With the high cost of professionally installed topical coatings at $5-6 per sq. ft., the high failure rate of DIY topical coatings at $1-2 sq. ft., the short lifespan of acrylic topical sealers at 10-12 cents per sq. ft., a good penetrating sealer at 10-25 cents per sq. ft. may be all you need to protect your garage floor especially if you keep a clean surface to begin with, have a good maintenance program, and employ some good common sense measures in areas where added protection is needed.

Topical sealers or coatings have always been the "go to" product for maximum protection for concrete surfaces because they create a physical barrier on the top of a surface. The barrier blocks contaminants and the elements from actually coming into contact with a surface and generally prevents contaminants or the elements from absorbing into the top part of the surface and doing grave harm. Damage can be done to the topical sealer or coating over time but that is the purpose of the topical treatment. It provides sacrificial protection and it takes the abuse and not the surface that was sealed/ coated with a topical treatment. Topical sealers or coatings generally suffer many drawbacks though including high cost, high failure rate, significant floor preparation, difficult to install, not always DIY friendly, maintenance headaches, etc.

Penetrating sealers, on the other hand, can play a vital role in protecting and preserving concrete surfaces by strengthening the top part of a surface, guarding the top part of a surface from weathering and the elements, or by offering some measure of stain resistance. In addition to being pocket book friendly, some clear advantages of penetrating sealers are: DIY friendly, limited surface preparation, ease of installation, longer lifespan, and they never fail in terms of hot tire pickup or peeling, chipping, delaminating, etc.

One inherent shortcoming of penetrating sealers though is they do not provide the level of protection of topical sealers or coatings because they only offer partial or limited protection. The reason is that penetrating sealers do not form a film, membrane, or coating on a surface. Instead, they penetrate or absorb into a surface, chemically react with it, and then create a new chemical solid that serves as a breathable barrier just below the top part of a surface being sealed. With the top part of a surface being exposed, contaminants (ex. water, moisture, salts, dirt, dust, grime, oil, etc.) and the elements can still come into direct contact with surfaces treated with penetrating sealers. The harm done by contaminants and the elements can be slowed down, lessened, or mitigated with penetrating sealers but not totally eliminated or prevented.

So, which penetrating sealer would be best for your application? Penetrating sealers can generally be classified into 3 categories. You would simply pick the penetrating sealer that offers the protection you are looking for. The first type of penetrating sealer is a densifier and hardener such as sodium silicate, potassium silicate, lithium silicate, and, now more recently, colloidal silica. The primary use of densifiers and hardeners is to strengthen the top part of a surface to the depth of penetration to increase the durability, strength, and abrasion resistance of a surface. A common use is in high traffic/ heavy use smooth troweled concrete surfaces typically found in garages, workshops, pole barns and sheds, warehouses, and distribution centers where the long term durability of a floor is important. Another use of densifiers and hardeners is as a polishing aid to harden the top part of a surface before it is subjected to the polishing process for burnished/ polished concrete surfaces such as those commonly found in Big Box stores. Our  PS103 and PS107 are examples of densifiers and hardeners suitable for smooth troweled garage floors. 

The second type of penetrating sealer is a water repellent such as a silane, silane/ siloxane, and siliconate. The main use of water repellents is to provide a degree or measure of protection against weathering issues and limiting the harmful effects of water, moisture, salts/ deicing chemicals, scaling/ spalling, freeze/ thaw damage. They can also help cut down on dirt build up and mold/ mildew. They are used extensively in outdoor and exterior applications where topical sealers and coatings often fail or don't hold up well due to UV degradation or by prematurely peeling and delaminating. Our  PS101 is an example of a water repellent suitable for smooth troweled garage floors. Our  PS104 and PS108 are examples of products that are densifiers and hardeners with a siliconate water repellent additive. They are a great option for smooth troweled garage floors where both densifying and hardening benefits and water repellent characteristics are desired in one penetrating sealer.

The third type of penetrating sealer is a fluorinated treatment. These products technically fall under the water repellent category. Fluorinated sealers have a chemical in them called fluorine. These sealers are uniquely hydrophobic and oleophobic instead of being just hydrophobic like traditional silicone based water repellents (ex. silane, silane/ siloxane, siliconate, etc.). Often times, these sealers are formulated by including fluorine as an additive in smaller amounts to traditional water repellents like silanes or silane/ siloxanes. With recent advances in fluorochemistry, fluorinated sealers are now also formulated as standalone products without any silane or silane/ siloxane in them but made with higher amounts of fluorine which add to the performance of the sealer but also reduce the cost of the sealer by the elimination of the silicone chemistry. Fluorinated sealers still only offer partial or limited protection compared to topical sealers or coatings that provide absolute or maximum protection. Fluorinated sealers generally provide all the protection of silicone based penetrating water repellents but with the added advantage of far greater protection against spills and stains especially from motor oil. Contaminants like motor oil will still into contact with a surface treated with a fluorinated penetrating sealer but they will not readily absorb into a surface because the fluorine greatly limits the penetration of the contaminant into the surface. This type of sealer offers excellent "hold out" and stain resistance and normally provides ample time for clean up prior to a stain setting in. Our  PS100 is an example of a "Best in Class" fluorinated penetrating sealer that is ideal for smooth troweled garage floors.

Fluorinated products are typically 2-3 times or more as expensive at 25-30 cents per sq. ft. vs. 10-15 cents per sq. ft. of other penetrating sealers like densifiers and hardeners or silicone based water repellents. However, this type of sealer makes for a very cost effective solution when looking for some measure of added stain protection compared to standard penetrating sealers and you have ruled out more expensive topical coatings like epoxies that start out at $1-2 per sq. ft. for DIY kits and for professionally installed systems that can cost up to $5-6 per sq. ft.. Topical coatings clearly offer far superior protection against spills or stains than a fluorinated penetrating sealer. However, the topical coatings do come with a steep cost, are difficult to install, require significant maintenance, and can prematurely fail due to peeling, chipping, and delaminating. Topical sealers like acrylics are generally more affordable at about the same cost as non fluorinated penetrating sealers at 10-12 cents per sq. ft. but typically they do not hold up very well in a typical garage environment and may only last 12-18 months or so and are prone to easily wearing away, hot tire pickup, or peeling, lifting, or delaminating, etc.

All penetrating sealers for garages provide best results on smooth troweled, hard, dense surfaces especially fluorinated penetrating sealers. A fluorinated sealer along with a tight surface work together to significantly limit penetration of contaminants into a floor. This is one reason why warehouse floors are tightly machine troweled to begin with as dense and tight surfaces provide a certain level of base protection prior to even applying a sealer that then affords additional protection.

Since all penetrating sealers still leave the top part of a surface exposed and do not offer a physical barrier on the top part of a surface like a topical sealer or coating, a good maintenance program is recommended to achieve best results and to get the most out of penetrating sealers. Such a program would typically include:

• Getting at spills as soon as possible
• Using neutral cleaners or degreasers to attack stains right away
• Keeping a clean surface by periodic sweeping or hosing down a surface during the year as needed
• During winter months in cold weather climates, not using or limiting the use salts or deicing chemicals, and squeegeeing out contaminants dragged in from roads (ex. snow, ice, slush, salts, road grit, etc.) in a timely fashion

Letting any contaminants sit on floor for extended periods of time could lead to potential long term harm to floor that is only partially protected with a penetrating sealer. Better care and maintenance can go a long way to helping you avoid harm to your floor that would otherwise be preventable.

Common sense measures for employing additional protection where needed can also make a big difference in the performance and maintenance of penetrating sealers. Such measures include:

• Using rugs/ mats in higher traffic or heavier use areas such as entrances/ exits or work areas
• Utilizing spill/ containment trays or oil absorbent mats in areas where fluids are likely to leak or spill
• In parts of the country that experience extremely harsh winters, for added protection and ease of clean up, using floor guards such as the AutoFloorGuard which is America's leading garage floor containment mat would also be recommended. It can be rolled out during the winter months (and rolled back up the rest of the year) and positioned over an area where cars park and can further aid in guarding a surface, especially in unheated garages, from harmful effects of snow, ice, slush, salts, road grit, etc. that falls off vehicles after they are parked   

With floor guards, contaminants are kept or contained within the guard and further eliminate unnecessary and avoidable harm done to a floor that is only partially protected with a penetrating sealer. The use of floor guards also allows for contaminants to be more easily squeegeed away or cleaned up without leaving a messy floor.