How to Score the ResultsIf you plan on testing a variety of different sealers to see how they perform, I've developed a scoring method that objectively evaluates the results and allows you to compare the performance of different sealers. It is based on simple criteria, such as "did it stain or didn't it." Scores are calculated just like grades in school. A sealer that resists all 14 substances for 24 hours and shows no damage, etching or staining gets a perfect score of 100%. Likewise, a sealer that is severely affected by everything at all exposure times scores very low. As a reference, bare concrete scores 59% overall, as shown in the table. So any sealer that scores below 59% is actually affected by more agents than bare concrete is.
Bare concrete is most susceptible to etching from acids, so a very low score is expected. Without a sealer, bare concrete is porous, so it's also expected that stains can be a problem. Solvents and cleaners will, over time, affect the concrete. Higher scores here show that the effects are not as severe as with harsh stains or acids. You don't need to score the samples in order to see the performance of the sealer. But if you are interested in scoring multiple sealer samples in order to compare them, the details of how to score are explained in my article How to Test Concrete Countertops for Stain Resistance (PDF), available on the Concrete Connections website. Return to Testing Concrete Sealers for Counters Find a Concrete Contractor 24 Services in 221 Metros -- U.S. and Canada 
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