Concrete is often thought of as one of the strongest commercially available building materials on the market and, to a large degree, this is correct. However, this is only true when concrete sealing is correctly applied to preserve the structural integrity of the concrete. Without concrete sealing, there are many problems that can arise with your concrete and some can happen in as little as a few months. If you are wondering whether you should pay for concrete sealing or not, here are a few concrete problems that should sway you.
Stains
Concrete is often used in garages, parking lots, driveways and workshops because of how strong it is and how simple it is to clean. What you may not know is that concrete is susceptible to stains if concrete sealing is not applied. There are pores in the surface that, while tiny, can be infiltrated by any and all chemicals that come into contact with it. This can quickly turn your nice, clean surface into a disgusting mess that is impossible to clean easily. Stains can also begin to erode the concrete if they come from a particularly caustic chemical.
Chipping
Without a proper concrete sealant, the surface of concrete can be quite rough and abrasive. Even the smallest imperfections on the surface of the concrete will stand out and get scuffed. Just by using your concrete as you would normally, you can start to gouge out significant chunks of it. Once one part of your concrete surface starts to chip, the house of cards will start to come down, as this weakness will spread to other areas and get worse as years go by. By that time it can be too late to just add sealant and you may need to do serious structural work to save the concrete.
Water Damage
Yes, something as basic as water can cause damage to unsealed concrete. As aforementioned, concrete has pores that allow liquid in when it is not sealed. Water is not nearly as corrosive as some chemicals but it does pose its own unique problem: the erosion of the foundations beneath your concrete. Water can cause the earth below your concrete to form pockets and holes that in turn generate additional stress on sections of the concrete above. This can cause cave-ins and large cracks in your concrete foundations that can cost thousands to repair. Since water is very commonly found on concrete surfaces (due to rain and cleaning) it makes sense that you need to have concrete sealant correctly applied to protect it.