If you own decorative concrete, it’s probably the belle of your backyard! With so many designs and textures available, it’s a gorgeous way for you to express what makes your home unique—so of course, then, you want to take care of it.

One of the ways that you must do so is by resealing it. Though your local concrete company probably did a fantastic job laying it down, all concrete needs it; extra protection just has to be in the cards for something that spends the entirety of its working years outdoors!

Stamped concrete and decorative concrete require a special sort of technique when it comes to resealing it, and Creative Concrete, New Brighton stamped concrete patio pros, are here with all the details.

If you’re using a semi-gloss surface sealer specifically, we recommend reapplying it around every two years. Because its gloss and effects on your concrete’s color do tend to look less striking with time, you have to keep up on it if you want to maintain that gorgeous, just-dried look.

Stamped concrete and decorative concrete can be a little trickier to seal than their traditional counterparts, simply because you must be extra careful not to pool the sealer on the uneven surface. That being said, it’s still definitely doable!

First, you’ll need to wash your concrete. Whether you use detergent or an industrial product, do what you need to do to rid your concrete of any stains and debris so that they don’t get stuck beneath your new sealer. You can also simply pressure wash it and that should remove almost everything. Leaf stains will come out over time (approximately 3-4 weeks) naturally.

Then, remove all old sealer from your concrete, if needed. Refer to the manufacturer if using a different product than you already have in place.

When your concrete is clean and dry, only then can you apply the sealant. If you’re using a spray nozzle for this job, take care to apply a thin layer and watch for puddling, which will need to be smoothed out with a roller.

Speaking of rollers: Though difficult, it’s possible to use one for this job! Fifteen to twenty minutes after you’ve applied the first coat, do another roll-over with your tool, smoothing out the concrete sealer. Continue to repeat this for the entire structure until you begin to see white, cobweb-looking streamers coming from the roller.

And as always, bring a brush to cover your foot prints if walking on it. Even better, get an extendable handle that reaches all the way across your patio or decorative project.

From concrete driveways to pool deck concrete, our inspiration is limitless, and we’d be thrilled to lend you our design expertise. Give our New Brighton office a call today at 612-414-7932.