Should I seal my exterior floors?

We are often asked about how to seal exterior floors such as concrete or saltillo tile. We typically discourage people from going through the chore and expense of sealing these surfaces for a few reasons.

The brutal Arizona sun will deteriorate seals quite rapidly. If you purchase a concrete seal that sports a 10-year warranty, be aware that in our climate, you will be lucky to get 5 years out of it.

Ultimately, I am not a fan of maintenance. So, when I realize that once I use a sealer, I am actually committing to resealing on a regular basis, I lose interest really fast. If you use a topical seal, then as the sun eats away the bond, the seal will peel. This is a maintenance nightmare since you can’t put fresh seal down over a peeling surface. The peeling seal must be scraped away and power washed.

So, if you want a sealed surface, use a penetrating seal. Instead of peeling, this sealer will fade away. So you can just mop on additional sealer without much prep work.