Any reason to seal concrete in my shop?

[Punkinhead]

I'm building a pole barn that will be used as a shop. The concrete was poured last week. Part will be walled off for a woodworking shop, part for a machine/welding area, and the rest will be for RV storage with one bay for a 4-post lift for vehicle maintenance. The crew that poured the slab recommended a penetrating sealer to protect against salt. Since the RV will never see salt and I won't be pulling vehicles in and out in the winter is there any reason to seal the concrete? How about a densifier?

 

[dcg9381]

I will never have non-sealed concrete. The sealant helps keep the dust down. I'd see the "vendor" section for the right product, there are great options less expensive than polyurea or epoxy.

You've got a lift.. Something is gonna spill eventually.

 

[Torque&Recoil]

Epoxy. If you apply sealant, you will never be able to epoxy over it. I am currently living with the previous owner's decision to seal the barn concrete, and the epoxy that I applied over it has pretty much no adhesion. Looks like he##.

 

[kbeefy]

I seal mine to help prevent staining.

 

[Shea]

I'm building a pole barn that will be used as a shop. The concrete was poured last week. Part will be walled off for a woodworking shop, part for a machine/welding area, and the rest will be for RV storage with one bay for a 4-post lift for vehicle maintenance. The crew that poured the slab recommended a penetrating sealer to protect against salt. Since the RV will never see salt and I won't be pulling vehicles in and out in the winter is there any reason to seal the concrete? How about a densifier?

The previous response is spot on Just so that you are aware, a densifier reacts with the concrete to make it denser and harder at the surface. While this helps with wear and tear, it does not actually repel moisture or seal the surface as a typical concrete sealer does.

A great all-purpose concrete sealer would be a 2-in-1 product, which is a densifier with a siliconate sealer added. We highly recommend PS104 by Concrete Sealers USA. It will densify your concrete surface while also providing moisture protection. You can find it here: https://shrsl.com/4vf8i

We also have a video below that explains how it works and why we like it so much as a general-purpose sealer.

If you want a sealer that also helps to repel oil and reduce staining, then an oil-repelling sealer such as GhostShield 8510 or Concrete Sealers USA PS100 would be a good choice. You can learn more about them below.

Is GhostShield the Best Oil Repelling Garage Floor Sealer? | All Garage Floors

We review GhostShield Siloxa-Tec 8505 & 8510. Learn why this is an excellent concrete sealer for resisting oil & oil stains on your garage floor and driveway.

allgaragefloors.com

Why PS100 is a Superior Oil Resistant Garage Floor Sealer | All Garage Floors

We review PS100 Fluorinated Oil Repelling Sealer. It may be the best garage floor concrete sealer for resisting oil stains for the garage and driveway.

allgaragefloors.com

 

[Armorpoxy]

We sell Ghostshield penetrating sealer which works great and prevents fluids from getting into the floor. Its fairly inexpensive and greatly helps to protect the floor. That being said, it's not a 'topical' protection like epoxy or polyaspartic.

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

I’m getting ready to seal my garage floor as well!

 

[Fav Onefour]

Epoxy. If you apply sealant, you will never be able to epoxy over it. I am currently living with the previous owner's decision to seal the barn concrete, and the epoxy that I applied over it has pretty much no adhesion. Looks like he##.

I wonder what type of sealant?
I broke the rules and did epoxy on a floor with siloxane. The slab and sealer were three years old and I was already seeing salt damage.
Did a surface grind and applied the epoxy. The coating has been in place for nine years and looks pretty damn good.

 

[rd65]

following

 

[Aprendiz63]

About apply densifier by itself, then the sealer? I'm always concern with trying do two job at the same time, to cut time. It's like take 3 vaccines at the same Dr. visit, because the client don't have time to come back or don't have patience. Any input on my concern, please do ! My concrete was poured 11 days ago 07/21/26. It's 4" 4K Psi strength, over old slab, using the isolation heavy plastic between. And it would be my woodworking shop. So , if I use this product, do I have to wait the 28)30 days recommendation? Can the floor be painted later? Thank you
Note: I kept the concrete wet for 8 days, covered with plastic to keep the water from evaporated.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I will never have non-sealed concrete. The sealant helps keep the dust down. I'd see the "vendor" section for the right product, there are great options less expensive than polyurea or epoxy.

You've got a lift.. Something is gonna spill eventually.

The 2 reasons to seal/paint a garage floor !

 

[FJ4FUN]

You can apply epoxies over previously sealed floors as long as proper prep is performed, typically diamond grinding.

 

[Fav Onefour]

You can apply epoxies over previously sealed floors as long as proper prep is performed, typically diamond grinding.

Are you sure? Mine is only nine years old.
I'm impressed how well it is doing. The grinding and cleaning took a lot of time and effort. It was a three full day project.
I have quite a few friends that did epoxy in a hurry. They were done quick but the surface isn't holding.

It's a weird conversation when we get together. At my place, we hang out in the garage quite often. It's surprising how often they ask what I do to keep the coating holding up so well. The simplicity of my process is a surprise. I blow out the garage with a leaf blower when needed and I scrub the floors each spring after snow gunk season.
None of that matters to the coating but it's an answer to their questions and it's all I do. The hard work was done when the coating was installed. I can't tell them to go back in time and do proper prep.

 

[FJ4FUN]

Are you sure? Mine is only nine years old.
I'm impressed how well it is doing. The grinding and cleaning took a lot of time and effort. It was a three full day project.
I have quite a few friends that did epoxy in a hurry. They were done quick but the surface isn't holding.

It's a weird conversation when we get together. At my place, we hang out in the garage quite often. It's surprising how often they ask what I do to keep the coating holding up so well. The simplicity of my process is a surprise. I blow out the garage with a leaf blower when needed and I scrub the floors each spring after snow gunk season.
None of that matters to the coating but it's an answer to their questions and it's all I do. The hard work was done when the coating was installed. I can't tell them to go back in time and do proper prep.

I'm not sure what you are asking?
If you have a concrete floor that had been sealed sometime in the past and you would like to apply an epoxy system, best practice is to mechanically grind the existing sealer off via diamond grinding, verify that the freshly ground slab will absorb liquid (water), and then apply a quality primer/body coat/clear coat (optional).

 

[Fav Onefour]

I'm not sure what you are asking?
If you have a concrete floor that had been sealed sometime in the past and you would like to apply an epoxy system, best practice is to mechanically grind the existing sealer off via diamond grinding, verify that the freshly ground slab will absorb liquid (water), and then apply a quality primer/body coat/clear coat (optional).

I'm not asking. It's a tongue in cheek joke.

I am a firm believer in do it right do it once.

I did a diamond grind on a previously sealed slab. The epoxy has held up quite well. In fact, I'd say it's impressive over 740 sq. ft. I'd love to say it's 100% but I do have a spot that did flake. It is a one by two inch corner next to a exterior door jamb where I missed with the grind and clean. Lesson learned.

The grinding on my garage slab wasn't light and easy. I had slight spalling where the cars had dripped salty slush and it sat. I went through that layer. My drains are simple two inch vertical pvc pipe with friction fit grates. I ground the floor and vertical drain pipes to maintain slope and eliminate any potential standing salty slop water around the drains.

The friends didn't do the full grind and test before applying their epoxy. They did a light surface skuff and their coatings are failing. The flaking started around the drains and areas that previously had light spalling.