Keep it sealed
Most people don’t realise that decorative concrete needs upkeep. As concrete is a porous surface, all decorative concrete needs to be sealed every 12-18 months. Provided you seek some professional advice, this isn’t a hard exercise to do. Koray Uner from Imperial Concrete Design provides a step-by-step guide to sealing your driveway.
Equipment needed:
- High-pressure water cleaner
- Blower
- Broom
- Long-handled paint roller
- Paintbrush
- Gloves
Preparation
- Make sure the area is clean. Before you seal your concrete, you must clean the area thoroughly. A high-pressure cleaner is probably best. Also, it’s a good idea to ensure you clean any oil leaks off the concrete driveway (a degreaser or specified driveway cleaner from your local hardware store should do the trick).
- Before sealing, make sure the area is fully dry. Any moisture when sealing will cause the sealer to go cloudy, leaving white patches on your concrete. You should wait for a day after washing to seal the area.
Sealing
- Now that your area is clean and dry, you can seal your concrete! If there are any leaves or debris in the area, use your blower to clear it away. You should “blow” 15-20 square metres ahead of the immediate area you’ll be working on.
- Open your drum of sealer, and start “cutting in” the edges of the area to be sealed with your paintbrush. Make sure you only cut in about 15-20 square metres at a time to ensure an even look.
- After cutting in with your paintbrush, use your roller to apply the sealer to the bulk of the area.
- When you have finished, ensure you have barricaded the sealed area off. It is recommended that the sealed area not be used for 8-12 hours.
And that’s how you seal decorative concrete! If you have a block colour without a stencil, you should use a sealer with a colour tint additive to give that glossy look.
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About Author Koray Uner
Koray Uner runs Imperial Concrete Design. Imperial Concrete Design specialises in driveways, paths, footings, stencil concreting, coloured concrete, and slabs of all different sizes.
