Basement Floor Sealer

There are several types of basement floor sealer and few different uses for them.

Common Uses

The most common reason for sealing a basement floor is to aid in curing the concrete. As soon as the floor is finished, a sealer can be applied to slow the hydration of the surface which makes it stronger and last longer.

Sealer is also used to prevent foreign substances from penetrating the basement floor. This helps guard against stains and allows for easy cleaning.

Sealer is used to enhance and protect decorative finishes such as acid staining and overlays.

Moisture problems caused by hydrostatic pressure can be solved with a certain type of sealer.

Sealer Types

Acrylic sealers (water based and solvent based) are most commonly used for curing and as a moderate protective coating. They are cheapest and easiest to apply. Water based acrylics are generally non-toxic and odorless. Solvent based acrylics are very toxic and require good ventilation and respirators during application and drying.

Urethane sealers are generally used to protect and enhance decorative finishes. They are very durable, fairly easy to apply, but are very toxic and require good ventilation and respirators during application and drying.

Epoxy sealers are two part sytems and can be difficult to apply. Water based epoxies are recommended for do-it-yourselfers because set time is relatively slow and they are non-toxic.

Penetrating sealers (also known as densifiers) are used to stop moisture from coming up through the surface. Most basement floors don't have this problem because there should be a vapor barrier under the concrete.

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