All the benefits of outside: protecting your decorative concrete When the weather gets cold, ornamental concrete needs a little extra care to keep it looking good and lasting a long time. This winter in Canada will be especially hard. Absolute Exterior Pros’ specialty is making sure that your outside surfaces, like beautiful ornamental concrete installations, last through time and the weather. This detailed guide will help you protect your investment during the harsh Canadian winter.
The Concrete Winter Challenge in Canada
Decorative concrete lasts a long time and looks good, but it can be damaged by heavy snow, de-icing salts, and cycles of freezing and thawing. Water can get into the tiny holes in concrete. When it freezes, it can expand, which can cause the surface to break down, flake, and crack. De-icing salts do a good job of melting ice, but they can also make the concrete break down faster by bringing in more water and reacting with the surface.
Getting Ready for Winter: Your First Line of Defense
The secret to staying safe in the winter starts long before the first snowflake falls.
Full Cleaning: Start by giving your decorative concrete a full cleaning in late October. Get rid of any oil stains, leaves, dirt, and trash. A simple concrete cleaner and a pressure washer set to low can do a lot of good. Make sure the concrete is completely dry before you move on.
Look for Cracks: Look closely at your concrete to see if there are any cracks or other damage. You can use the right kind of concrete crack filler to fix small cracks. Taking care of problems now will keep water from getting in and making things worse when the weather changes from freezing to thawing.
Putting on a good sealer is probably the most important thing to do. If your decorative concrete isn’t already sealed or if the sealer is old, use a high-quality, penetrating concrete sealer. Sealers make a protective layer that keeps water away, resists de-icing salts, and keeps stains from getting on the surface. Absolute Exterior Pros recommends using a sealant that lets moisture vapor escape from the concrete but keeps water from getting in from the outside. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for how to use and cure.
Winter Care: Ongoing Care
Be careful when winter comes to keep your beautiful concrete safe.
Be smart when you shovel: Use a plastic shovel instead of a metal one. Metal shovels can chip or scratch the surface of ornamental concrete. Don’t scrape too hard, especially near edges or where the concrete meets other surfaces.
Choose your de-icers carefully; this is very important. If you want to keep concrete safe, you should never use de-icing salts that have ammonium sulfates or nitrates in them. Calcium chloride and rock salt (sodium chloride) are not as bad, but they can still cause spalling, especially on new or unsealed concrete. Sand for traction or materials that say “concrete safe” or “pet safe” on the label are the safest choices for ornamental concrete. These usually have propylene glycol or other less harsh ingredients. Be careful when using de-icing products at all times.
Quick Snow Removal: Don’t let snow and ice build up for too long. The longer they stay there, the more moisture can get into the concrete, especially if de-icers are used. Quick removal cuts down on exposure.
Avoid Heavy Equipment: Don’t use heavy snowblowers or other power tools that could scratch, chip, or gouge your decorative concrete.
Contact Absolute Exterior Pros for expert advice on how to keep your concrete looking great or to find out more about your sealing options. Our goal is to protect your investment from the harsh Canadian winter.
