"On the Border" - Choosing a concrete sealer for your countertopsLet's continue our discussion about how to choose a concrete sealer for your countertops. Generally, we recommend a solvent based concrete sealer for our protecting your countertops. They are more stain resistant (not stain proof) than water based sealers but can change the appearance of the concrete countertop where water based sealers do not. This particular project was done at an "On the Border" restaurant in Denton, Tx. We had been asked to pour a bar countertop, embed glass discs into it and then polish it to expose the glass. You can see some of the stone, cement, and sand that are exposed from the concrete polishing process. |
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These countertops are in a very tough environment. They have everything from spilled beer to searing hot fajita plates placed on them so we used the toughest concrete sealer there is to protect them -- a polyurea (epoxy based) sealer. Epoxy sealers will deepen the color of the countertop and leave it with a high gloss finish. Epoxy sealers are very tough, but they're harder to touch up than other sealer options. However, if you're looking for a tough finish, this is the best way to go. They're also the most expensive concrete sealer option available. Even though they're the toughest, epoxy sealers are not bulletproof. Very hot pans or even cutting directly on them can damage them. For the average home concrete countertop, an epoxy sealer can be a little overkill, but for commercial applications, it's an excellent choice.
One step down from epoxy is polyurethane sealers. These are very durable and are resistant to virtually all food stains. They also deepen the color of the countertop surface and leave it with a high gloss finish. Polyurethane is easier and less expensive to apply than epoxy sealers and simpler to touchup if there's any damage. Like epoxy sealers, placing very hot pans or cutting directly on them will damage the finish. However they are a great choice for the average home concrete countertop. The easiest solvent based concrete sealer to apply is a methyl-methylacrylate sealer. It's a good grade sealer that's not quite as tough as the previous ones. However, it does offer good protection against food stains and is an economical choice. |
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