Quikrete Acrylic Concrete Cure and Seal Review

This review is built from Quikrete’s data sheet, product page and safety sheet. There are no star ratings and no field results here, because no field test has been run yet. No affiliate links are on this page.

What is Quikrete Acrylic Concrete Cure and Seal?

It is a ready-to-use, water-based acrylic that cures new concrete and seals it in one product. Quikrete calls it “a dual-purpose, water-based acrylic clear coating designed for curing and sealing new concrete and sealing existing concrete” (Quikrete data sheet).

It is the cure and seal you find on big box and hardware store shelves in a yellow 1 gal bottle. The product number is 8730, sold as 8730-02 and 8730-03. If you are new to the category, read what a cure and seal does and how it differs from a plain curing compound.

What does the 8730 data sheet say?

It says 20% solids, meets the C309 curing spec at 200 ft²/gal (4.9 m²/L), and comes in 1 gal and 5 gal sizes. “Not stated” below means the sheet does not give the figure.

The VOC figure comes from Quikrete’s 2010 safety data sheet, which lists “Cure and Seal, Satin Finish 8730” at 32 g/L. That sheet is old. If your job has a VOC limit, read the label on the pail you actually buy.

Quikrete’s product page gives the 5 gal pail as 18.9 L and describes “a durable semi-gloss finish” under a Satin Finish title. Neither page lists a dry time or a recoat time.

Where does it fit and where does it not?

It fits exterior and garage slabs that will stay bare. Quikrete says it is “ideal for sealing driveways, sidewalks, garage floors and loading docks.” It does not fit a slab that is getting a floor covering or a coating, because nothing on the sheet says the film breaks down or that anything bonds to it.

For decorative and stamped jobs, the cure and seal for driveways and stamped concrete guide covers the higher solids and solvent options. The sheet’s own sealer instructions say the surface must be “clean, porous and able to accept additional sealer,” and not to use it “on nonporous, sealed or painted surfaces.”

For interior slabs, read curing compound and flooring before you buy. An AECOM quality bulletin notes that “almost all floor leveling & flooring manufacturer[s] require the concrete be free of curing compounds,” and that shot blasting is the best way to remove one (AECOM).

How do you apply it as a curing compound?

Spray it after finishing, once the surface sheen is gone, in two thin passes at right angles. These steps come from the data sheet.

1. Wait until the concrete has hardened and the sheen has disappeared. Quikrete puts that at 4 to 6 hours after placing in typical weather, 2 to 3 hours in hot, windy weather, and at least 10 to 12 hours in cool weather.
2. Check the forecast. Do not apply if rain, heavy dew or temperatures below 50°F (10°C) are expected within 24 hours.
3. Use a garden sprayer and lay down 2 thin layers at right angles to each other, aiming for 200 ft²/gal (4.9 m²/L) total.
4. Do not leave puddles. Brush out any excess, especially on textured finishes.
5. Do not apply more than the recommended amount.
6. Do not cover the slab for at least 24 hours.
7. Clean the sprayer and nozzle with water right away.

The time after placing is a guide, not a rule. Go by the surface: no sheen and no bleed water. Keep the product from freezing in storage; the safety sheet gives 40 to 100°F as the storage range.

Later on, keep pine and citrus cleaners off it. The sheet says “Solvents and cleaners containing solvents, such as pine or citrus will discolor.”

What does Quikrete cure and seal cost?

At Alpers True Value, the 1 gal bottle (model 873002) was $42.99, special order, price checked 2026-11-08. At 200 ft²/gal that is about 21 cents per square foot.

Lowe’s and Home Depot product pages did not load for us, so their prices are not shown. No 5 gal price was found on a page that loaded today.

What are the alternatives?

Pick by what goes on the slab next, not by brand. The best curing compounds comparison lines up eight products by data sheet. The short version:

• Lower VOC, same shelf: Sakrete Cure ‘n Seal, 10 g/L, also water-based acrylic, sold in 1 gal.
• Same base, C1315 film, shipped to you: Concrete Sealers USA TS202, water-based pure acrylic, 25% solids, C1315 Types 1 and 2, Class A, satin finish.
• Water-based cure and seal sold through supply houses: Dayton Cure & Seal 25% J22WB.
• Thicker film outdoors: Nox-Crete Cure & Seal 1315 A, 25% solids, solvent-based, exterior only.
• Slab getting flooring, epoxy or densifier: a dissipating resin cure such as Euclid Kurez DR VOX or W.R. Meadows 1100.

Quikrete 8730 is a C309 product at 20% solids. Its sheet does not claim the C1315 cure and seal spec.

Quikrete 8730 vs Concrete Sealers USA TS202

Both columns are the makers’ published claims, not our tests.

If it went on a slab that is getting flooring or a coating

Keep the bottle or pail label and note the date you sprayed it. The installer will want to know the product, and the flooring maker may ask for it before they honor a warranty.