Features & Benefits
Sealing your concrete in our BC rainforest climate has many benefits. Over time, foot and vehicle traffic, rain water, industrial chemicals, gasoline, and other elements will deteriorate concrete. If you have paid for a nice decorative concrete finish and want the colours and textures to stay consistent over time, we highly recommend that you seal it.
And don't forget about the aesthetics! Sealers and epoxy are highly functional coatings, but the WOW factor with these products can be simply incredible. There are a large variety of products and installation techniques available to enhance the beauty of your concrete.
In fact, a layer of decorative epoxy can completely transform an cold and dark basement into a warm, livable space!
Complexity 12345 SimpleComplex
Install Time 12345 ShortLong
Design Options 12345 FewMany
Differences Between Epoxy & Sealers
Sealers and epoxy go in the same category for us, as they perform a similar task of protecting and beautifying your concrete. However, there are some key differences between these two categories.
Epoxy-topped Concrete Floors
Epoxy-topped floors are nearly limitless in colour and design, and work double-duty to provide essential protection required in high-traffic areas. In fact, the epoxy layer (which is typically 6mm-9mm thick) is harder than the concrete itself. The epoxy can be coloured, with a massive range of colours to choose from, and decorative aggregates can be worked into the epoxy for added effect.
Epoxy is durable, low-maintenance, and lasts a lot longer than sealers. This makes it a perfect candidate for garage floors, though it is not meant for use in exterior applications.
Epoxy floors are sealed tight, and do not allow the concrete below to "breathe". When installed on concrete exhibiting elevated moisture levels, moisture mitigation primer may be required before epoxy can be installed.
Sealing Concrete
Sealing concrete is important if you wish to protect and enhance the finish. Sealers typically last 1 to 2 years before we recommend reapplying (based on the area's traffic intensity and exposure to weather). Concrete sealers are generally brushed or sprayed onto the finish, and provide an added burst of colour enhancement (and gloss, if desired).
Water-based sealers are appropriate for both interior and exterior applications, while solvent-based sealers are recommended for outdoor use only.
We recommend keeping a record of what products have been used to seal your concrete – this is a great way to easily and efficiently maintain your concrete in the future.
And remember, concrete ages gracefully when done properly, even if you don't use a sealer. We are happy to work with you to come up with a beautiful, durable finish that doesn't require sealing. Just get in touch with your project details!
Installation Notes
The time it takes to install an epoxy or sealer coating depends on how much preparation is required on the concrete. For example, heavily stained areas, such as a garage floor with oil stains, require more preparation than a less trafficked or newer slab of concrete.
The amount of prep work required also varies based on what we are applying. For example, when applying a solvent-based sealer to a stamped concrete pathway, we can tint (colour) the sealer and then apply it with little prep work. On the other hand, if we are working with a finish that has an unknown type of sealer already applied, we need to take measures to identify what can be used (to avoid conflict with different chemicals).
Once the prep work is complete, installation is relatively simple and quick, thanks to the fast application times.
Where To Use Epoxy & Sealers
This method/technique of finishing concrete works great with the following applications:
