You’ve poured your concrete floor and it looks great. You have friends over for dinner, you show them your new floor, and they’re impressed.
The next day you are back at work and the concrete has small spaces where moisture has evaporated and pits have formed. There’s that feeling of gloom and doom again–did we make a mistake? Should we fix this floor with concrete sealing services?
Concrete floors need maintenance to keep them looking good for many years. They also need to be sealed because the porous nature of concrete allows liquids to get trapped in the surface layer.
Once that happens, moisture from everyday activities can cause stains and mildew to grow on the surface of the concrete. If you want to learn more about how often should you reseal a concrete floor, read on!
Why does re-sealing your concrete floor matter?
Concrete floors are porous by nature, and some more so than others. That porosity is a result of the fact that concrete is made of tiny pieces of rock. As concrete is naturally porous, liquids get trapped inside the tiny crevices in the concrete.
That impacts the look of your floor because trapped liquid can stain the concrete surface and cause mildew to grow.
How often you should re-seal your floor depends on the porosity of the concrete.
All concrete is not created equal as some types are more porous than others. The degree of porosity is measured by the permeability of the concrete. The more permeable the concrete, the more likely liquids will evaporate and leave small pools of moisture trapped in the concrete.
If your concrete is on the highly permeable side, you will need to seal your floor more often because it is losing water to evaporation at a much faster rate.
Concrete porosity is something that you cannot change, but you can impact how often you need to reseal it. This can be done by changing the humidity in your home or by using a chemical sealer that closes the pores of the concrete.
So, how often do you need to reseal a floor?
The amount of time between re-sealing will depend on your concrete type, the activity level in your home, the climate you live in, and the sealer you use. Contrary to what many people say, the best way to seal your concrete floor is not with one single go-around. You should plan on putting on at least two coats if you want it to last.
Multiple seals done at different times will last longer and will look better. If you seal your concrete floor with a single coat and it gets stained, you will most likely have to remove the whole layer and re-do the floor with a fresh coat of sealer.
This can be done with a concrete stain remover and a pressure washer. A better approach is to seal your floor with a penetrating sealer and then re-seal it again with a chemical sealer.
Concrete is a wonderful building material and will last a long time if properly maintained. On average, you should reseal your concrete every 5 years. There you have it, now you know how often should you reseal a concrete floor.
Don’t want to reseal your concrete floor by yourself? No problem! Just get in touch with the team at MT Custom Concrete , we’ll do it for you!