Sealing a concrete porch

Raspy · Sep 11, 2012

I have an 800 sq ft covered concrete porch that I need to seal before winter. It's about 4 years old now and at about 5,000 ft elevation.

I'm afraid it will start spalling if I don't seal it.

Do you guys know of a good sealer? I'm not sure about Thompsons and I don't want to epoxy coat it. Just something I can roll or spray on that will soak in and keep water out for at least a year. Some of the sealers are coatings and they can make concrete slippery when wet.

Any ideas?

k0ua · Sep 11, 2012

Raspy said:
I have an 800 sq ft covered concrete porch that I need to seal before winter. It's about 4 years old now and at about 5,000 ft elevation.

I'm afraid it will start spalling if I don't seal it.

Do you guys know of a good sealer? I'm not sure about Thompsons and I don't want to epoxy coat it. Just something I can roll or spray on that will soak in and keep water out for at least a year. Some of the sealers are coatings and they can make concrete slippery when wet.

Any ideas?

In my opinion (and I am not a building contractor, so factor that in).. but go get a 5 gallon bucket of Thompsons, and a hudson sprayer, and you are done in an hour, and it will certainly keep the water off for a year.. It does not last forever, but it will bead water for a year or so. Cheap and easy.. I am sure there are better products and processes out there, and others will have more info, but I have sprayed concrete with thompsons, and it will do what you said you want to do.

James K0UA

BeezFun · Sep 11, 2012

I bought some concrete sealer at Menards but can't remember the name of the stuff. Not sure if they have Menards out there but any big box would have concrete sealer. Thompson's is for wood as far as I know, maybe they make some other product. Sealer won't make it slippery, but it will cause condensation to bead on the surface instead of being absorbed into the concrete. So watch your step if the temp changes quickly because moisture will condense out of the air onto the cold concrete.

ttriff · Sep 11, 2012

the best there is

Lifeguard Waterproofing Products, Inc.

Raspy · Sep 12, 2012

ttriff said:
the best there is

Lifeguard Waterproofing Products, Inc.

ttriff,

I can't tell from their website what the material looks like. Is it a penetrating low viscosity material, like water, that soaks in? Or is it a high build coating that soaks in just enough to get ahold of the concrete, but looks like a painted surface?

I'm looking for a sealer that is very thin and soaks in, like water would, but stops the concrete from absorbing water. Thompsons does that but maybe doesn't last or doesn't stop much water. I'm not very familiar with Thompsons but dod use some years ago.

Thanks for the link.

BeezFun · Sep 13, 2012

I found the stuff I used. I bought it at Menards.

kneedeep · Sep 13, 2012

Do you guys know of a good sealer? I'm not sure about Thompsons and I don't want to epoxy coat it. Just something I can roll or spray on that will soak in and keep water out for at least a year. Some of the sealers are coatings and they can make concrete slippery when wet. Any ideas?[/QUOTE said:
When we have to seal a slab that does not have a vapor barrier (like most porches and outdoor patios) to build a habitable Sun room, this product meets the building code for a surface sealer and is not slipperrry like multiple coats of Thompson. It wears well and stays on unlike the surface sealers.

Endur-O-Seal USA, Inc. - Manufacturer of Concrete Sealers, Stains, Coatings and Repair Epoxies