3 Top-Rated Concrete Sealers That Are Worth Buying, According To Reviews

Concrete sealers are that rare type of product where it's difficult to make a truly bad choice. We've chosen three that we think are the best based on user reviews, both from professionals and from consumers. There are a lot of concrete sealers for various purposes and finishes, so we chose them from the most broadly applicable categories.

There's a remarkable amount of consistency in how consumers, testers, and consumer advocates rate those top products. But there are also some very good sealers we have left off, so if you have a particular need that isn't represented by our picks — say, an eco-conscious sealer, an epoxy sealer, or one designed specifically for concrete countertops — odds are you'll be able to find a great choice outside of these options. But if you're looking for a penetrating concrete sealer, a sealer with a wet-look finish, or an industrial-grade sealer, you can't go wrong with these picks.

Along the way, we ran into the occasional seller who might have been attempting to game various companies' ratings systems. We used Mozilla's Fakespot system to sort out a few sellers who might have been seeding sites with bogus reviews. Since Fakespot works with Amazon, this also means, necessarily, that we privileged Amazon customer reviews. We looked for products with at least 100 ratings on Amazon (our picks averaged 546 ratings) and at least an above average number on Lowes' and Home Depot's websites. In the end, none of the products eliminated based on number of reviews or Fakespot rating would have been in contention had they not been ruled out. The best truly stood out.

Ghostshield's Siloxa-Tek 8500 (available in ready-to-use form for $.55 per ounce and concentrated form for $.36 per ounce after being diluted) seems to be everyone's favorite penetrating sealer. A gallon covers 250 square feet, and it cures within 24 hours. It doesn't change the concrete's appearance, and is a water-based, low-VOC option that should appeal to many on that basis alone. Concrete sealers are sometimes evaluated in terms of their percentage of active ingredients (also referred to as "active content," or simply "actives"), and Ghostshield claims that Siloxa-Tek 8500 has six times the active ingredients of any other water-based sealer.

Amazon's ratings reveal that 78% of reviewers give Siloxa-Tek five stars, and some reviewers seem slightly shocked by the quality of the product. One reviewer took photos over the course of the first seven days after application, and says only a small color change is visible on 50 square feet of month-old concrete. Another, unhappy with a competitor's product, applied it to brick-colored pavers and immediately liked it well enough to reorder. Another said that falling leaves discolored a walkway treated with a competing product, but saw no staining after applying Siloxa-Tek. The ready-to-use product's "Top Critical Review" might tell the story best: The purchaser complains that he can't see the product at all after applying two coats, but still admits that it works perfectly.

Customers don't complain that they can't see an invisible product when they use Foundation Armor AR350 ($.43 per ounce, or $.30 per ounce in the five-gallon size) because it's meant to change the look of concrete by leaving a slight satin sheen after drying. This solvent-based acrylic sealer requires two coats, each of which requires 24 hours to dry. A gallon covers 175-225 square feet per coat. The manufacturer says that when reapplication is required (after about 7 years indoors and 3 years outside), a single coat will do the trick. Because AR350 is solvent-based, it has a slightly higher VOC level than similar products — it's actually available in three VOC levels of 700, 350, and 50 — but Foundation Armor subtly suggests that the 50 VOC formulation should only be used where it's required by law.

A few reviewers describe a chemical smell, possibly related to VOC content, with one noting (without explanation) that the smell was so bad the fire department showed up at his house. A few reviewers noted that the product doesn't perform well in full Texas, Arizona, or Florida-level summer sun, but otherwise there's not a lot of consistency in the few negative comments. 

There is, however, a lot of consistency among the 78% of Amazon purchasers who gave AR350 five stars. Everyone notes how easy it is to apply and how great it looks, and more than a few reviewers give valuable application tips. One notes that this type of sealer, which penetrates less than our other picks, makes a rough concrete surface more comfortable to walk on barefoot.

Like its AR350 product and unlike Siloxa-Tek 8500, Foundation Armor SX5000 sealer ($.43 per ounce for the SX5000 WB water-based formulation, or $.30 per ounce for the solvent-based formulation in the five-gallon size) might release VOCs, particularly the solvent-based version. But it also has its universally appreciated charms. 

First and perhaps foremost is that an application reportedly lasts a decade. This professional-grade penetrating sealer covers 175-225 square feet per gallon and leaves the look of your concrete, pavers, brick, and stone unchanged. The solvent-based formulation requires a solvent-resistant sprayer for application, while the WB formula only requires a standard pump sprayer (though Foundation Armor does recommend that you use a commercial sprayer for best results).

As with Siloxa-Tek 8500, SX5000 WB's top critical comment on Amazon complains that the applied product is not visible... which is, of course, by design, as clearly stated in the product description. 422 Amazon purchasers took the time to write five-star reviews (versus 12 one-star reviews), and they note that the product works perfectly, so long as you take care to follow application instructions reasonably well. One reviewer said that water sometimes stays pooled on his sealed driveway for up to three days after rainfall. The range of surfaces reviewers successfully applied SX5000 to is surprising — everything from backyard rocks to 198-year-old chimneys to poured concrete patios — and says wonders about its versatility. So overall, it's an extremely solid product.