CLEANING AND SEALING YOUR CONCRETE DRIVEWAY

In the Greater Cincinnati area we experience freeze and thaw cycles year after year, maintaining your concrete is crucial in protecting your investment especially when you think about the cost to replace a concrete driveway.

Pressure washing followed by a quality concrete sealer is the key to keeping the harmful effects of the environment away from it, yet very few homeowners ever seal their concrete driveways.

Here are a few tips and reminders to help prepare and prolong the life of your concrete through the winter season and many more thereafter.

• Concrete should be sealed the first year after it is poured and then approximately every 2 to 3 years after that. 
• Never use deicers containing ammonium sulfate or ammonium nitrate. They will rapidly disintegrate concrete.
• Remember even if you don’t use deicer on your concrete, it is used on public roadways and parking lots. Naturally, your vehicle tires pick it up and track it on to your concrete driveway. 
• Keep lawn fertilizers washed off concrete.
• Hire a professional to clean and seal your driveway, but if you choose to do this yourself, apply a quality sealer. 
• Most sealers available at your Big Box stores will not protect your concrete like a commercial grade sealer will.