers one of the most diverse selections of concrete sealer available to homeowners, contractors and engineers. According to the manufacturer the Siloxa-Tek 8500 has been used on residential applications like driveways, patios and basements and commercial projects like the parking decks at the Orlando International Airport.

The Siloxa-Tek 8500 is a penetrating concrete sealer based on a 40% actives silane-siloxane, which is the highest actives concentration of a water based liquid sealer; anything higher than this in the water based realm is really not possible. (If you are looking for a higher actives concentration you would need to use a solvent based or 100% actives sealer.) It is extremely easy to apply, leaves a clear, natural, matte finish and can last upwards of ten years before another application is necessary. After two coats are applied, the Siloxa-Tek 8500 dries invisible into a durable mold and mildew resistant, road salt resistant and freeze-thaw resistant surface. It has low VOC content with virtually no odor and can be used in all 50 states.

We also like that this product is available and trusted by big box online stores like Homedepot.com Lowes.com and Amazon.com. The unique characteristic of the Ghostshield 8500 is that it is available as a ready to use gallon or an ultra concentrated gallon. It is not available in a five gallon bucket; however, one ultra concentrated gallon is mixed with 4 gallons of distilled water to make a five gallon bucket. This saves on shipping costs and creates less empty container waste earning an A+ for being environmentally responsible.

There really has not been anything new on the market that has captured our attention and when we put our name and recommendation behind a product you know it has been tested and approved. Which is why for the third year in a row we still like this product. After three years we did not have any noticeable cracking, spalling or deicing salt damage on the driveway applications. We did proactively decide to touch up one area where a car continually parks. Though we haven’t tested the product for a full five to ten years like the manufacturer claims it will work for, we haven’t experienced any major issues ourselves but we’ll continue to long-term test to see if any problems arise. The positive five star reviews have continued to grow for this product and there have not been any negative issues.

Best decorative name brand concrete sealer:

Euclid Chemical has been offering high quality products for over a century so their brand is true and tried. Their Everclear product is a pure acrylic that enhances and protects with a clear non-yellowing seal. It will help to repel road salts for a few months but its primary function is enhancement. We like that it can be tinted and can also be used as a cure and seal to cure new concrete. Giving stamped concrete, aggregate and colored pavers a deeper, wetter look, if you are looking for a decorative concrete sealer this is a great option. It is a product typically used by contractors and unfortunately it is not sold online. A number of select building supply stores do stock this product or if you have a contractor doing the sealing work for you they should be able to get their hands on this product.

Best value concrete sealer:

When it comes to recommending a value sealer the reviews of the ‘best value concrete sealer’ products were not stellar. Nor did they last as long as the more expensive products we tested. The saying, you get what you pay for applies to concrete sealers. Products that contain higher actives are going to be more expensive but they are also going to last longer. The higher the actives content the better the sealer will perform and the longer it will last. That being said, Eagle Sealer continues to get good reviews and is very economical at $26 a gallon. It is not available in store on shelves and  it does not have a long lifespan due to the low actives content of 7-12%. Water beads up nicely after it is first applied but within a few months we found we needed to reapply it.

What not  to use:

We recommend staying away from products like DryLok since it is a temporary fix. DryLok is like putting a band aid onto concrete, over time it is going to fail and then you are going to be left with an ever bigger mess. Thompson’s Water Sealer, Behr’s Masonry Waterproofer and Valspar’s protective sealer do not get good reviews nor did they last or withstand our testing cycles.