How much sealer do I need for a concrete driveway?
A 20 × 40 ft broomed concrete driveway is 800 square feet. At about 150 square feet per gallon for an acrylic cure & seal on a broomed surface, one coat takes 5.3 gallons: buy 1 × 5 gal + 1 × 1 gal.
How to work it out
- 40 ft × 20 ft = 800 sq ft
- 800 sq ft × 1 coat ÷ 150 sq ft per gallon = 5.3 gal
A two-car driveway of about 20 × 40 ft is the size most people are sealing. Concrete drives are usually broomed for grip, and that texture is what drives the gallon count up.
Adjust for your project
More options: Coverage
- In 5 gal pails + 1 gal cans
- 1 × 5 gal + 1 × 1 gal
- Area
- 800 sq ft
- Coverage used, per coat
- 150 sq ft per gallon
- Seal clean, dry, cured concrete. Read the label for how long new concrete must cure first and the temperature range for application.
- Film-forming sealers can make a surface slippery when wet; some makers offer an anti-slip additive for walks and pool decks.
20 × 40 ft driveway by number of coats (acrylic, broomed)
| Coats | Sealer needed | In 5 gal pails + 1 gal cans |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5.3 gal | 1 × 5 gal + 1 × 1 gal |
| 2 | 10.7 gal | 2 × 5 gal + 1 × 1 gal |
| 3 | 16 gal | 3 × 5 gal + 1 × 1 gal |
Acrylic or penetrating?
For a driveway, the choice usually comes down to looks and grip. An acrylic cure & seal leaves a thin film with a slight sheen; on broomed concrete it covers about 150 sq ft per gallon (Quikrete), so 800 sq ft is about 5.3 gallons per coat. A silane-siloxane penetrating sealer leaves no film and doesn’t change the texture; Foundation Armor quotes up to 175 sq ft per gallon on porous surfaces, about 4.6 gallons a coat, and suggests two coats.
This is concrete sealer, not the asphalt sealcoat used on blacktop driveways — the two are different products.
When to seal
New concrete needs to cure before most sealers go on; the label says how long. A cure-and-seal product is different: it can go on fresh concrete as the curing compound, at Quikrete’s ASTM C309 rate of 200 sq ft per gallon, about 4 gallons here. Seal on a dry day within the label’s temperature range, after cleaning off oil spots. Worn or pitted concrete may need resurfacing before it is sealed — see self-leveling concrete coverage per bag. The slab under the sealer is worked through on how many yards of concrete for a 24×24 slab, and curing on how long before you can drive on concrete.
Different size? Use the full Concrete Sealer Calculator.
What you’ll need
- Pump sprayerBudget price
Applies cure-and-seal and penetrating sealers evenly. Check the sealer label for a solvent-resistant sprayer if needed.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Acrylic concrete cure and sealMid-range price
Rolled or sprayed onto fresh concrete, it holds moisture in while the slab cures and leaves a light sealed finish.
See options on Amazon (opens in a new tab) - Penetrating concrete sealer (silane/siloxane)Mid-range price
Soaks in rather than forming a film, so it doesn’t change the look or make a walk slippery. Coverage varies a lot with how porous the concrete is.
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Frequently asked questions
How much penetrating sealer for a 20×40 driveway, two coats?
About 9.1 gallons at up to 175 square feet per gallon per coat.
How much cure and seal for a new 20×40 driveway?
About 4 gallons at the 200 square feet per gallon curing-compound rate.
How much sealer for a 10×20 concrete patio?
About 1.3 gallons of acrylic sealer on a broomed surface, one coat.
Sources
- Quikrete Acrylic Concrete Cure & Seal (No. 8730) data sheet (opens in a new tab) — As a curing compound, 200 sq ft per gallon (ASTM C309); as a sealer, 150–200 sq ft per gallon depending on texture.
- Foundation Armor SX5000 technical data sheet (opens in a new tab) — Silane-siloxane penetrating sealer: up to 175 sq ft per gallon on porous surfaces, 200–225 on smooth, per coat; two coats suggested.
- NRMCA Concrete in Practice 11 — Curing In-Place Concrete (opens in a new tab) — Cure for typically 3 to 7 days; keep placed concrete above 50 °F (10 °C); concrete in a dry environment can lose as much as 50% of its potential strength.
- NRMCA Concrete in Practice 2 — Scaling Concrete Surfaces (opens in a new tab) — Order air-entrained concrete (about 6% air) for exterior slabs exposed to freezing and de-icers; avoid de-icing chemicals in the first winter.