Best driveway sealers for poured concrete driveways, stamped concrete driveways, and concrete paver driveways.

Driveways are exposed to temperature and weather fluctuations. In only a few weeks, a freshly cleaned or poured driveway can develop stains from sap, clay, lawn chemicals, cut grass, and more. After a harsh winter, driveways can develop cracks, pits and spall marks. Here is a list of the best sealers for sealing and protecting your concrete driveway:

Penetrating Driveway Sealers

Penetrating sealers work below the surface – they do not change the look or color of the concrete. The two most common types of penetrating sealers are silicate Densifiers (sodium or lithium) or silane-siloxane blend sealers.

• Densifiers are used strictly to increase the strength and density of the concrete. Through densification they can reduce the movement of water or moisture up through the concrete but they do not stop surface stains and do not cause water to bead off the surface. Densifiers should be used if your concrete is aged or has experienced damage caused by environmental factors. When shopping for a densifer, consider a concentrated Densifier that allows you to add your own water. This will greatly save on material and shipping costs. Products: Armor S2000, Armor L3000, Consolideck.
• Silane-Siloxane blend sealers are the most popular type of sealers for use on all types of concrete driveways. They cause water and other liquids to bead off the surface and prevent damage caused by water, salt, snow and ice. When shopping for a Densifier, consider a high solids, solvent based silane-siloxane blend. Products: Armor SX5000, Armor SX5000 WB, Prosoco.

Penetrating sealers are great for protecting driveways. They can reduce environmental damage and help to reduce surface stains. Some stains, like hot tire pickup and oil, may require a coating. Will a sealer help with oil stains? Yes, a silane-siloxane sealer will help to reduce oil stains by keeping oil on the surface however, if the oil sits on the surface for a long period of time, stains could form.

Decorative Driveway Coatings

There is only one type of coating that should ever be used on a driveway and that is an acrylic coating. Epoxies, acrylic-epoxy blends, urethanes – these types of coating should be avoided. Here’s why:

• Most acrylic sealers are formulated to be breathable – as in they will allow moisture to penetrate through the coating without causing the coating to delaminate. Solvent based acrylics (best type of acrylic to use) are very easy to maintain. When a solvent based acrylic starts to delaminate or wear, you can slap down a layer of Xylene and put down another coating. Acrylic sealers are also formulated with UV resistant properties – they will peel before they yellow.
• Epoxies and urethanes are very strong coatings – when used on interior applications. On exterior applications, when moisture becomes present from below the surface it will cause a durable coating to peel off in one big sheet. Further, the UV resistant properties present in an epoxy or urethane are not designed for full exposure. 90% of the time a urethane or epoxy will yellow first and then peel, or peel before it has a chance to yellow.

Products: Armor AR350, Armor AR500, AX25, HIAC, Eagle