The best high gloss paver sealer is an acrylic sealer. Acrylic sealers will enhance the surface of the pavers with a high gloss finish, and protect them against discoloration and deterioration caused by water absorption and surface abrasion.
Best High Gloss Paver Sealers
Acrylic sealers are available as water based and solvent based. While these types of sealers will both provide a high gloss finish, there are a few differences between them.
| Water Based Acrylic Sealers | Solvent Based Acrylic Sealers |
| Won’t darken the concrete | Will darken the concrete |
| Repaired by screen sanding | Repaired with Xylene |
| Requires screen sanding before recoat | No prep required for recoat |
| Can’t add a non slip additive | Can add a non slip additive |
| No VOC | Low VOC |
One type of acrylic sealer isn’t necessarily better than the other, but solvent based acrylics are considered to be easier to maintain. Another main difference is that most water based acrylic sealers won’t darken the surface of the pavers, but solvent based acrylic sealers will darken the pavers to make them look wet.
Acrylic sealers are available in a few different forms, but the three main are acrylic lacquer sealers, acrylic co-polymer sealers, and acrylic latex sealers. Acrylic latex sealers contain latex and therefore aren’t breathable. For that reason an acrylic latex sealer should never be used on pavers (in fact, they should never be used at all). Acrylic lacquer sealers are acrylic sealers in their purest form and acrylic co-polymer sealers contain styrene and are often used to help cure new concrete. Acrylic lacquer sealers and acrylic co-polymers will both offer a high gloss finish, but an acrylic lacquer will offer a more aggressive bond to pavers.
For more information, read Acrylic Sealer Reviews.
Solvent based high gloss paver sealer reviews:
- Eagle High Gloss Sealer (average 4.6 star review)
- Armor AR350 Wet Look Sealer (average 4.8 star review)
- Armor AR500 High Gloss Sealer (average 4.9 star review)
- Enduraseal SB Acrylic Sealer (average 4.5 star review)
Water based high gloss paver sealer reviews:
- Seal-Krete Clear Seal Acrylic Sealer (average 4 star review)
- Armor WB25 Acrylic Sealer (average 4.9 star review)
High Gloss Paver Sealers
Choosing the best high gloss paver sealer is only half the battle. The other half is applying it. Here are a few things in mind when choosing a high gloss paver sealer:
- Are you allowed to seal your pavers? Sounds funny, but this is a very important question. Some paver manufacturers suggest that you seal your pavers immediately after install, while others require that you wait at least a year before sealing. If you apply a sealer to pavers that shouldn’t be sealed, it will result in coating failure.
- Are your pavers completely dry? Your pavers can’t just look dry, they need to BE dry. Pavers should be allowed to dry for at least 24 hours before sealing so that moisture trapped below the surface has been given enough time to evaporate.
- Are your pavers currently sealed? This is very important because if your pavers are currently sealed then you want to make sure that the new sealer is compatible with the old sealer. If a solvent based acrylic sealer was previously used then you want to recoat with a solvent based acrylic sealer; if a water based acrylic sealer was previously used then you want to recoat with a water based acrylic sealer. Mixing sealers will result in delamination.
- Did you apply two coats? Pavers are very porous and will soak up a lot of material on the first coat. If you don’t apply a second coat, you won’t get a high gloss. In fact, you may not see any gloss at all because most of the acrylic will be in the pores. You want to apply two coats and you want to space the coats out. You can’t space the coats out with a water based acrylic, but you can with a solvent. If you are using a solvent based acrylic space the coats out at least 12-24 hours so that the first coat has time to cure and provide a base for the second coat. This will help to achieve a higher level of gloss.
