Guy I hired for concrete work told me to wait 7 days before sealing, I did 3 instead

I had this guy from a crew out of St. Albert do my driveway last month. He was pretty old school, been doing concrete for like 20 years. He told me to wait a full week before putting sealant on because the concrete needs to cure right or it'll flake. I thought he was just being slow and old fashioned so I went ahead and sealed it after 3 days cause I had a BBQ planned. Big mistake man. Now there's these weird white patches all over and the sealant is peeling in spots. Shoulda listened. Has anyone else ruined their driveway by rushing a cure time?

3 comments

3 Comments

keith_rodriguez19d agoMost Upvoted

I mean I'm gonna push back a little bit here. You might be blaming yourself for something that's not totally your fault. In my experience a lot of those "old school" guys have their own pet rules that aren't really backed up by the modern science. I've known plenty of people who sealed their concrete after 2 or 3 days and had zero problems for years. The white patches and peeling could just as easily be from a bad batch of sealant or maybe the concrete mix itself was off. Your mileage may vary but I wouldnt be so quick to assume you messed up. That crew from St. Albert might not have been as professional as they seemed.

mia74819d ago

Doesn't it seem like everyone's got their own "expert" take on things these days, whether it's concrete or cooking a steak? I've found that half the time the "rules" people swear by are just what worked for their uncle once.

nancygrant15d ago

Right?! I swear my brother-in-law's "pro tips" ruined a whole batch of brownies once.