Most of us know someone who is out in their yard, applying concrete sealer to their driveway or pool deck twice a year because they love the shiny look when it’s freshly applied. A recently sealed stamped concrete does look amazing but most concrete sealers are no match for the blazing Okanagan summer sun. 2-3 weeks pass during a standard Kelowna summer and your concrete is back to the lack-lustre, dulled concrete you wanted to seal in the first place except now there is also little white flakes of dried sealer floating around as you try to sip your poolside beverage. I have heard these stories from too many of my customers!
Over sealing concrete is not the fault of the owner. It is completely reasonable to expect to be able to seal your gorgeous concrete and it last longer than a few weeks but sealer brands have become more environmentally friendly, more common and never cheaper over the years. Information is also not readily available to concrete owners as the market has become saturated over the years with concrete “experts” offering info without ever seeing your concrete.
One of the many reasons I love applying Sierra Stone in my own area is that I get to be the one to answer the phone when a homeowner calls with a question. Our epoxy and aggregate system is not perfect and it DOES require maintenance but my customers are happy to take years off of having to re-roll their products with epoxy. Our customers have a direct line to the manufacturer of our epoxy through us, so anytime something comes up after installation we can be there with solutions quickly.
The main reason this business was started with my father was because of a little madness caused by over-sealing concrete. My father and business partner found himself stripping and sealing, washing then stripping and sealing and sealing and stripping the concrete at his home in Lakeview Heights, West Kelowna until he did some investigating and remembered seeing Sierra Stone at a friend’s office building years ago. As soon as he found out it could be applied directly over his mess of damaged concrete he had the dealer from Vernon come out and apply around 4000 square feet. A few years later, we went into business together applying it for other folks in the valley with concrete issues and of course anyone who loves a low- maintenance product with 30 years behind it.
Stamped concrete is a beautiful, custom addition to any space but it doesn't go without it's own issues which is likely why we cover so much of it.
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