Home maintenance: Protecting your concrete
By Mitch Allen
If freezing temperatures arrived politely on December 21 and left all at once before St. Patrick’s Day, you probably wouldn’t need to clean and seal your driveway. But that’s not how Jack Frost works. He’s constantly coming and going—freezing and thawing—all winter long, a process that causes our concrete driveways to chip, crack, flake and, in the end, crumble.
That’s why it’s so important to have your driveway, patio and other surfaces cleaned and sealed.
Wait, I don’t remember my dad power washing and sealing the driveway. If he had, I would have noticed. He would have done it while listening to football on his transistor radio, smoking Camels and wearing his plaid pants. What’s up?
Well, visit your childhood home today and you’ll likely discover that its concrete surfaces have suffered dramatically, if they have not been replaced altogether. Plus, concrete is different today.
“There’s been a concrete shortage for years,” explains Ken Wilson, founder of Pristine Clean, the Northeast Ohio-based power washing company specializing in concrete cleaning and sealing. “That means manufacturers have been cutting corners and delivering lower-quality concrete to contractors. Unfortunately, our driveways are no longer the same high-quality concrete surfaces our parents drove on. They require more maintenance to ensure a long life.”
Plus, power washing is now much safer.
“Our dads didn’t have professional walk-behind cleaners,” Ken adds. “They had to rely on old-school wands that would easily leave streak marks on the driveway. Today, our technicians are trained to safely and thoroughly clean and seal concrete surfaces using leading-edge equipment.”
Preventing Chipping, Pitting, Cracking
It’s hard to imagine that something as benign as water can be so damaging to concrete. It’s all about expanding and contracting. “When water freezes into ice, it expands by about 9%,” Ken explains. “When it penetrates into the tiny holes in the molecular structure of the concrete, it freezes and expands, shattering the concrete. Our goal in sealing is to fill those molecular spaces so water cannot penetrate them, ensuring the integrity of your driveway, patio and walkways.”
Using those high-tech, walk-behind cleaning units, the technicians at Pristine deep clean the concrete to clear it of dirt and contaminants. Then they apply a sealer made of silane-siloxane, which chemically reacts to create a hydrophobic barrier.
“Concrete is porous and the holes are various sizes,” Ken explains. “We use this unique combination because silane fills the small spaces, and siloxane expands into the bigger spaces. Plus, after the application, our sealer will mitigate staining and protect your driveway and walkways against further contaminants, such as oils and road salt.”
In addition to concrete clean and seal services, Pristine Clean also power washes homes, decks and roofs, and they’ll tackle multiple jobs for one flat rate.
Act Now To Beat Winter
“As soon as the nighttime temperatures drop too low—and that’s coming faster than any of us would hope—concrete sealants cannot penetrate and protect,” Ken explains. “That’s why September and October are such big months for us. If you don’t do it now, it won’t get done before winter.”
And, Ken assures, you won’t find pricing gimmicks with Pristine. “We give every customer our best price, up-front price, period. Everybody gets the same fair rate, whether it’s your friends, neighbors, eastside or westside. That’s just how we roll.”
Headquartered in Berea, Pristine Clean beautifies homes throughout Northeast Ohio. They are consistent winners of the Angie’s List Super Service Award and are A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau. Call 440-454-7041 to arrange for a free estimate, or visit PristineClean.com. All technicians are bonded, insured and certified by the Power Washers of North America.