Brick Paver Sealants can bring back the Life of your Pavers Patio
We have begun working this week in Michigan with temperatures topping 85 degrees this mid-March. As we perform our normal Spring sand sweepings for customers, we have been getting a lot of interest for
sealing of their brick
paver patios, walks, driveways, and more.
I always explain to my customers that
sealing of pavers is optional. You do not have to
seal brick pavers to insure the long-term success of their structural integrity. If you want to insure the long-term surface appearance from the effects of weathering or need to bring your aging
pavers patio or
walk back to life, then
sealing is a viable option.
My professional opinion is to
seal your brick pavers for "aesthetic" purposes first. If you like the enhanced or darkened color of your
pavers when sealed, then consider having them sealed by a professional & experienced
brick paver contractor. To get a preview, just wet your
pavers down on a cloudy day or when your
pavers are in the shade to get a close representation of how they will look sealed. That should be your number one reason to seal!
Sealing your pavers patio, walkway, driveway, etc.. for the sand joints or weed deterrence is the wrong reasons to
seal pavers! Keeping up with the routine maintenance requirements of
brick pavers will help alleviate these issues. It is much cheaper to do Spring maintenance programs with full service
brick pavers contractor than to pay the cost of sealing each 2-3years. In addition, the sealed joint sand in frost states such as Michigan will still loosen over the winter months and need periodic touch-ups.
One complication that has been arising this year is that customers we did extensive
paver patio cleaning &
sanding last year, now want to seal this year. The issue is that their
pavers patio has to have a general prep or cleaning prior to
sealing because many customers have let the patio get dirty or stained. Depending on the severity of the conditions, I have convinced most to do the cleaning prep themselves and we will fill the paver joints with sand as needed and properly apply the
paver sealant.
In an earlier post I did on
prepping for sealing, I explained the reasons for prep that are needed prior to applying an
approved brick paver sealant to
high density interlocking concrete pavers. When you are dealing with a horizontal surface, outside, uncovered ,and unprotected from the elements, its an uncontrolled environment that has a lot of variables. You can not make it perfect and you just try to do the best you can to get the best possible results!