Garage Floor Sealer: Which One Stops Oil, Stains and Dust

What is the best garage floor sealer?

The best garage floor sealer is one that repels oil, because oil is what stains a garage floor and ordinary water repellents don’t stop it. PS100 does it from inside the concrete and keeps the floor looking bare. TS210 does it with a thin film that also resists brake fluid, gasoline and antifreeze.

A third option fixes a different problem. PS104 is a lithium silicate densifier with a water repellent, and its data sheet says it hardens the surface and reduces dusting. It isn’t an oil repellent.

PS100, PS104 and TS210 data sheets, Concrete Sealers USA FAQ

If you want the floor to look like plain concrete and stay easy to maintain, PS100 is the simpler pick. It’s one part, it doesn’t need stripping when you reapply, and its data sheet says maximum water and oil repellency is reached 72 hours after application.

Which garage floor sealer stops oil stains?

PS100 and TS210. The other penetrating sealers on this site keep water and salt out, but the PS101, PS109 and PS110 data sheets say they are not oleophobic and not intended as oil repellents.

They stop oil in different places. PS100 lines the pores so oil beads on the surface instead of soaking in. TS210 puts a film over the pores, and its data sheet reports no effect from 24 hours of contact with motor oil, gasoline, brake fluid, antifreeze and road salts (sodium and calcium chloride).

Neither one is a reason to leave a spill. The TS210 data sheet calls its stain resistance temporary and tested it over 24 hours, on a floor with 3 coats cured for 14 days, so wipe drips up within a day.

Should you use a penetrating sealer or a topical coating on a garage floor?

Use the penetrating PS100 if you want grip, the bare concrete look and easy reapplication. Use the TS210 topical if you want a slight sheen and the widest stain resistance, and you can meet its stricter conditions.

TS210 asks more of the floor and the weather. Its data sheet calls for smooth troweled interior concrete, a dry slab with a low moisture vapor transmission rate, 60°F to 90°F during application and drying, and no water for 48 hours. It’s two parts mixed 7 to 1, with about 2 hours of pot life once mixed.

The TS210 data sheet gives slip numbers: a wet slip resistance of 0.65 for matte and 0.45 for semi-gloss, where above 0.42 is considered desirable. The matte finish leaves more margin on a floor that gets wet from tires and boots, and the data sheet calls matte ideal for floors with heavy use, including wheel traffic.

Remember the one-way rule from the sealer maker’s FAQ: a penetrating sealer can’t go over a topical one later, though a topical can often go over a penetrating one. The penetrating vs topical guide covers the trade-offs.

How to seal a concrete garage floor

Fill the cracks, degrease and clean the floor, let it dry, test it, then apply thin and even. Here’s how to seal concrete garage floor slabs with a penetrating sealer such as PS100 or PS104:

1. Fill every crack first

   The slab kit’s data sheet warns that oils and sealers stop its urethane from bonding, so repairs come first. The garage floor crack repair guide covers it.

2. Degrease and clean

   Scrub oil and grease out with a degreaser, then wash the floor. The data sheets want it free of oil, grease, old sealers, curing agents and paint.

3. Let it dry

   The surface must be dry, not damp. Open the door and let air move through.

4. Do the water drop test

   Put a few small drops of water on the floor. If they soak in within 3 to 5 minutes, it can take the sealer; if they bead, the floor is already sealed or too dense.

5. Test a small area

   Try the sealer on a small patch and let it dry before doing the whole floor. Every data sheet requires it.

6. Apply in small sections

   Use a low pressure pump-up sprayer and spread with a microfiber pad, broom or roller, keeping a wet edge. The PS100 data sheet says not to atomize it into a fine mist, since inhaling it can cause serious lung damage, so keep the door open.

7. Spread out puddles

   PS100 should be absorbed within 10 to 15 minutes. Excess can leave a white haze that generally fades or comes off with light brooming or mopping.

8. Add coats only if it still soaks in

   For PS100, the next coat goes on once the first is absorbed and dry to the touch. For PS104, wait about 1 to 2 hours between coats.

9. Rinse PS104

   With PS104, rinse the floor with water 2 hours after the final coat and sweep it, to avoid a white residue.

10. Keep cars off

    Foot traffic after 6 to 12 hours. Keep cars and water off PS100 for 24 hours. PS104’s sheet gives only a 6 to 12 hour traffic time, so wait a full day before parking.

For TS210, the order is the same up to the test patch, then the data sheet method:

1. Mix Part A and Part B at 7 to 1 with a drill and paddle for 3 to 5 minutes. Mix only what you can use within 2 hours.
2. Spray or pour it out and spread it with a damp low-nap roller, T-bar or microfiber pad. Stop working it once the milky white color goes away.
3. Let the first coat dry tack free, which can take 3 to 5 hours, then apply the second thin coat.
4. Apply any extra coat within 48 hours of the previous one, or the surface may need cleaning and abrading first.
5. Wait 5 to 7 hours for light foot traffic, 7 to 10 hours for heavy foot traffic and 24 to 48 hours for cars.

The sealer drying time guide has every product’s waits side by side.

How do you keep salt off a garage floor?

Hose it off. The NRMCA says to hose off accumulation of salt (opens in a new tab) deposited by cars on driveways and garage slabs, because de-icing chemicals increase the saturation that leads to scaling.

A sealed floor still benefits. PS100 repels salt along with water and oil, and the TS210 data sheet lists salts among the stains it resists, but meltwater left to sit for weeks is still worth washing away.

When shouldn’t you seal a garage floor?

Skip it, or wait, if the floor is damp, already coated, under 28 days old or cracked in a way that points to movement. A sealer protects sound concrete and doesn’t fix anything underneath.

• Damp or sweating floor. TS210 needs a low moisture vapor transmission rate, and every sealer here needs a dry surface. Find the source first.
• Existing epoxy, acrylic or polyurethane coating. TS210 isn’t intended to go over one, and a penetrating sealer can’t soak through one. The sealer removal guide covers stripping.
• New concrete. The data sheets call for concrete at least 28 days old or fully cured.
• Cracks wider than 1/4 inch, an edge higher on one side, or a heaved slab. Find out why first. If they line up with cracks in the foundation walls, have a structural engineer look before you put anything on the floor.

Once cracks are filled, the sealing after crack repair guide covers the wait. For outdoor slabs, see the driveway sealer guide, and the sealing guides cover the rest.