Concrete Sealer

[PZ 1]

I had a new concrete apron put in front of my garage recently. The mason applied a sealer within an hour after the concrete was finished. I had read online that a sealer should be applied a month after pouring concrete. Should it have been done so soon? Are there different types of sealers, with some that can be applied right away?

 

[nicholsmf]

I'm not a concrete expert but when I had my shop poured, I remember the concrete guy explaining two options to me for sealing. One was applied almost immediately and the other after 30 days or so. I didn't seal mine, but what you had done doesn't seem out of line based on the options I was given.

 

[jack stand]

Some are "cure & seal". Slowly the curing the slab is good.

 

[PopcornSutton]

He put curing compound on the slab. It retains moisture in the concrete to prevent surface cracking. Or it could have been covered with plastic sheeting and kept wet. But curing compound is easiest. Actually, concrete cures best submerged on water. When test cylinders are taken in the field, they are transported to the testing lab and put in a brine solution to cure. Typically one or two is broken on 7 days, and the final break is 28 days.