Testing Sealers for Concrete CountertopsA sealer is often the most important factor in how your countertops look and perform. Here is an easy procedure for testing a sealer under 'real-world' conditions, along with a list of sealers that score high marks for stain resistance.
The key element of a concrete countertop that affects its aesthetics, its performance and your reputation as the fabricator is often not the concrete itself, but the sealer. Nearly every characteristic that draws people to concrete countertops and influences their opinion of them can be traced back to the sealer. Its primary role is to protect the concrete from stains and etching, but it also affects the concrete's color vibrancy, sheen, tactile feel and texture. So much depends upon the sealer, yet too often concrete countertop makers expend very little effort in selecting the right sealer for the job. When a client comes to you inquiring about your concrete countertops, an essential part of the conversation should be about expectations, such as shape, form, color and decorative embedments. But part of this discussion ought to be about the finish, addressing such questions as: How will it perform? Will it stain? What kind of maintenance is required? To come up with the answers—and give your clients the countertops they expect—the only way is to test the sealer first so you understand its capabilities and limitations. Author Jeff Girard, founder and president of The Concrete Countertop Institute Find a Concrete Contractor 24 Services in 221 Metros -- U.S. and Canada © 1999-2010 ConcreteNetwork.com None of this site may be reproduced without written permission |
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