Give your residential concrete a years of new life with beautiful and high-quality concrete coatings from ConcreteCraft Nashville. Our team has the experience and eye to install the perfect color, pattern, and finish for your project. When sealing concrete in the interior of your home, or installing a quality finish in your garage or on your exterior patio, ConcreteCraft’s Epoxy and concrete coating services will provide you with a floor that you will be proud of.
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When cleaning or sealing concrete, the cost per square foot can range between $.80-$4.50/sq ft depending on the type of product, process, dimensions, and preparation required. Please note that for smaller areas, a flat fee may apply regardless of the square footage of the job.
“When sealing concrete that is at least a year old, the cost of cleaning and properly preparing the surface must also be considered,” says Expert Review Board member Matt DiBara of DiBara Masonry. “This process can include work such as removing all adjacent furniture, power washing the area, carbide scrubbing, acid wash and neutralizing, and installing tape and plastic to protect windows and doors.”
We get a lot of questions about concrete coatings, from pricing, process, to warranty and applicability. See detailed answers below to some of the most common questions we get on concrete coatings.
Exterior concrete in any region subject to freeze-thaw cycles should be sealed (see these regional climate maps). Many people are surprised to learn that freeze-thaw regions include all of New Mexico, most of Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and even portions of California, Louisiana and Florida. In other regions, concrete should be sealed for specific purposes such as stain repellence, dust reduction, abrasion resistance, chemical resistance or to maintain an attractive appearance.
Concrete is a porous material that readily absorbs liquids. In freeze-thaw climates, the expansion of frozen liquids can destroy the surface of unsealed concrete. Oil, salt, fertilizer, and other household chemicals can discolor and damage unsealed concrete.
That all depends on the type of sealer you apply. Most chemically reactive sealers are nearly invisible because they penetrate into the concrete. Solvent-based acrylic resin sealers and epoxies provide significant color enhancement and give concrete a high-gloss wet look. Water-based acrylic resin sealers provide moderate color enhancement and a satin appearance. Urethanes (generally applied as topcoat over epoxy) are available in a wide range of finishes, from matte to gloss. Many sealers can also be colored with translucent or opaque tints.
Many sealers can be applied by a do-it-yourselfer using simple tools, such as a paint roller of pump-up sprayer with proper surface preparation and attention to detail. These include acrylic-resin sealers, reactive penetrating sealers, 50%-solids epoxies and 50%-solids urethanes. Most products have strict parameters regarding temperature, humidity, and application. High-performance sealers such as 100%-solids epoxies, polyaspartic urethanes and polyureas require professional installation using special tools and application techniques.
Most acrylic-resin sealers and certain reactive penetrating sealers (siliconates and silicates) should be applied as soon as new concrete can withstand the weight of the installer. Other reactive penetrating sealers (silanes and siloxanes) and most high-performance coatings, such as epoxies and urethanes, should only be applied after the concrete is fully cured (generally 28 days). Almost all sealers can be applied after the concrete is 28 days old.
Reactive penetrating sealers generally have little effect upon the concrete surface profile or traction. Most topical coatings can affect concrete surface profile, and may require the use of anti-skid additives in areas exposed to foot or vehicle traffic (see Making Concrete Slip Resistant). Typically, the thicker the coating, the lower the traction co-efficient will be.
Because they penetrate the concrete, reactive chemical sealers will last the longest and generally only wear away if the substrate surface itself wears away, which may be 10 years or longer. You can get similar performance by using an epoxy or urethane system, which generally lasts 5 to 10 years depending on traffic exposure. Acrylic-resin sealers offer the shortest performance life – generally 1 to 3 years, but are the most forgiving for repairs and reapplication.
Concrete is locally made and can last for many decades with proper care. As sealers extend the useful life of concrete, they are an important component of “green” building and their use can qualify for additional LEED points. As for the sealer itself, water-based products are generally considered the most environmentally friendly. Some solvent-based sealers can’t be sold in certain states, but new environmentally friendly solvents are now available. Contact your concrete sealer supplier to learn more about the regulations in your state.
If you are looking for professional concrete sealing and staining services in Nashville, you’ve come to the right place. ConcreteCraft has a passion for designing and creating beautiful concrete for your home or business. We look forward to working with you!
At Concrete Craft Serving Nashville, we want to reassure you that the wellbeing and safety of our customers is always our top priority.
