Learned the hard way: don't cheap out on concrete sealer

I tried saving some money last spring on a driveway job for a client up in Redmond. Picked up a $25 five-gallon bucket of sealer from a big box store instead of the $80 stuff I usually get from the supply house. Figured sealer is sealer, right? BIG MISTAKE. That cheap crap started peeling and flaking within 3 months. Had to go back, grind it all off, and redo everything with the good sealer. Lost about 3 full days of work and probably $400 on wasted materials and labor. The homeowner was pissed too and I almost lost the referral. Has anyone else had a bad run with a specific no-name sealer brand?

2 comments

2 Comments

william9171d ago

Got burned the same way a few years back. That $25 stuff is basically just tinted water with some glue mixed in. It soaks in fine at first but has zero UV resistance. Once the sun hits it for a couple months it breaks down and starts lifting right off the surface. The good sealers cost more because they use real polymers and silicones that bond chemically with the concrete instead of just sitting on top. I learned to always check the solids content on the label. Cheap sealers usually have under 10% solids. The stuff that lasts has 25% or more. Ended up spending more money on a job I thought I was saving on, same as you. Now I just stick with what I know works and charge the client the difference.

torres.drew1d ago

Funny how we act like spending more money automatically means better results when there are plenty of cheap sealers out there that hold up fine if you prep the concrete right. Sounds like the real issue was maybe rushing the job or not checking the weather before applying, not the brand itself. I've used that exact $25 stuff on my own walkway two years ago and it still looks the same as day one, no peeling anywhere.