Armor SX5000 Solvent-Based Silane-Siloxane Sealer for Concrete, Brick, Pavers, Stone - Matte Concrete Sealer - 5 Gallon

We were able to put 2 coats on about 1000ft2 without any issues. The first coat absorbed very quickly and required a little over 2.5 gallons. The next evening we were able to add the 2nd coat and it stayed wet longer so I was able to use a little less and get full coverage on the 2nd coat. The sealer does have a strong odor so we wore masks and also gloves in case it spilled. We used a Chapin sprayer (from Amazon) and I rinsed it out after the 1st coat so we were easily able to use it for the 2nd coat and after rinsing it again it looks like we will get to use it in the future. The patio looks great and the sealer seems to work very well. Update: We were finally able to see the patio (Oklahoma flagstone) in good light and the sealer has made the patio colors more even - looks better now. It did rain this morning and the water beaded up nicely.

I was skeptical about this product as it was the consistency of water and it just soaked into the concrete and looked like it did nothing when I was applying it. The concrete looked a little less chalky than prior to application but otherwise there was no change to the appearance. (I bought the house last year so I have no idea when the last time it was sealed was or what was used in the past, but the concrete had a chalky haze on it after power washing) I really thought I just wasted a bunch of money as surely I would see some sort of change! The instructions say to spray it on but we were working around an in ground pool and were afraid of overspray so we used rollers. The following day I spilled some water on the concrete and it beaded off! The only areas it didn’t do so hot are around the anchors for the winter cover (they had been jammed up so I cleaned them and coated them in silicone and some got on the concrete ). This is a user error as I probably needed to prep those areas more aggressively with a heavy degreaser. Just a warning that the results might not be so great on concrete that’s got oil on it without some major preparation. The instructions also say that you should spray 2 coats wet on wet, and at the end we were running low and didn’t double coat everywhere. (This is likely because it was a large area and also the rollers waste a lot) so we were not really satisfied with our application and we are so happy with how well the one coat worked that we are discussing re applying in the fall just to make sure everything is covered properly, as we are confident that it’s a good product after seeing it work it’s magic! As far as longevity, it says it’s good for 8-10 years but I’m still on week one so I obviously can’t contribute to any info here. So far I’m very happy with it and if it lasts just 2 seasons I still feel it’s worth the investment!

The surface I was sealing was apparently very porous so it took more sealant than anticipated. (doubled my cost) This was my second order to finish the job. It works well, the part of the driveway that was sealed was easy to clean dirt just washed off. Cleaning the unsealed part required a power washer.

We just installed 2 cinder block retaining walls and were having an issue with water-weeping from behind and it bringing red soil through the mortar lines. I completely cleaned the wall with pressure washing and then muriatic acid to get it back to it's original state. We then applied 2 coats of this sealer and were absolutely amazed post-rain. The product dries 100% clear. We are are VERY particular about our home and small details and I assure you, it's clear as can be without a sheen, etc. I applied it by brushing all the corners and then each and every grout/mortar line. Immediately after, I rolled the rest on using a paint roller and pan. I will say, it takes a little skill using the roller without wasting any but it was the easiest way to put large quantities on. I tried the pump up sprayer and it lasted about 4 minutes before it killed my cheap sprayer. We had 480 sqft and it took exactly 10 gallons for 1 heavy coat and one light, second coat. I only took about an hour per coat. I'm sure those that aren't applying to a vertical surface can move a little faster. Only using this product moving forward! My pictures show right after application and then right after a rain. In the one with the rain, you can tell the wall remains completely dry!

Originally I did read some reviews (in general very highly rated) that indicated that applying this product was tricky, but never said why this is tricky. Here's the scoop; if you've used acrylic in the past to seal your pavers, then your expectation is that it is thick like paint and it is easy to see where you've applied it and where you haven't, however this is rather different than acrylic. The consistency is thin like water and if your roller is thick and absorbent then the sealant streams off the roller and you can end up losing a lot of sealant between the cracks if you're not careful. The other issue I had was that after rolling the sealant on a few paver stones, I could not see what I had covered and what was not covered. (I'm sure this is a total rookie move). After a while I figured out how to be more careful and the finished driveway looks nice. Then I saw my neighbor using the same stuff on his driveway, but he had a better approach. He got one of those hand-pump sprayers and he would lightly spray the pavement while his partner used the roller just after spraying, thus solving both problems I had. FYI - if you really love the sparkly wet finish that you get with acrylic, just be aware that this leaves a much more subtle kind of finish, however, I think that because it is so thin, it ends up penetrating more deeply into the paver stone and thus last a good deal longer than the acrylic.