Winter Care

Winter is the most critical time of the year where your concrete will take the most abuse – here are some helpful tips to keep your concrete looking like new.

Be sure NOT to use de-icers that contain magnesium chloride, nitrates, urea or sugar beets. Many products claim they are safe for concrete but then have disclaimers against concrete less than one year old then go further and claim that all deicers will damage concrete.

If you have a shiny acrylic finish on your concrete – don’t use any calcium products as they will only make your concrete slippery. You can check this out by simply rubbing some calcium between your fingers for a short period of time and watch the greasy film begin to form.

Use deicers only when needed – If snow is removed off concrete there is no reason to apply any deicer at all. It is very important to remove all snow as well – leaving snow on your driveway and driving on it all winter will just create more freeze thaw cycles and will not allow your concrete to dry up. Be sure to remove snow away from the concrete so it does not melt and run off on to the concrete on warm days. This will freeze up at night and create areas which will require deicers. It is a good idea to keep some brick sand on hand so it can be sprinkled on to wet areas to help absorb the moisture and aid in traction if needed. ( brick sand can be purchased at most building supplies or call our office if you require some.)

As you would wash your car on a warm winter day – it is recommended to wash down your concrete as well. This will wash away or dilute salts and deicers that have been tracked in from daily driving. Municipalities have entered into a salt management program which basically means they are using different products to keep roads clean. These products have been found to have Magnesium, Calcium and sugar beets which are very destructive and should be washed off if possible. To find out look up SALT MANAGEMENT on the web for your area and request information from your municipality – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW

So now you’re asking what can be used if NOTHING can be used? Patterned Concrete® has sourced out a product that does not contain salt, magnesium, urea or anything harmful and is safe for concrete less than one year old. It is environmentally friendly and is very easy to apply – it will not leave any residue or get tracked into the house because it is a liquid. The instructions should be followed because this product will aid in the snow and ice removal so your driveway/walkways can be kept clean dry and safe. This product can be purchased from Central Construction Products.

Please CALL 519-830-0566 and ask about our SprayAway de-icing fluid.

Click here to download Winter Care FAQs