Floor Sealers vs. Countertop Sealers
Question:
What’s the difference between a sealer for floors and a sealer for countertops? Any sealer that’s good for a floor is good for a countertop, right?
Answer:
Not always. Almost all sealers for concrete countertops started out as floor sealers. Either they are derivatives or reformulations of floor sealers, repackaged or relabeled floor sealers, or simply floor sealers used by concrete countertop manufacturers. Because of the wide variety and number of sealers on the market, choosing the right one for a countertop can be confusing. And failure to take into account the different exposure conditions a countertop and floor are subject to can cause problems down the line.
The single biggest difference between a sealer for floors and a sealer for countertops has very little to do with what’s in the bottle. It has to do with the expectations regarding looks and performance. Simply put, floors are not countertops, so a finish optimized for a floor may or may not give good results for a countertop.
Heavy wear and abrasion take its toll on a floor sealer, so many are designed to be stripped or resealed on a periodic basis. Finishes that can be buffed or easily recoated to refresh the appearance make sense in commercial settings where routine maintenance occurs, but most homeowners don’t or aren’t willing to do that.
The greatest challenge most floor sealers face is abrasion from dirt and grit underfoot. But countertops rarely see that kind of abuse. Rather stains, acids, oils and other chemicals are often the real challenge. And because floors are situated farther away from your eyes than a countertop, small scuffs, scratches, defects and the like are either not noticed or more readily accepted than if they were in a countertop finish.
It’s important to recognize and identify the performance, aesthetic requirements and general client expectations for your countertop and find a sealer to match them. There are floor sealers that make great concrete countertop sealers, but not all do. Testing and proper setting of expectations about what the finish will look like, how it will perform and what kind of maintenance it will require are all necessary steps when choosing the right finish for your countertops.
What’s the difference between a sealer for floors and a sealer for countertops? Any sealer that’s good for a floor is good for a countertop, right?
Answer:
Not always. Almost all sealers for concrete countertops started out as floor sealers. Either they are derivatives or reformulations of floor sealers, repackaged or relabeled floor sealers, or simply floor sealers used by concrete countertop manufacturers. Because of the wide variety and number of sealers on the market, choosing the right one for a countertop can be confusing. And failure to take into account the different exposure conditions a countertop and floor are subject to can cause problems down the line.
The single biggest difference between a sealer for floors and a sealer for countertops has very little to do with what’s in the bottle. It has to do with the expectations regarding looks and performance. Simply put, floors are not countertops, so a finish optimized for a floor may or may not give good results for a countertop.
Heavy wear and abrasion take its toll on a floor sealer, so many are designed to be stripped or resealed on a periodic basis. Finishes that can be buffed or easily recoated to refresh the appearance make sense in commercial settings where routine maintenance occurs, but most homeowners don’t or aren’t willing to do that.
The greatest challenge most floor sealers face is abrasion from dirt and grit underfoot. But countertops rarely see that kind of abuse. Rather stains, acids, oils and other chemicals are often the real challenge. And because floors are situated farther away from your eyes than a countertop, small scuffs, scratches, defects and the like are either not noticed or more readily accepted than if they were in a countertop finish.
It’s important to recognize and identify the performance, aesthetic requirements and general client expectations for your countertop and find a sealer to match them. There are floor sealers that make great concrete countertop sealers, but not all do. Testing and proper setting of expectations about what the finish will look like, how it will perform and what kind of maintenance it will require are all necessary steps when choosing the right finish for your countertops.
posted by Jeff Girard
at
11:00 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Home Page