Weather Sealing Concrete?

Question

What is the difference between a Concrete sealer and a Concrete Stain? I have just finished doing my front door steps. The concrete is fully dried and want to weather proof it. What should I do?

Answer 1

Try Thomson's water seal for concrete.

Answer 2

Concrete IS weather proof!

Answer 3

spray on any good masonry sealer...

Answer 4

I am facing the need to do both of these things soon.  

There are a whole range of related products:

Concrete stain

Concrete color

Concrete paint

Concrete sealer

Concrete waterproofing

Concrete stain is a powder that you mix with water and apply to a masonry product like blockwork that you want to give a color but don't want to paint.  Paint may eventually peal off but it will seal the surface.  Stain will not seal the surface but may fade over time.  I will be staining a cememt block retaining wall rather than paint it.  The block is not waterproofed on the other side.  Water that comes through the block will tend to push paint off from the block.

Products sold as a concrete sealer are usually clear and come as a liquid like paint.  Your goal is to keep the concrete from absorbing other liquids like rain and oil.  Paint is also a sealer and people use various concrete paints to color and seal a floor.  This is often done in garages to keep grease and oil from penetrating the concrete floor.  

Clear sealers are designed to soak into the concrete and fill up pores.  You may have noticed that some garage floors are more slippery once they are painted.  This is a side effect of sealing the pores.  Most exterior concrete is not sealed.  It holds up quite well to the weather without the need to seal it. The exception might be an exterior wall that is wicking rain and other moisture to the interior.  

Usually sidewalks and pattios are not given the fine finish you see on a home depot floor because it would be too slippery in the rain.  You want the front step not to be slippery.

Concrete waterproofing is what you do to the basement walls.  Products might be powders like thoroseal or liquids that are applied like paint.  They are ment to hold back the water pressure that might be coming throught the walls.  They will typically last 3 to 5 years before the seal will fail.

To answer your last question I would suggest you leave it alone unless the situation requires some sealant.  You don't usually take apart car engines on the front steps and you will want to keep them rough enough so someone will not slip.