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Maintaining Stamped Concrete 2024
Stamped Concrete Patios and Walkways have become increasingly popular over the last decade. These decorative concrete surfaces have endless possibilities for improving and enhancing your landscaping. Like any concrete surface, stamped patios should be sealed and maintained every 1-3 years.
Benefits of Sealing Stamped Concrete:
- Reduces UV Fading Damage
- Enhances Overall Appearance
- Different Shine Levels
- Seals from Spills and Staining
- Protects from Deicing Salts
How To Seal Stamped Concrete
- Clean the surface with a pressure washer. If needed, use a Concrete Cleaner to remove stains and spills.
- Let dry for a day or two.
- Sweep or blow off any dirt.
- Apply the sealer according to the manufacturer’s directions and spread rate. A high-quality pump sprayer or roller can accomplish this.
How To Maintain Shine and Look
Stamped Concrete Sealers may dull or lose their shine after a year or so. Using the tips below, you can extend the life and look of your sealer.
- Apply a solvent such as Lacquer Thinner or Xylene to restore the look of the sealer every 12-18 months. This solvent will reset the current sealer, making it look brand new. The sealer will still be intact, but it can dull from dirt and Ultraviolet radiation. You can do this process 1-2 times before you need to reapply the sealer.
- Reapply a Stamped Concrete Sealer every 2-3 years or as needed.
These simple steps will save you the money of sealing too often and the potential issues of over-application.
Shark grip
I have a stamped concrete patio and the past 2 years have used SuperSeal 25. Looks great when I first but it on but after about a month the SS25 seems to be wearing off and by the end of the summer it seems to be completely gone. Any suggestions?
It does not wear off but it can dull from the sun. Use this to revive the color and shine:
https://www.opwdecks.com/aromatic-100-solvent.htm
A few years back I applied Super Seal-25 to a stamped concrete walk way. Great product but, was originally too slippery. What product should I use to reseal without being too slippery?
Sealers cannot make something less slippery but you can this into the SS25 sealer for traction: https://www.concretesealerstore.com/super-grip.html
From what I understand the sealer will not be slippery after a couple of weeks? So it may not be necessary to use the super grip?
It is up to you if you would like additional traction with the Grip.
Do SuperSeal 30 Gloss, Semi-gloss (25) and Matt version enhance the color of stamped concrete and pavers equally (roughly) or is the color enhancement effect reduced with Semi-gloss and Matt?
They both have the same enhancement of “wet look”, just different shine levels.
You cannot stop or fix chips but you can seal it. Look at:
SuperSeal 25
or
Masonry Saver Decorative Concrete Sealer
Hello,
We recently purchased a home with a beautiful stamped concrete patio, the previous owners installed it. Most of the patio looks fine, there are just a couple of sections where I’m seeing some lightening of the color and a couple of chips. How would you suggest I correct this issue? Kat
Tom, not sure what you mean. Does it look good when wet? If so just reseal all. If really bad than you will need to strip it off and start over.
BTW, we are located in Bloomfield Hills MI if you are close.
I do residential concrete and decorative work, I have 2 stamped driveways in Michigan that have lifted the sealer and color where the cars tires were driven on. I used a 30% acrylic sealer on them last year 2 coats with a roller. What do you suggest to use so this doesn’t happen again and how to fix the bad spots. thank you Tom
I would look at the SuperSeal 25 and one coat. You would need roughly 4 Five Gallon Pails. As long as the previous coatings has not discolored or failed, then pressure washing should be all you need to prep.
We have a 2200 square foot stamped concrete driveway that was installed two years ago. While the surface still looks like it is in excellent condition, we were told to reseal it approximately every two years to maintain it. It has a semi -gloss surface. What product do you recommend and does the surface require any further preparation other than power washing. Do we need one or two coats? Any info you can provide will be helpful.