Concrete steps can be an important part of your home, depending on the layout. While many people choose to install wooden stairs, the concrete variety is gaining in popularity as they last significantly longer without the typical maintenance headaches presented by wooden stairs.
These steps, however, once properly treated, are sure to last for an extended period of time. Concrete is a naturally durable material that has been purported to last for tens of thousands of years long beyond what any human being, or any generations of human beings, would ever need a structure for. Therefore, it is extremely cost effective and in your best interests to treat your concrete steps with a concrete sealer if you wish to prevent any problems and potentially costly repairs in the future.
Concrete steps will exhibit excellent strength and longevity simply by virtue of being made from concrete. However, they will not achieve their maximum strength potential unless they are treated with a concrete sealer. Concrete sealers are designed and manufactured to work in conjunction with many forms of concrete (all forms, actually, though each form will require a different type of concrete sealer).
Concrete steps, found outdoors, are exposed to elements that can destroy them over the course of their lives. The degradation can be insidious, happening slowly over time without your knowledge, or the degradation can be overt and fast-acting, such as if your concrete steps are affected by a freeze/thaw cycle. Water damage is one of the most devastating sources of damage that can plague concrete, and constant exposure to the outdoors means you have to take the necessary steps to protect your concrete from water, ice, snow, the sun, dirt, debris, and other potentially harmful by-products of weather.
The best concrete sealer for concrete steps would be a {silane/siloxane} combination. The silane/siloxane type of concrete sealer combines particles of silane and particles of siloxane in one solution. When applied properly, the solutions particles of silane penetrate past the surface, working in conjunction with the particles of siloxane that pool on the surface of the concrete, due to their larger particle size. These particles then form a hydrophobic barrier between the concrete and the exterior world, which helps to prevent the incursion of water, deicing salts, or other dirt and debris, increasing the structural integrity of your concrete steps.
The best silane/siloxane sealer offering on the market today is the Siloxa-Tek 8500. The Siloxa-Tek 8500 is a water-based offering that will help increase the UV stability, slip resistance, and water resistance of your concrete steps, preventing cracks and degradation over the course of the steps lives. A concrete water and deicing salt repellent like the Siloxa-Tek 8500 is the best choice for concrete steps. The 8500 product is able to repel deicing salts that are commonly used on steps to protect the concrete from spalling, pitting, cracking and freeze-thaw cycle damage. The Siloxa-Tek 8500 fundamentally enhances the concretes longevity and lasts upwards of ten years before another application is needed.
