Do I need to seal a new driveway?

Question

I just had a new concrete driveway poured. I've been told to seal it. I've also been told to just seal the saw cuts. What is correct. I live in the midwest so we get 95 degrees is the summer and below zero with snow and ice in the winter. A little help please.

Thanks

Answer 1

You are going to have to buy sealer and some sweeping brooms to spread the sealer Good Luck

Answer 2

The thing about a concrete driveway is that the concrete is porous and can be stained by automotive fluids or whatever dripping on it if it's not sealed. Sealing a driveway is pretty easy. You just get a can of the sealant from the home depot and apply it with a new garden sprayer (so you don't mix other chemicals with the sealer). Then let it dry and your driveway is sealed. The coverage in square feet for a given can size should be listed on the can of sealer.

Answer 3

I don't know why you would have to seal it yet. Concrete has to go through a lot of time to cure. Even though it has hardened, it is not through changing.

What does it mean to "cure" concrete?

Curing is one of the most important steps in concrete construction, because proper curing greatly increases concrete strength and durability. Concrete hardens as a result of hydration: the chemical reaction between cement and water. However, hydration occurs only if water is available and if the concrete's temperature stays within a suitable range. During the curing period-from five to seven days after placement for conventional concrete-the concrete surface needs to be kept moist to permit the hydration process. new concrete can be wet with soaking hoses, sprinklers or covered with wet burlap, or can be coated with commercially available curing compounds, which seal in moisture.

http://www.cement.org/basics/concretebas...

Curing With Sealing In Mind

When choosing the curing method and materials, consider how you intend to seal and maintain your concrete in the future. The curing method can affect your sealing decision.

The most common type of membrane cure is "cure and seal." However, this is not a one-step process for permanent concrete sealing. It dictates the use of a film-forming sealer unless the cure and seal is chemically removed or sand-blasted away.

If you plan to use a penetrating sealer for ongoing maintenance, then your concrete should either be: a) moist-cured, or b) cured with an easily removed concrete curing compound. By making the sealing choice before your concrete is installed, you can inform your contractor on the curing method you prefer.

Sealing Concrete -- Ongoing Protection

Just as you paint your home regularly, you should seal your concrete routinely to protect it from moisture and prolong its life. When concrete is first placed, we want to keep moisture in; once it has matured, we want to keep moisture out -- particularly concrete which will be subject to freezing and thawing.

The major way to make concrete more resistant to freeze/thaw cycles is through air entrainment -- the purposeful addition of tiny air bubbles into the concrete during batching. After the concrete hardens, these air bubbles remain and allow room for the expansion of freezing water that may be in the hardened concrete.

If the surface of hardened concrete is wet for a long time, some of the water will be absorbed and will saturate the concrete. While salt itself does not harm the concrete's surface, its melting of ice and snow keeps the surface water-saturated. When this saturated concrete freezes, the air entrainment system is overloaded, causing the air pocket walls to rupture and damage the concrete.

Although the air bubbles may he enough, you can assist by limiting the amount of water which can get into concrete by sealing it with a product designed to keep out water and deicing salts.

There are two main types of concrete sealers: Those forming a film on the surface of your concrete, giving it a wet look, and those designed to penetrate the concrete, leaving it looking dry, yet water repellent. Each has advantages and disadvantages.

http://www.kuhlman-corp.com/CURING.html

Answer 4

I know a guy who had a driveway poured, and after it dried, he swept about a half inch of cement powder on top of it until it was smooth, then watered it with a fine mist. The cement powder filled all the little bubble holes that would otherwise hold ice, snow, and vehicle gunk.