Sealers, Coatings & Cure
Penetrating sealers, film formers, floor coatings and curing compounds — what each protects against.
How to choose within sealers, coatings & cure
The first split is penetrating versus film-forming, and it decides almost everything else. Penetrating sealers — silanes and siloxanes — soak into the pore structure and react there. They barely change appearance, cannot peel because there is no film, and are the right answer for exterior flatwork facing freeze-thaw and deicing salt.
Film-forming sealers sit on the surface. Acrylics give the wet look on stamped and coloured work and renew colour. Epoxies and polyurethanes are harder and belong on garage and interior floors. The tradeoffs are real: films are slippery when wet, show wear patterns, and eventually need stripping rather than recoating.
Curing compounds are a different product for a different moment. Sprayed on fresh concrete, they form a membrane that holds moisture in during the first days when hydration needs it — ASTM C309 covers curing compounds and C1315 covers cure-and-seal products that do both jobs. New concrete otherwise waits the full 28 days before sealing.
What this category covers
- Penetrating silane and siloxane
- Acrylic cure-and-seal
- Lithium silicate densifiers
- Epoxy floor coatings
- Polyurea and polyaspartic
- Below-grade waterproofing
Standards that govern it
- ASTM C309 — Standard Specification for Liquid Membrane-Forming Compounds for Curing Concrete
- ASTM C1315 — Standard Specification for Liquid Membrane-Forming Compounds Having Special Properties for Curing and Sealing Concrete
Manufacturers in this category
Listed alphabetically, in no order of preference. This site does not test products and does not recommend one brand over another.