Can I seal my driveway with polyurea?
Not all concrete coating products can stand up to the outdoors. The coating must withstand rain and snow as well as the temperature swings of the outdoors. When you’re coating a driveway, you also need something that won’t wear out or peel off because of oil spills and car tires.
The short answer is yes — you can seal a driveway with polyurea. In fact, polyurea is one of the only options for outdoor concrete coating, and we’ve found it to be the best choice for driveways.
Polyurea withstands the elements as well as tire skids, and it looks beautiful when installed by professionals. With the right formula of polyurea and elastic compounds, this type of coating is your long-term solution to avoid cracks, chips, and stains.
Epoxies should be avoided for outdoor use, so epoxy simply isn’t an option for driveways.
Polyurea for Driveways and Outdoor Areas
Driveways need a coating that strengthens the concrete while creating a surface that is more resilient to wear and aging. Epoxies, sealing paint, and cheap polyurethanes can easily fail under the harsh conditions of a driveway. These coatings can work for weeks, months, or even a few years. Before long, though, you’ll see worn-out spots that start growing. As seasons change, the concrete is more likely to crack.
Polyurea creates the impenetrable barrier that a driveway needs. Because the polyurea bonds with the moisture in the concrete (rather than fighting against the water like many coatings) it actually protects perfectly in outdoor conditions. Additionally, polyurea offers superior flexibility over epoxy coatings, as well as UV stability, allowing them to stand up to years of use and abuse outdoors without cracking or ambering.
The end result is an easy to maintain concrete driveway that looks good and stays that way. So much so that we offer a lifetime warranty for our residential coatings.
Since polyurea coatings are a smooth surface, we recommend incorporating anti-slip aggregate in with the coating as well to give your car tires or shoes something to grip onto.
Installing a Polyurea Driveway Coating
Our formula was made specifically for the Baltimore-area climate, and it gets customized for every slab of concrete that we coat. We mention this because there’s never just one right answer for which coating to use. The real answer is that your driveway will be better protected when a professional examines it and formulates a polyurea coating designed for your concrete’s composition, the local weather, and other unique factors.
Professionals install polyurea coating after cleaning or grinding the concrete. As with any type of concrete coating, it needs some time to cure. You can drive on it in about a week after the coating process.
Because it does not contain toxic VOCs, polyurea coatings are safe for your family and nearby plants.
If you’re resealing a driveway or pouring a new one, contact us at White Rabbit today for a free estimate or to learn more about why our polyurea coatings come with a lifetime warranty.
