"Renew" – Stamped Concrete Sealer

Concrete is tough, very tough, but even concrete needs some TLC every once in a while. Here you can see some pictures of a Prosper, Tx project we did a few years back. 

It was a stamped overlay into which we scored a Texas Star and applied a stamped concrete sealer.

This is a light brown stained concrete stamped overlay that had been applied to a back patio that has seen better days. The finish looks worn and dull and even the scored Texas Star has a tired look to it.

No, that is not a real snake in one of the pictures, our homeowners had just throw some rubber snakes and spiders around their patio to dress it up. This concrete sealer is durable but after a few years exposure to the harsh Texas sun and elements, it plain wore out. 

We normally recommend reapplying a stamped concrete sealer every two to three years to renew this protection. In this case it was obvious that it needed to be done.

There are normally two types of sealers that are available for exterior applications, water-based and solvent-based. The difference between the two is that the water-based sealer normally looks milky in appearance which will become transparent once it dries and has almost no odor. 

Solvent based sealers are completely clear and have a very strong odor. We always prefer to use solvent based stamped concrete sealers as they tend to enhance the color of the stamped overlay more than a water-based sealer would.

As we had applied the stamped overlay to this Prosper concrete patio a few years ago, the first step prior to reapplying the sealer is to power wash the entire slab so that there isn’t any dirt or crud that could interfere with the sealer sticking to the floor. 

After cleaning we had to wait for the floor to dry completely, if there is any moisture on it before applying the stamped concrete sealer it can turn a hazy white color instead of remaining transparent.

We usually spray the sealer on because it creates a more consistent finish and it is much faster to apply, though it can also be rolled. We always put down two coats to make sure everything gets sealed. 

Another advantage of solvent based stamped concrete sealers is that they dry very fast, and that really helps when it is cold outside like it was when we worked on this project.

As you can see in these before and after pictures, resealing this stamped overlay makes it look just like new.

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