Unsealed concrete soaks up water like a stiff sponge. Jensen gets around 19 inches of snow in an average year, and every inch that melts on a driveway or patio has a chance to work into the pores, freeze overnight, and pop the surface loose. Add de-icer and drips from vehicles, and the top layer wears out fast.
A sealer cuts that cycle short. We clean the slab, fill cracks that need it, and apply a sealer that suits how the concrete gets used, from a front walk to a busy farm shop apron that sees trucks every day. We also tell you how long the coat should last on your property, so you reseal on a sensible schedule and not a moment sooner.
We understand how Jensen snow, strong summer sun, and road salt off US-40 break down concrete, and we pick sealers with that in mind.
Hot water pressure washers, degreasers, crack fillers, and proper sprayers and rollers let us clean and coat every slab evenly.
If your current sealer still has life left in it, we'll tell you so instead of selling you a coat you don't need yet.
We mask doors, siding, and plants from overspray, block off the wet slab, and leave the property as tidy as we found it.
A slab may look solid, but it’s full of tiny pores and capillary channels. On an unsealed driveway, snowmelt, slush tracked in off US-40, and fluid drips all wick into those pores. Water that freezes inside the slab expands, and after enough cold nights the surface starts to scale, pit, and flake. De-icing salt speeds that up by keeping the surface wet and pulling in even more moisture.
Summer has its own effect. At about 4,760 feet, Jensen gets strong sun and July highs near 92°F, which bake the surface and break down whatever old protection is left. A good sealer gives the slab a fighting chance through both seasons, and it makes everyday cleanup a lot easier, since dirt and spills sit on top instead of staining the concrete underneath.
Sealers come in two main families. Penetrating sealers soak into the concrete and react below the surface, leaving no shine and very little change in texture. They handle freeze and thaw well and suit most driveways, sidewalks, and aprons where tires and boots take a beating.
Topical sealers form a thin film on top. They can bring out color and add a wet look or a soft sheen, which makes them a good fit for patios and decorative slabs. If you’re thinking about color, concrete staining followed by a topical sealer is a strong combination. The tradeoff is that film sealers wear faster under traffic and need fresh coats more often.
A sealer is only as good as the surface it goes on. Dirt, tire marks, algae, oil, and peeling old coatings all block the bond, so every job starts with a deep clean. Our pressure washing service uses hot water and degreaser to strip the slab back to bare concrete before any product goes down. Rust marks from sprinklers or old equipment get a separate treatment so they don’t show through the finished coat.
After the wash, the concrete has to dry all the way through. Sealer applied over damp concrete can turn milky or fail to soak in. In dry Jensen air that usually doesn’t take long, but we still plan around sprinklers, flood irrigation, and any recent storms.
Even a good sealer wears down with time, sun, and traffic. Here is what to watch for:
Plenty of Jensen properties are working farms and ranch lots, and the concrete in front of a shop or equipment shed sees more abuse than any driveway. Diesel, hydraulic fluid, fertilizer, and muddy tires all land on the same apron. Sealing that slab keeps those fluids near the surface where they can be cleaned up, and it makes winter slush easier to scrape off.
If the apron already has open cracks or broken joints, we handle the concrete repair first. Sealing over damage just hides it for a season while water keeps working underneath.
Sealers need dry concrete and temperatures within the range on the label, so outdoor work runs from late spring into early fall. On the hottest July afternoons, we start early in the day so the product doesn’t flash dry before it has a chance to soak in.
The best timing for most slabs here is late summer or early fall. That puts fresh protection on the concrete right before the first freeze, so it heads into snow season with its pores closed up. Wait too long into October and cold nights can slow or stall the cure.
We test how water sits on your slab, look for cracks and old coatings, and ask how the concrete gets used every day.
Your free quote spells out the cleaning, crack work, and sealer type we recommend, plus how long to keep traffic off.
We wash and degrease the concrete, fill cracks, let it dry fully, and apply the sealer in thin, even coats.
We walk the finished slab with you, check coverage at the edges, and tell you when it's safe to walk and drive on.
