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Commercial Grade Water Repellent Concrete Sealers

Concrete water repellent sealers are not always available at your local home improvement store or those big box stores. They are not that hard to find, if you look into professional concrete contractors suppliers or there are also several manufacturers on the internet. Most concrete sealer products that are in the big local stores, contain acrylic, paraffin or silicone which repel water, but do not allow water vapor to escape, and that is very important. Professional contractors use a concrete coating type of water repellent sealer made up of a silane/siloxane solution which stops the water from getting in and also allows the water vapor to escape. The silane/siloxane combination sealers penetrate below the surface of the concrete. There is no surface film left that can be visible to the human eye. The fact that they penetrate below the surface, means that they will last longer and hold up to foot and vehicle traffic better. This same type of sealer will not give the concrete a gloss or sheen look, it will virtually be the same texture and have the same traction that it did prior to applying the sealer. Silane/Siloxane water repellents work well by getting into the concretes very tiny microscopic pores. They bond to them and and because they are hydrophobic, they do not allow water to enter.The most important part of this, is that the pores remain open and that allows the water vapor that is in the concrete, to escape. This is why they are often referred to as the “breathable” sealer. When looking for a sealer, try finding one that has the commercial grade qualities of professional sealer.