New Concrete Maintenance
Keep vehicles off new concrete until it has cured.
Keep cars and other light vehicles off new concrete for at least 5 days (this may be extended in cool weather conditions). For trucks or heavier load vehicles wait 28 days.
New concrete should be sealed after it has cured for 28 days.
Applying sealer provides a protective coating to repel moisture and contaminants. The sealer must be compatible with the curing compound or curing method. Control joints can also be sealed with joint filler. Periodic cleaning and resealing is recommended depending on the sealer applied and how much you use the concrete.
Avoid using deicers the first year.
Concrete takes time to cure to its full strength. While some deicers, such as salt, do not chemically react with the concrete, they increase the number of freeze/thaw cycles the concrete must go through. This has the potential of damaging the concrete until it has reached its maximum strength. Keep new concrete clear of snow and ice and sprinkle sand to make it less slippery.
After the first winter, deicing chemicals sodium chloride or calcium chloride may be used sparingly. Washing off road salt that drips from vehicles is also recommended.
Never use deicers with ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulphate or magnesium chloride.
These chemicals are often packaged and sold as deicers, but they will rapidly degrade concrete. Common garden fertilizers containing ammonium compounds or urea may also damage concrete. Read labels carefully even if products are labeled "safe for use on concrete.”