When it comes to sealing a new concrete driveway you have two choices: you wait 28 days and then seal the concrete driveway, or you can seal the concrete immediately after being poured with a concrete cure and seal. Whether or not you choose to wait before sealing, or seal immediately after being poured will really depend on personal preference and what you want to use as a sealer.
The three most popular types of driveway sealers are silicate densifiers, water repellent sealers, and acrylic sealers.
| Silicate Concrete Sealers | Water Repellent Concrete Sealers | Acrylic Concrete Sealers |
| Won’t change the look of the concrete | Won’t change the look of the concrete | Enahnces with a wet look or gloss |
| Works entirely below the surface | Works entirely below the surface | Leaves a visible surface film |
| Lasts forever | Lasts 7-10 years | Lasts 1-5 years |
| Increase strength of concrete | Repels surface water | Protects surface against staining |
| Reduces dusting and spalling | Reduces staining and deterioration | Stops dusting, staining, deterioration |
| Can only be used on cured concrete | Can be used on cured and uncured concrete | Can be used on cured and uncured concrete |
Silicate Densifiers: Silicate densifiers can be used on uncured concrete, but only under the recommendation of an engineer. Typically however, silicate densifiers are applied to concrete that is at least 28 days old. Silicate densifiers penetrate into the surface of the concrete where they chemically react below the surface to form a crystalline barrier within the pores that will increase the strength and density of the concrete by up to 45%. Silicate sealers are great to use on concrete driveways if you are looking to reduce dusting or deterioration caused by surface abrasion.
- Armor S2000 Concrete Sealer Review (concentrated)
- Stone Technolgies X-1 Concrete Sealer Review (pre-diluted)
- Ashford Formula Concrete Sealer Review (pre-diluted)
Water Repellent Sealers: There are two main types of water repellent sealers. First, there are siliconate sealers which can be used on uncured or cured concrete, and then there are Silane-Siloxane sealers which can be used only on fully cured concrete. To learn about the differences between water repellent sealers, read Water Repellent Sealer Reviews. Water repellent sealers penetrate into the surface where they chemically react to form a water repellent barrier in the pores. Water and other liquids will bead off the surface, reducing deterioration and staining caused by water absorption.
Acrylic Sealers: The two main types of acrylic sealers are acrylic lacquer sealers and acrylic co-polymer sealers. Acrylic lacquer sealers can only be applied to fully cured cocnrete and acrylic co-polymers are designed to help new concrete cure. To learn about the best acrylic concrete sealers, view Acrylic Concrete Sealer Reviews. Acrylic sealers will provide a protective film over the surface that will also enhance the concrete with a wet look, low gloss, or high gloss finish.
