Sealing concrete driveways

[KGILL 14]

Does anybody offer sealing concrete driveways after washing? If so, how often do you close the sale on sealing?

I have talked to a couple potential customers who have inquired about sealing their driveway after washing. Just wondering.

[Doug Rucker 31]

Offer it, but never closed one. People here just seem to want them cleaned once a year.

[Chazz 14]

I had two customers this week ask me about it

But i have no experience in doing it

And my gut tells me they would not bite on the xtra

Cost

[Ace Painting 14]

I normally sell one a summer.

[mick m 19]

I do it here in Perth Western Australia, but I'm constantly surprised by the number of people who don't know that it can be done. I always ask if they want it sealed after the clean, pointing out the long term benefits. What usualy convince's them is when you say, ''Think of it like varnishing a wooden table top. it protects it from further staining & makes it easier to clean''. Thats when the penny drops. They can see how the ''varnish'' works to protect the surface.

[KGILL 14]

Thanks guys.

Mick that is a a great way to upsell.

Chazz, I do not have any experience sealing exterior concrete but it looks pretty easy. I recently sealed our concrete basement floor after we stained it. Pretty straight forward, which is why I would like to seal concrete driveways if possible. Seems like a real easy way to make extra money if you can upsell.

Edited March 30, 2012 by KGILL

[Chazz 14]

I actually have a sealer and was going to do my own concrete but don't want to screw it up, I understand if done incorrectly it could have a milky look

[KGILL 14]

Possibly, but I don't think so. The sealer will have a spread rate (gallon per 400 sq ft for example.) When I sealed the concrete floor I had a couple of holes from the tack strips. My wife decided to leave the holes instead of patching (said it might look more rustic, I did not argue because I knew I would not win.) When I applied the stain it looked milky while wet, but cleared when it dried. The instructions advised this is normal. Puddles formed in the tack holes and took longer to dry but eventually turned clear. With a driveway you probably will not have holes like I had in my basement, so fewer puddles.

Perhaps those who have done a lot of concrete sealing can advise whether or not a botched job will lead to a milky surface.

Edited April 1, 2012 by KGILL

[Doug Rucker 31]

Not usually. Many will look milky when applied but dry clear.

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[mick m 19]

If you use a water based sealer, it will be white & dry clear. The ''milky'' look you've heard about is what happen's when solvent based sealer's are used. It is critical that the surface is totally dry, because if not when the surface starts to warm up, the moisture is drawn to the surface. So what happens is, the sealer starts to lift off the surface & makes it look milky. If you use water based sealer's on drive ways, it wont stand up to hot tyre's being driven on it & will peel away. On 100 + degree days here in Perth, I still wait 3 days before sealing if using solvent base. Otherwise you run the risk of it going wrong.

[KGILL 14]

Thanks Mick for the info

[nlantz 14]

Some sealers may be tricky to apply, I forget the brand name but it comes in orange metal 5vers, anyway once it seeps into the concrete it turns dark/wet looking. If you apply it with a roller and pan it can look inconsistent where you overlaps are if you are not carefull, the spot you start at looks darker and where you finish looks lighter making you feel it was applied to thin in some spots when it has just not seeped in enough yet. Once dry it looks great!

If you were to reapply the sealer to try to make everything a consistent color by putting more here and there wile it is drying it will turn out looking horrible, covered in dark spots where multiple coats were applied.

Once I only needed about a gallon out of a fiver to Finnish a driveway, once opened you have about 2 days to use it before that sealer goes bad. So I dropped it off at my parents place to use on there driveway over the weekend. Showed up the next day to put it on to find my stepdad did it himself with a 4 inch brush.

There driveway looked like a 4inch wooden plank bowling lane for 4 years, beaded water awesome tho.

2 guys a pump-sprayer and back rolling with a 24inch roller worked out the quickest, Cut in around the building with a 4inch brush then have one person apply and one person roll it out even. Its been 5 years since I did them but we use to do a basic 2 car driveway 12x30 in 20 min once setup. When we did a city block downtown we used a paint sprayer. 3 sides were 8ftx250 one side was 34ftx250 took about 10 hours for 2 guys, 1 guy spraying and one guy switching buckets, yelling at people walking over the caution tape and moving the sprayer.

[veteran 14]

Does anybody offer sealing concrete driveways after washing? If so, how often do you close the sale on sealing?

I have talked to a couple potential customers who have inquired about sealing their driveway after washing. Just wondering.

We seal lots of driveways, concrete, and pavers every year. Feel free to check out my website or call me for more info.

concrete sealing louisville ky

[veteran 14]

www.drivewaysealinglouisville.com

[jhutch 14]

I too seal lots of driveways, and the pressure washing is really only to prep for the sealer. It certainly depends on the part of the country you live in. Concrete Sealing is very important to homeowners that want to preserve their concrete in freeze-thaw climates. We use SealRx (www.sealrx.com) and it's not tricky to apply at all, once you get the training.

[rrestor 14]

It is really rare that I'll have a sealing job. I think most of them are all in summer. There are people that ask me about it but only few are buying it.

[David Phillips 14]

Here's the question I ask every PW'er ... Why would you not offer sealing services? You've already done the hard part of cleaning, why leave that extra $$$ on the table? It took us a while to figure out why some guys closed tons of sealing jobs while others hardly ever got a bite. The difference is in your marketing. If you advertise and market as strictly a cleaning company, the customers looking for the cleaning AND sealing services will always go with the other guy who addressed the sealing in their marketing as well. There is so much concrete, paver, stone and brick sealing business out there it will make your head spin. You just have to go after it. If you don't believe me, give Mike at Veteran PW a call. Mike was one of those guys who rarely got a bite, and now it's one of his biggest up-sells.

With that said, be careful. There are a lot of products out there. Some good and some garbage. Every job and every situation is different. You always have to custom tailor each application to fit each customer's needs and desires. There is a lot to learn, but it will set you a step ahead of your competition.

[Chazz 14]

We there is your answer why we don't seal when done washing. In your last paragraph you mention to be careful there are some good and garbage products

What's the good products?

You Also mention every situation is different and needs to be evaluated as such. How would a newbie know what applies to what if you don't have the knowledge?

Also what type of equipment is needed from soup to nuts?

What are the pit falls we can run into being a novice?

[AAPaint 14]

There is a lot to know when it comes to sealing concrete. With my painting company, we did a lot of sealing, staining, and other work on concrete, but you better know what's up before you start. There are all kinds of different products out there, with different results, and different issues. If you're just looking to apply clear sealers, it's not as bad as painting, staining, and all the other things that can be done with concrete, but you can lose your behind if you end up with problems on concrete. There are literally hundreds of products for staining concrete from water based, to xylene stains, and acid stains.

One thing I find funny is power washers are disturbed when a painter like myself crosses over into this field, but not bothered at all crossing over into our (painter's) territory. I say, learn your business real good, and ONLY offer services you are 100% sure you know inside and out. Get some ON THE JOB experience with ANYTHING you plan to offer first. Talk to people who do it regularly, and learn as much as possible before you get started. Just slapping sealer on is easy, until you realize there are things like efflorescence, moisture content, and even the type of concrete that can make a difference in what you're doing.

I wouldn't want to deter you from making more money. If you have the skills, and the knowledge, then GO FOR IT...but don't rush into anything that's over your head. Take your time, learn it well, and go make the money. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it because you come from this trade or that. Those are the type of contractors who aren't here to help you, they're trying to stifle their competition.

[David Phillips 14]

Well said AA!

No matter what you choose to do for a living, you must study, learn and practice what you wish to be good at. Doctors are not born with a medical degree, just like cleaning and sealing contractors are not born with all the knowledge and experience they need to know what to do in every situation.

This thread really sums up why we shut down out service company and got into training and product support. I spent years searching, learning, testing, cussing and learning things the hard way as we built our service co. We really had a passion to share what we had learned with other contractors. As you begin offering additional services, find partners you can trust and count on. From the distributor who supplies your product, to experienced colleagues, establish a network of pros you can call on at any time. Every job and situation is different, and they all require different products and equipment. Taking on something new is always hard because it requires stepping out of your comfort zone. My personal cell phone number is in my signature. Call me anytime day or night. That's what our company is all about, helping you be successful.

[apsurfacesolutions 17]

And David does meen day or night. I have been on the phone with him after business hours and he is always a great help.