For homeowners with concrete driveways and patios, deciding between using paint or sealant on them is a common debate. While paint has its own appeal and some benefits, sealants are a safe option regardless of what your goals are.
Keep ready as we will go over some of the main factors why you should consider sealing your concrete patio and a few things you should take into consideration before doing so.
What Is Concrete Patio Sealing?
Concrete patio sealing is applying a specialized sealant that protects the surface of your patio to greatly increase its longevity, as well as increase its visual and aesthetic appeal. Your patio will become water resistant and will also resist the discoloration caused by exposure to sunlight (UV light, specifically), which helps greatly with cleaning and maintenance.
There are different types of concrete sealants that you can use on your patio, depending on what look you’re going for. Some of them result in a glossy finish that forms a protective cover for the surface (acrylic sealers); others “sink” into the concrete, giving your patio a more natural, matte finish (penetrating sealers). Others can even give your patio a high gloss wet look.
There’s also the option of using a tinted concrete sealer that can change the color of your patio without recurring to paint, which can eventually chip and fade, causing it to lose much of its visual appeal. The caveat with this type of sealant is that it must be applied continuously until the desired color is achieved, but the result will be more durable.
When it comes to application methods, they vary depending on the types of sealers you’re using. Generally, solvent-based sealers are most effective when applied with a spray, while water-based sealers achieve the best results when applied with a roller.
Six Reasons Why You Should Seal Your Concrete Patio
Here are the main reasons why you should consider using a sealant on your concrete patio:
Moisture Protection
Perhaps the biggest advantage offered by concrete sealants is the moisture protection they afford to your patio. Excess water is one of concrete’s biggest enemies due to its porous composition. The more moisture your concrete patio absorbs, the more at risk of cracks and swelling it becomes. This can lead to concrete spalling, cracks, mold growth, and other costly problems.
While the surface is not the only part of the concrete that’s at risk of becoming damaged by moisture, it is the most exposed one. By applying concrete sealant to your patio, you’re ensuring that damage from the elements will be kept at bay and your patio will last you decades.
Protection From Discoloration And Staining
If you live in a place where the sun is particularly harsh on your patio and there’s no shade to protect it, the exposure to constant UV light will cause your patio to lose its sheen and color. Applying a sealant to it will prevent discoloration. This will not only save your concrete patio’s visual appeal, but it will also save you money down the line; not only will the sealant protect your patio from the elements, but it will also influence your property value.
But the sun is not the only thing your concrete patio is exposed to; there are also plenty of substances, such as spilled food and drinks, runoff water from your roof, doggy accidents, and even stray cinders from a fire pit or charcoal grill. These are just some of the elements that could potentially cause your concrete patio to become permanently stained, but a sealant makes all of these substances easier to remove from the sealed surface.
Protects Your Concrete Patio From Cracks
The combined action of moisture, exposure to the elements, foot traffic, soil contraction, and many more will eventually cause cracks to appear in your concrete patio. Once the crack appears, if not treated in a timely manner, it will expand thanks to the damaging factors that caused it to appear in the first place.
The appearance of cracks on your concrete surface will mark the beginning of a steady decline in your patio’s overall condition. As moisture filters into the crack (and others that form down the road), it can cause structural damage that not even the application of sealant will solve. By applying a quality sealant to your concrete patio before the first signs of damage appear, you will prevent cracks from appearing in the first place.
Extend The Longevity Of Your Concrete Patio
Concrete is one of the most reliably durable materials used in home construction today. It’s versatile, strong, and highly customizable. That doesn’t mean, however, that it’s immune to damage or the passage of time. Concrete, as it grows old, can show some worrying signs of wear and age, such as spalling and chipping. A high-quality sealer will make sure that the surface of your concrete patio is not directly exposed to the many elements that can damage it.
In essence, applying sealant to your concrete patio is not unlike using sunblock on your own skin; it protects it from showing the signs of age too early, and it helps it keep functioning for much, much longer than if you don’t use it.
Match Your Home’s Style And Decoration
If you think of concrete as only being drab, gray, and inorganic looking, you really haven’t seen the true potential of a beautiful concrete patio treated with the right sealant. As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, you can achieve a cohesive design or theme on the outside of your home by applying a colored sealant to your concrete patio.
A tinted sealant will allow you to change the color of your concrete patio, and you’ll be surprised at the flexibility of what you can achieve with colored sealants nowadays. Whether you want a bright, glossy finish or a warm color to go with the wooden furniture on your patio, the sky’s the limit with the potential offered by sealants.
What To Consider Before Applying Sealant To Your Patio
There are a few factors that homeowners should take into account before choosing to apply sealant to a concrete patio.
Foot Traffic In The Area
Before you seal your concrete patio, first and foremost, you have to consider how much foot traffic your patio or walkway sees on average before choosing which sealant to use; an area that sees lots of daily use will require a more durable finish, while sealants overall are much more well-suited to heavy traffic areas, you must know that it will probably require a touch-up or two in the future.
Weather Conditions In Your Area
Few things can impact your concrete surfaces as much as climate conditions do. Extreme weather conditions, whether cold or very, very hot (as is the case with San Antonio), necessitate specialized sealants to properly defend your concrete from the elements. Make sure to use a weather-resistant sealant that’s specifically made for use in the climate specific to your city. This will ensure that your sealant is performing to its highest potential and your concrete patio is being well taken care of.
Personal Style
While sealants that can give a specific color to your concrete surfaces exist, remember that sealant is made specifically to highlight the aesthetic beauty that’s inherent to concrete itself; it’s not necessarily the same as simply painting it. While the results of using tinted sealants can be amazingly flexible, it’s better to use it with the mindset that you’ll get a more natural look from it.
Budgeting For Concrete Sealant Application
Sealants are more expensive upfront than paint, but the added protection that your patio will get from them can make up for it if you consider the lower maintenance costs that you’ll face. Sealant might require a touch-up in the future, but it’s a much less common occurrence than with paints, and again, you will probably need to reapply concrete sealers before you have to fix the concrete itself, which cuts the costs for upkeep even more.
Once you’ve considered these factors and decided to go forward with sealing your concrete patio, turn to Above All Foundation Repair for all your concrete patio sealant and maintenance needs!
