Cure and seal

A single product that cures fresh concrete and then remains as a protective sealer, saving a step on slabs that need both.

What does cure and seal mean?

These products trade some curing efficiency and some sealing performance for convenience, and they are typically acrylic films that add gloss. Because the film stays on the surface, they are a poor choice under flooring, coatings, stains, or toppings, where they cause adhesion failure. In freeze-thaw and deicing-salt exposure a surface film can trap moisture, making a penetrating sealer the better long-term choice.

In practice

Most residential decorative flatwork gets a cure and seal, and most of the peeling, cloudy driveways you see are the result of reapplying one over a dirty slab.

Related terms

More on curing & drying time