Should You Use Concrete Garage Sealer?

Concrete garage sealer is available at any major hardware or do-it-yourself store, providing a strong base for a concrete garage with new or remodeled floors. Debris, street salt, oil, concrete shavings, and tire burns call all stain or degrade a concrete garage floor, but a garage door seal provides a protective covering, waterproofing, or a layer if the surface is to be painted or repainted. Most sealing kits cost around thirty to sixty dollars and have enough materials — including cleaners, gloves, etc. — for any two- or three-car concrete block garage floors. Decide which sealer you need; whether there are climate concerns, whether or not the produce is easily cleaned, whether it can maintain the stress of additional vehicles, whether it matches a customer’s budget, and whether or not it can be painted over.

When applying concrete garage floor coatings, first sweep the floor of any debris. Soak the floor with concrete-cleaning soap, making sure that no residue remains on any of the concrete garage slabs. If oil spills are not affected by the soap, use degreaser. Allow at least an hour for the chemicals to take hold on the concrete garage foundation, then scrub and allow the floor to dry overnight.

The next day, apply the sealer to the concrete garage pad with a paint roller. Do not skimp on applying the sealer but be sure the floor coating is evenly spread. The sealer is permanent, so ensure that all affected areas are specifically laid out to the customer or remodeler’s plans. Lay tape over areas that should not be sealed. Clean the tools immediately after applying the sealer and wait overnight for the sealer to dry. While you should leave the garage door open, do not leave the door from the garage to the house open in order to keep fumes from entering the interior. The sealing material may have additional instructions.

When choosing paint, ensure that it conforms to your needs. Some paints can chip easily, and the strain of incoming and outgoing cars can quickly degrade the quality of the painting job. Concrete floors must be chemically purified to etch out impurities in the material, but after the residue has dried, the surface is ready to be painted. Painting a floor, just like sealing it, requires a day to dry before it can be ready, but there is less risk of permanent stains as floor paints are designed to one day be removed. The final step in a garage remodel is adding a clear coat for additional rainproofing and protection, but this is an optional step at a customer’s discretion.