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Low Maintenance Walkway

October 7, 2019 By Chelsea Lipford Wolf 6 Comments

How To Make Concrete Low Maintenance

Concrete Sidewalk After Cleaning and Applying Protecting Sealer

Sealing concrete can actually reduce how often you have to clean it!

Clean It Well

As I mentioned in my fireplace makeover video, my projects tend to snowball and get out of hand pretty quickly…well, that’s what happened here. We need to reapply some caulk and touch up paint on the railings and columns on our front porch. But you can’t paint dirty wood. So I decided to pressure wash the whole front porch. Then I thought while I have the pressure washer out, let me go ahead and clean the front walk. And then I’ll seal it too.

It’s been way too long since we cleaned our front walkway. At first I didn’t think it was that bad. That is until I actually cleaned it.😱

Concrete Sidewalk Before and After Pressure Power Washing

I used a simple electric pressure washer* (which I got for 20% off because the box was damaged!!🎉) and an attachment that can help clean faster and streak-free.

Power Washing Concrete Walkway with Electric Pressure Washer

(Full disclosure, the surface cleaner attachment I used was recommended for use with a 3200 PSI gas pressure washer. I figured it might not work as well with my 1600 PSI unit but wouldn’t hurt anything either.)

The surface cleaner did help make it a little faster, but I found myself going over the same spots a couple of times to get it fully clean. (You really have to be methodical since it’s hard to tell where you’ve cleaned when it’s wet.) And it makes you have to bend over more since you have to make contact with the surface. If you have more than a small front walkway like we do, I’d totally recommend getting one for regular cleanings! But since we only have this walkway leading up to our house that we could use it on, it’s probably not worth it if I didn’t already have access to one.

Seal with Waterproofer

Concrete gets stained not just from dirt and grime but from water. The older concrete gets, the more porous it gets. Water soaks in but doesn’t always leave, instead turning into mold!

So the best and easiest way to prevent it from getting moldy is to seal the concrete and keep it from soaking up water in the first place!

Masonry and Concrete Waterproofing Sealer and Chemical Sprayer

The masonry waterproofing sealer* I used cleans up with water so I applied it with a chemical sprayer. It can also be brushed or rolled on, depending on your surface and personal preference!

Add 2 Coats

Seriously, all you have to do is lightly coat your surface, going in one direction. It soaks in/dries in less than 10 minutes and then you’re able to apply a second coat.

Front Sidewalk After Applying Sealer

Make sure your second coat goes in the opposite direction of your first coat. Let it dry before walking on it and don’t apply so much that it puddles.

Concrete Sidewalk After Cleaning and Applying Protecting Sealer

That’s it! Now your concrete will repel water and stop getting dirty so fast. If only there was a product that worked for keeping toddlers clean too!😆

Speaking of toddlers. I asked Gus to ‘help’ me photograph the finished sidewalk. I wanted to capture his cute little toes on the clean concrete. But instead he was looking at the camera and saying cheese!

Gus Little Boy Smiling Concrete Front Walkway

These kiddos continue to surprise me with their understanding and exploration of the world, crazy ideas, and love for being silly!

Toddler Boy Toes on Concrete Sidewalk

And now I’m thankful for one less chore to have to keep up with which means more time rolling in the grass with my little loves!

Concrete Walkway Leading Up to House After Cleaning and Sealing for Curb Appeal

I’m always looking for ways to reduce the maintenance around our house! I want to spend my time ‘moving forward’ on new projects, not maintaining ‘old projects’. So if you have any other hacks to reduce upkeep inside or outside the home, I’d love to hear them! Please share in the comments to inspire us all!

Thanks for Checking In! ~Chelsea

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Comments

  1. Connie Pledger says

    March 29, 2020 at 9:43 am

    Hi Chelsea,
    My husband and I would like to build a patio with steps using pavers, do you offer step by step instructions on how to install a patio that will have two steps?
    Thank you in advance for your help.
    Connie and Guy

    Reply
    • Chelsea Lipford Wolf says

      April 6, 2020 at 9:43 am

      Hi Connie! I do not have a video on my site, but we do over at TodaysHomeowner.com! Here are 2: https://todayshomeowner.com/video/tips-for-laying-a-paver-patio/
      https://todayshomeowner.com/video/patio-pavers/

      Hope that helps you with your project! ~Chelsea

      Reply
  2. Kate says

    July 16, 2020 at 5:45 pm

    Chelsea
    The pink color with white lettering is incredible difficult to read. Can you change the color so old eyes can read the areas on your site?
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Chelsea Lipford Wolf says

      July 20, 2020 at 2:53 pm

      Thank you for your feedback. I will look into it! ~Chelsea

      Reply
  3. Elaine T Rutledge-Beuk says

    March 10, 2021 at 5:24 am

    This is a great project! We will be pouring a concrete walkway – now…it will also be sealed!

    Reply
    • Chelsea Lipford Wolf says

      April 1, 2021 at 9:55 am

      You’ll need to wait 28 days after the concrete is poured before sealing! But you’ll definitely want to keep it looking fresh!😎 ~Chelsea

      Reply

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Happy 3rd birthday🎈to the biggest mama’s girl Happy 3rd birthday🎈to the biggest mama’s girl I’ve ever known! She weighs as much as her big siblings but still likes Mommy to hold her.😜 She’s got plenty of sass and insists on doing everything herself. Which is why she normally has hair in her face and a tornado of chaos all around her. Pretty much our life since she came into it. But the best kind of chaos that grows and stretches you and teaches you to slow down and accept them just the way they are.☺️
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FINALLY painted this eyesore of a wall and finishe FINALLY painted this eyesore of a wall and finished just before dark last night!🙌🏻 My husband and I decided instead of starting a new project (ahem a baby nursery) we should finish the projects we’ve already started. Since baby is due in the summer, it will be so nice to have our backyard up to par so we can rest and relax out there during recovery. ☺️
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We started this project back in October by stripping and scraping the many layers of paint so we could waterproof the bricks and paint the wall to match the house. But the house was painted exactly a year ago. So it was way past time to knock this huge item of the time-do list. And it feels like such a relief to not have to walk by the unfinished-ness every time we come home now!
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Next up we’ll slowly tackle patching hardwood floors and finish painting and replacing our interior doors that are taking up room in our garage.👏🏻
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