· By Mateo Haldane · 1 min read
When to seal a new driveway
Not the first week, and not never. Why we wait twenty-eight days, what sealer does, and how often to do it again.
The question we hear most after a pour is when to seal. The short answer: after twenty-eight days, and then every two or three years.
Why wait
New concrete is still giving off water for the first few weeks as it cures. Seal it too early and the water is trapped under the sealer, which turns cloudy and peels. By four weeks most of that water is gone.
What sealer does
It keeps water, oil and de-icing salt out of the surface. In a place with freezes, water that gets into the top of a slab and freezes is what makes it flake. A sealed driveway sheds it.
How often
A penetrating sealer lasts longer and doesn’t change the look; a film-forming one gives a wet look and needs redoing sooner. We’ll tell you which one we used and when it’s due.