"On the Border" - Choosing a concrete sealer for your countertops
Let’s continue our discussion about how to choose a concrete sealer for your countertops. Generally, we recommend a solvent based concrete sealer for 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 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 is also exposed from the concrete polishing process.
These countertops are in a very tough environment, they have everything from spilled beer to searing hot fajita plates placed on them so we use the toughest concrete sealer we can find to protect them, which is a polyurea (epoxy based) sealer.
Epoxy sealers are very tough. They’ll also deepen the color of the countertop and leave it with a high gloss finish. They’re also the most expensive concrete sealer option available.
Epoxy sealers are not impossible to damage. Very hot pans or even cutting directly on them can damage them. They’re also harder to touch up than other sealer options, but if you’re looking for a tough finish, this is the best way to go.
For the average home concrete countertop, an epoxy sealer can be a little overkill, but for commercial applications, they’re 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 is 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, not quite as tough as the previous ones, however it does offer good protection against food stains and is an economical choice.
It will also deepen the color but isn’t as glossy as the other two options. In our next project we’ll talk a little more about concrete polishing.
