CONCRETE SEALING

Concrete Driveway Sealer

At Best Bar we supply high quality concrete sealers for driveways to help preserve your driveway and keep it looking great for many years to come. Whether you have a new driveway or one that’s a few years old, you want to ensure that you seal it with a top-quality concrete driveway sealer to protect it from the elements such as harmful UV rays and extreme weather conditions as well as constant use.

Any type of concrete driveway can benefit from a good concrete sealant whether your driveway is plain or coloured concrete or has a stamped pattern. It’s generally recommended that you apply a concrete sealing product just after the concrete has cured for a new driveway and then again, every few years to maintain its look and durability.

Benefits of Sealing Your Driveway

There are many benefits to applying a concrete slab sealer to your driveway. These include:

• A sealer protects your concrete driveway from fading especially if it is constantly exposed to daytime UV rays. This is especially true if you have coloured or stamped concrete on your driveway.
• You can apply a glossy sealer to give your driveway a nice sheen which makes it always look clean and new and give your driveway a permanently ‘wet’ look. Bear in mind though that high gloss sealers can make your driveway slippery when it’s wet so you may also need to add a slip reduction product as well.
• A sealer also helps to protect your driveway from staining. Stains can be caused from things such as fallen leaves, spilt soil or fertiliser, leaking oil from a car, freshly mowed grass clippings and even tyre tracks. If your concrete driveway is not sealed it will be porous which means that these substances can penetrate the surface and leave ugly stains. A good quality concrete sealer will prevent this from happening.
• A high-quality concrete sealer can also help to prevent cracks from forming in your driveway as it effectively seals out moisture which can weaken the concrete over time.

What Type of Concrete Sealers Are Best for Driveways?

Our concrete sealer products are available as water based or acrylic sealers. These are all suitable for driveways and the one you choose depends on the type of look you want to achieve and the durability factor. Let’s look at each one individually to give you an idea of the advantages of each.

Our Platinum 101 is a water based sealer which is very effective in repelling liquid and can last up to 5 years. This makes it very low maintenance. It gives the concrete a very natural finish and makes it resistant to UV light and any kind of liquid penetration. This is the best concrete sealant if you don’t want a glossy look.

Platinum Medium Gloss is also very hard wearing and resistant to any chemicals from penetrating the concrete. It’s an acrylic sealer and enables the concrete to resist mould, efflorescence and stops oil from penetrating. It gives a medium gloss finish and is great for high traffic areas. It is advised to use slip reduction additives with this particular sealer around any areas likely to become wet and slippery

Platinum High Gloss is very similar to Medium Gloss except that it gives a much glossier finish and requires the use of slip reduction additives to make your driveway safe in wet weather.

All these residential concrete sealers are ideal to use on any driveway, whether it be plain or coloured concrete or stamped.

Do You Need to Prepare the Driveway Before Applying a Sealer?

All driveways, whether new or not, need to be adequately prepared before applying a sealer to ensure that you get a good surface finish and to also ensure the durability of the sealer.

To prepare a new driveway for a concrete sealer, all that is required is to wait for the concrete to cure. The optimum curing time is 28 days. After this time, the driveway should be swept to remove any debris, dirt or sand and you should ensure that the driveway is completely dry before attempting to apply the sealer.

For an older driveway, some additional preparation is required. You should clean the driveway to remove any dirt or debris as well as any stains that may be present. If you seal your driveway before adequate cleaning, you’ll be sealing in the stains.

Do I Need to Remove Old Concrete Driveway Sealer Before Applying a New Coat?

If your driveway is older, you might also be wondering how to properly remove any existing concrete driveway sealer, to ensure there is no additional layers of sealer that will affect the new layer and the final result you wish to achieve.

To ensure your driveway is properly prepared and any older sealer has been removed, you can use either a high pressure cleaner or even a normal garden hose to first wash down your driveway, then use some liquid detergent and a medium bristled brush to remove any in-ground dirt or stains. Give your driveway another rinse and let it dry for at least 2 days if possible.

Wondering How to Seal Your Concrete Driveway?

The absolute best way to apply sealer to your driveway is to use a nap roller and apply the sealant in small sections. Applying the sealer with a sprayer can cause an uneven finish and allow the sealer to pool in certain spots. Also, if you’re using an slip reduction additive, this will quite often clog the sprayer and thereby also give you an uneven finish.

Using the nap roller, slowly work your way up and across the driveway to make sure that all areas are well covered.

If you need to apply a second coat you should wait for the first coat to dry well first. This could take a few hours. When the sealer has lost its stickiness you can then proceed to apply the second coat.

Once you’ve finished it’s important that you allow the sealer to dry completely before you use the driveway. This can take about 24 hours.

Need Some more Info as To Which Sealer Is Right for Your Driveway?

If you’d like some more information as to which sealer you should use for your driveway, or the best tips on how to seal your concrete driveway, feel free to give us a call on 1800 237 822. If you’re short on time you can also fill in the contact form with your details and we’ll get back to you.

Using a high quality concrete sealer on your driveway is absolutely vital to keep it looking great and helps to improve the durability so you won’t need to replace it for many years to come.

Best Bar is Australia’s leading steel rebar & concrete sealing supplier in Australia. If you are in need of any concrete reinforcing products such as reinforced concrete mesh or steel reinforced products such as steel reinforcing mesh, look no further than Best Bar. We proudly service all areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin, Perth & Adelaide.

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