Driveways

Selecting the best Sealer for your concrete is very important to protect your investment.

Every year thousands of first-time homeowners and new building owners start the grand adventure – of ownership. Most embark on this journey with little or no education on how to maintain, preserve and protect one of the largest investments they will ever make. And like most owners will learn by experience– learning what to do after something breaks and needs repaired. We created this page to talk about exterior concrete, not to include bricks, stones, stamped or colored concrete or pavers. The points on this website apply to all concrete owners.

The concrete in the front of a home, the driveway, walkways, front porch, parking lots, roads, and any concrete surface exposed to the outside weather make up a major portion of the front of your home or structure. The poor appearance of these will significantly affect the curb appeal, which is extraordinarily important if you decide to sell your property. Dirty, stained, or broken concrete can cause people to not stop to look at your home and can reduce your resale value.

Exterior concrete that is not maintained properly can deteriorate to the point where it needs to be replaced. The costs of exterior concrete are included in the purchase price of the building so many people have no idea that to tear out and replace an average concrete in the Midwest will cost between $10.00 to $18.00 per square feet.

What does a property owner do to maintain the durability of exterior concrete?

Owners should seal exterior concrete slabs as soon as possible but at least before the onset of freezing temperatures. Make sure you select a good, quality concrete sealer and then follow the manufacturers recommendations for resealing the concrete on a regular basis. We recommend a siliconate based sealer such as SealGreen Concrete Sealer Concentrate with Salt-Defense Technology.
Keep your concrete as clean as possible. Remove rust stains, oil stains, mold and mildew and just plain dirt as soon as possible, Contaminants in your concrete are not only aesthetically displeasing but will lead to deterioration of the concrete slab.
Keep lawn fertilizers off your concrete surfaces. Many fertilizers contain iron which can cause rust stains if they get wet. Rust stains can be removed using proper cleaners, however, other fertilizers, especially those used on plants in pots, can cause other discolorations on the concrete that are difficult if not impossible to remove.
Run downspouts under your walkway and into the lawn. If you can pre-plan this before construction, it will work best. This results in several benefits to your concrete:
a) Water can build up in a contained area such as a flowerbed and can cause cracking of walkways due to water pressure. Water will find the easiest path.
b) Water can build up underneath walkways or driveways and cause the concrete to “rot” from the bottom up. This works its way to the surface of the concrete and shows up as small, spider vein cracks. Once this starts it is impossible to completely stop without tearing out and replacing that section of the concrete. Look up d-cracking for more information.
c)Water running continually over the concrete can cause discoloration from the various minerals in the water. These stains can prove difficult to remove.
Remove snow and ice as soon as possible from your concrete – especially your garage floors. Vehicles build up slush and ice on the undercarriage which contain salt and deicing materials from public roadways. This slush falls on your garage floor, allowing these harsh chemicals to sit on the surface causing all sorts of damage to the concrete.
Do not allow heavy trucks or vehicles to park on residential driveways. Driveways were not designed structurally to carry heavy loads like roofing trailers, trash trucks, moving vans, etc.
Annual Maintenance of your exterior concrete is extremely important to keep your concrete at its best. Homeowner warranties very rarely cover exterior concrete. Proper care and maintenance are the homeowner's responsibility. Just like your wood deck or siding on your home, concrete must be protected from the environment for them to reach their expected life. Not sealing your exterior concrete can shorten its life expectancy by half.

For the best sealers we recommend the following products: SealGreen Concrete Sealer with Salt Defense Technology