dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
15240

fallingrock
join:2000-09-22
Schaumburg, IL

fallingrock

Member

New concrete driveway ... should it be sealed?

I just had a new concrete driveway installed ... when I was getting the estimate the guy mentioned that I might want to have it sealed.

Is sealing a concrete driveway highly recommended?

Thanks

david
horsemouth1
Please Clarify My CSP
Premium Member
join:2002-03-13
canada

horsemouth1

Premium Member

Yes..... but wait.

Ken
MVM
join:2003-06-16
Markle, IN

Ken to fallingrock

MVM

to fallingrock
If it was my driveway, I would. Many people however don't do it.

fallingrock
join:2000-09-22
Schaumburg, IL

fallingrock to horsemouth1

Member

to horsemouth1
said by horsemouth1:

Yes..... but wait.
How long?

CCat
We're all quite mad here
MVM
join:2005-12-06
Wonderland

1 recommendation

CCat to fallingrock

MVM

to fallingrock
Given your location about mid Oct before the winter weather sets in.

rfhar
The World Sport, Played In Every Country
Premium Member
join:2001-03-26
Buicktown,Mi

rfhar to fallingrock

Premium Member

to fallingrock
I was told to wait on mine then do it a second time two years later and that would be enough.

fallingrock
join:2000-09-22
Schaumburg, IL

fallingrock

Member

Thanks folks ... I'll be getting the driveway sealed in a few months then.

david

garys_2k
Premium Member
join:2004-05-07
Farmington, MI

1 edit

garys_2k

Premium Member

My driveway's about 20 years old and has never been sealed. I'd thought about doing it, as ice REALLY sticks into the pores every winter and is hard to scrape it off.

Can an older driveway be sealed? If so, what would be a good product to apply?

edit to fix mipselling.

rockotman
...Blown On The Steel Breeze
Premium Member
join:2000-08-06
DSotM

rockotman to fallingrock

Premium Member

to fallingrock
I have used Meadows C&S 309 every other year on my driveway and walkway since I had the driveway put in 14 years ago. I do it myself with a hand-pumped sprayer. It keeps it looking like new, and protects it during the winter from the lovely road salt that my township uses when it snows. I usually do it in late September, just because the leaves start falling around here in October, and it makes it kind of difficult to spray the driveway and keep leaves from sticking if you wait too long.
medbuyer
join:2003-11-20
Memphis, TN

medbuyer to fallingrock

Member

to fallingrock
might be a stupid question...but what does sealing do for the driveway?

garys_2k
Premium Member
join:2004-05-07
Farmington, MI

garys_2k

Premium Member

Makes it more resistant to oil stains and helps keep ice from sticking as tightly. Basically, seals the surface pores.

rockotman
...Blown On The Steel Breeze
Premium Member
join:2000-08-06
DSotM

rockotman to medbuyer

Premium Member

to medbuyer
It also prevents water from getting under the surface, which can lead to spalling and cracking during vicious winter freeze/thaw cycles.

lev
Anyone else remember ISDN?

join:2001-05-30
Goodyear, AZ

lev

Would sealing make a driveway more slippery when wet?

cdru
Go Colts
MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN

cdru

MVM

said by lev:

Would sealing make a driveway more slippery when wet?
Possibly slightly, but only if you put it on heavy enough to smooth out the texture (or if it was very smooth to begin with). You are sealing the really small holes that water seeps into. Think of concrete kind of like a sponge. You can fill in the small holes while still leaving the larger texture free to provide some grip.

lev
Anyone else remember ISDN?

join:2001-05-30
Goodyear, AZ

lev

I didn't think of this until after my last post, but isn't it also possible to texture the sealer itself?

cdru
Go Colts
MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN

cdru

MVM

said by lev:

I didn't think of this until after my last post, but isn't it also possible to texture the sealer itself?
I'd think that you would want to apply the texture under the sealant. Applied as part of the sealant, you would essentially be using the sealant as the "glue" to stick it down. Kind of like sandpaper, the more traffic it receives the texture would slowly wear away as the sealant isn't really made to hold the granules in.

If you want to provide a sealed, anti-slip surface, you might check into epoxies with granules. They are more expensive, but will wear much, much longer. My church installed a brand that resembled a thinned out version of what is used on truck beds for a set of back stairs as well as our baptistery and it looks like new even after several years of wear.

lev
Anyone else remember ISDN?

join:2001-05-30
Goodyear, AZ

lev

Yeah, that's what I was thinking of. Expoy with granules.

There's a Whole Foods in Evanston that has this on their outside ramps. It provides great traction and lasts forever.

cdru
Go Colts
MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN

cdru

MVM

said by lev:

There's a Whole Foods in Evanston that has this on their outside ramps. It provides great traction and lasts forever.
You just need to make sure that it was designed for vehicle traffic. Hot tire liftoff is common with cheaper products where a tire that has become hot from driving around will basically melt the epoxy or paint and stick to the tire, leaving a nice bare spot on the concrete.