Reasons To Seal Concrete Driveways & Patios

Gleam Team Cleaning Services – 07581 681994

If you have a newly installed concrete driveway or patio or an existing one it is important to protect your investment by applying a good quality concrete sealer. Doing so has many advantages and benefits including:

• prolongs the life of drive or patio
• enhances colour and appearance
• protects against oil and petrol leaks
• protects against staining from food and drink spillages
• prevents water penetration
• protects against cracks
• prevents efflorescence
• prevents UV fading

Water is the most likely cause of damage to a concrete driveway or concrete patio because it penetrates then expands in freezing conditions. Water expands upto 9% when frozen and this leads to cracks and damage to the concrete. Sealer stops water penetrating concrete and instead it will bead on the surface therefore helping to extend it’s life.

Stain protection is another key benefit of sealing concrete as patios and driveways are exposed to many potential causes of staining like BBQ fat, wine, fruit juice, leaves, berries, animal urine, oil, petrol, tyre marks and many other things. Sealer will stop these from penetrating the surface and make cleaning your driveway much easier.

Types of concrete sealer

Sealants can work in 2 diffrent ways either providing a protective barrier over the surface or impregnating sealer sinks into the concrete and has a more natural or invisible finish.

If desired sealers can offer a wide choice of gloss sheens ranging from matt to high gloss and wet look.

Tinted sealers or colour enhancers are another option if you wish to darken or change the actual colour and appearance. If a change of colour is required the best way to achieve it is the gradual use of enhancer until the desired colour is achieved. This is the safest way to ensure you get the colour you want and the surface should then have a separate sealant applied to protect and lock in the colour.

Pattern imprinted concrete – also known as stamped or decorative concrete – must have a sealer applied to protect the decorative overlay. Depending on the amount of foot and vehicle traffic the surface is subjected to, and the type of sealer used, it is likely to need reapplying every 2 or 3 years.

Before applying concrete sealer the driveway or patio should first be cleaned and then allowed to dry for 24 hours.

Newly cured concrete should be given 28 days to fully cure before applying sealant.

Gleam Team Cleaning Services can clean and seal all types of plain and coloured concrete as well as pattern imprinted concrete and all surfaces including block paving, slabs, Indian Sandstone and limestone.

Our other services include external house softwash, roof tile cleaning and roof moss removal and render and wall cleaning available in Maidstone, Kent, London and Surrey.

Please call on 07581 681994 for further information or free no obligation quote and see our other blog posts for useful information including the recent addition showing some of the best driveway and patio cleaning services in Kent.