Concrete Driveway Sealing and Coating Vancouver
Concrete driveway sealing protects the slab from water, moss, oil and road salt, and a driveway coating adds colour and a finished look on top of that. We seal and coat concrete driveways across Greater Vancouver, from a breathable penetrating sealer that leaves the concrete looking like concrete, to a textured flake coating, and we repair spalling and cracks before anything goes down. Concrete only; we do not seal asphalt.
What Vancouver Weather Does to a Concrete Driveway
A driveway in the Lower Mainland spends most of October to April wet. Water soaks into the top few millimetres of bare concrete, moss and black algae take hold in the texture, and on the handful of nights a winter that drop below freezing, the water in the surface expands. Add the salt and brine that come in on tires during a cold snap, and the top layer starts to flake off. That surface flaking, known as scaling and often called spalling, is the most common driveway problem we are called out for.
Sealing does not make concrete indestructible. It slows the water and salt down enough that the surface lasts much longer, keeps moss from rooting as easily, and turns an oil drip into a wipe-up instead of a permanent mark.
Driveway Sealer or Driveway Coating?
There are three ways to finish a concrete driveway, and the right one depends on the look you want and how much maintenance you will do.
| Option | Look | Strengths | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penetrating sealer (silane or siloxane) | Unchanged, natural concrete | Soaks in, breathes, no film to peel, no change in grip, best for salt resistance | No colour or shine; stains still need cleaning |
| Film-forming sealer (acrylic, wet look) | Darker, glossy, colour of the stone brought out | Popular on exposed aggregate and stamped concrete, easy to renew | Wears faster under tires, can be slick when wet without an anti-slip additive, and can turn cloudy if applied in damp conditions |
| Polyaspartic flake coating | Solid colour with flake, fully finished | Decorative, UV-resistant topcoat, easy to hose clean | Needs a dry, sound slab and a moisture check; grit is required for traction on a slope |
Our full breakdown of sealer types for garages, basements and patios is on the concrete sealing page.
Can You Put Epoxy on a Driveway?
Standard epoxy is an indoor product. In direct sun it yellows, and on an exterior slab that heats, cools and gets soaked it is more likely to lose its bond. When someone asks us for an epoxy driveway, what we recommend is a polyaspartic flake system: a bonded base coat, a full flake broadcast, and a UV-resistant polyaspartic topcoat with grit for traction. It is the same approach we use on outdoor patios and walkways, and more about the material is on our polyaspartic coating page.
A coated driveway is not for every house. A slab that stays damp from below, a steep driveway, or a family that wants the lowest-maintenance option is usually better served by a penetrating sealer. We will tell you which one fits after we have seen the concrete.
Spalling, Cracks and Stains Come First
- Spalling and pitting. Loose, flaking concrete is ground off back to sound material and patched with a repair mortar before sealing.
- Cracks. Cracks are cleaned out and filled. Moving cracks and control joints are left flexible so they can keep moving. The method is on the crack repair page.
- Moss and algae. The driveway is cleaned and treated so the sealer bonds to concrete, not to a layer of growth.
- Oil and rust stains. Degreased and treated before sealing. Very old, deep stains may lighten rather than disappear, and we point those out before you pay.
- Exposed aggregate. Loose stones are reset before sealing, never sealed over.
Road Salt and Ice Melt
Deicers are the fastest way to spall a driveway. The Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association advises against using deicers on concrete less than a year old, warns never to use deicers containing ammonium sulfate or ammonium nitrate, and notes that silane and siloxane penetrating sealers give the best resistance to deicer and freeze-thaw damage. In practice, for a Vancouver driveway:
- Shovel first, and use ice melt only where you need traction.
- Skip ice melt entirely on a driveway poured in the last year.
- Rinse the salt and brine off once the cold snap breaks.
- Keep the sealer up to date, because salt does most of its damage on unsealed concrete.
How We Seal a Concrete Driveway
- Assessment. We look at the slab, the drainage, stains, spalling and cracks, and ask how the driveway is used.
- Cleaning. Pressure cleaning, moss treatment and degreasing, then the slab is left to dry.
- Repairs. Spalled areas patched, cracks filled, loose aggregate reset.
- Application. The sealer or coating goes on in dry weather, at the coverage rate the product's data sheet calls for.
- Cure and handover. We tape off the driveway and tell you when to walk and park on it. New concrete should be fully cured before it is sealed; we confirm the timing for yours.
Driveway Sealing and Coating Cost
Driveways are quoted after we have seen them. What moves the price:
- The option you choose: penetrating sealer, wet-look sealer or flake coating.
- Square footage and slope.
- How much cleaning, stain removal and repair the slab needs first.
- Whether walkways, steps or a parking pad are done at the same time.
You get a written quote with the product, the repairs and the recoat interval before any work starts. GST (5%) is additional.
Concrete Driveway Sealing: Frequently Asked Questions
Related Services
- Concrete sealing for garages, basements and patios.
- Outdoor patio and walkway coatings.
- Concrete stair coatings for front steps.
- Balcony and deck waterproofing.
- Garage epoxy floors, often done with the driveway.
Get a Free Driveway Sealing Quote
Send your address and a couple of photos of the driveway, including any flaking, cracks or stains. We will come look, recommend a sealer or coating, and send a written quote.