How to Seal a Concrete Driveway

If you have a concrete driveway you are going to want to put a sealant on it to protect it. This is something that will need to be done when the driveway is first built and then it should also be done every three to ten years. Just how often you do it will depend on the weather in your area and how much use the driveway gets. In general if you live in colder climate you will want to seal your driveway more often. Remember that before you seal your driveway the first time after it has just been built you need to make sure that you wait at least twenty one days for the concrete to cure.

The first thing that you are going to have to do before you even start to seal your concrete driveway is to make sure that you will have a couple of days of good weather. You will ruin the seal if you get it wet while the sealant is still drying so you need to make sure that you will not have any rain during this time, if the weather is at all doubtful wait for another day.

The next thing that you are going to want to do is make sure that you give your driveway a good cleaning. Any dirt that is on your driveway when you put the sealant on will be sealed in. this is not going to look good. Give your driveway a good sweep and then spray it down with a hose. It is often a good idea to get a pressure washer to make sure that the driveway is really clean. After you have cleaned the driveway you will have to wait twenty four hours before you put the sealant on so that you can be sure that it is completely dry.

The next thing that you are going to have to do is to choose the right sealer for the job.There are several options available when it comes to concrete driveway sealers but in most cases you will find that a penetrating siliconate one is the best. That being said you should research your choices so that you can be sure that you are getting the right one for your needs.

Once you have chosen your driveway sealer the next thing that you will have to decide on is how you plan to apply. You basically have three options, you can use a brush,a roller,or a sprayer,
really it is like painting in that regard. A sprayer will make the job go a lot faster, especially if you have a large driveway.

When you start applying the sealant you are going to want to work on just a small area at a time. Apply it in thin layers and have your coats overlap slightly, again this is just like painting. If you start to get puddles grab a brush and spread them out so that they don’t dry that way. You want to apply just enough sealant that the concrete turns a slightly whitish color.

Once you have applied the sealant you have to make sure that you stay off of the driveway for at least twenty four hours. After that your driveway should be good to go as this is all there is to sealing a concrete driveway.