Best Time to do Brick Paver Repair

Interlocking Pavers and Paving Stones

When the winter frost starts to come out of the ground in Ann Arbor, Michigan, brick paver customers begin to get anxious if they have brick paver or retaining wall repairs.  It is important to be patient about when those paver repairs are to be done.

I explain to my clients that it is important to wait until the ground has firmed up and is dry.  Winter freeze thaw cycles churn up the ground and make it very soft. My prior post explained some of the damaging effects of frost and what to observe when your paver patio or walk shows signs.

In Michigan and other Midwest states, we are fully aware of the numerous pot holes our roads experience in early Spring.  States impose "frost laws" on the roads which limits weight that can be hauled. This is intended to help save our roads from further damage as a result of the soft ground (subsoil) under our pavements.  The same holds true for interlocking pavers and modular retaining walls.

Barring any safety issues, the best time to do brick paver repair or retaining wall repair in Ann Arbor is usually June.  Usually after the April rains, May begins to have drier weather which allow the ground (subsoil) to firm up nicely. While performing brick paver repairs, it is important to recompact base material and reset your paving stones on a firm and compacted subsoil.

When a client reports a warranty or non-warranty brick paver repair, I assure them that their paver repair needs will be addressed.  It is always hard to pinpoint a date but we begin to address paver service calls in June to insure a proper repair process.  The biggest problem for us brick paver contractors in Ann Arbor is that June is our busiest brick paver installation month of the year.  So it is a double edged sword.  As a paving contractor, we have a limited time to be profitable with the Michigan climate and at the same time have the man power & resources to perform service calls.

Be patient with your brick paver contractor if it takes until Late Spring or Early Summer to perform some brick paver or retaining wall repairs.  I always make exceptions for paver repairs  that present a safety issue, such as, a tripping hazzard. As a client, it always helps the process by sending pictures of the needed repair to your brick paver contractor.

This dilemma for paving contractors and customers alike is why I have specialized in brick paver repair, cleaning, sealing, and paver maintenance service as our main focus of business. After almost 10,000 brick paver installations and repairs, it is time reinvent my business to the brick paver after-market services that clients desperately need.

Brick Paver Sealing

One of the biggest questions that I am asked is about the sealing of brick pavers. First and foremost, brick paver sealing is usually optional. I am definitely an advocate of sealing brick pavers but the number one reason for sealing pavers is for the aesthetic value. Sealing gives the pavers the "wet look" or satin finish that typically darkens or accents the color in the paving stones. I instruct customers to wet their pavers with a hose on a cloudy day. If they like that look or if it better matches other color schemes on their house, then go ahead and seal brick pavers. In an average environment you do not have to seal your pavers to protect warranties or long term performance. Admittedly, sealing will slow down the effects of weathering of pavers and retaining walls.

Below are some steps or tips when sealing brick paver patios, walkways, and driveways.

After a new paver installation, wait approximately 3 months before sealing brick pavers or retaining walls. The reason for this is twofold. First you want to let the joint sand settle in for a month or so and perform any touch ups where needed. The second is to allow the pavers to completely dry and allow any efflorescence to occur. Efflorescence is the process whereby the brick pavers may exhibit a white powdery deposit or residue on the surface after moisture evaporates from the paving stones. The normal approach is to let this deposit or residue just weather off. After about 3 months of the concrete pavers exposed to sun & elements, this process should be complete.

Prepping for brick paver sealing is very important. If your brick paver patio or walkway has been in over a year, I suggest you do a general basic powerwash cleaning. By powerwashing you can remove any dirt or other debris off the top of the pavers and clean out any joints with soil or foreign debris in them. Let your pavers and paver joints dry for atleast 4 hours before sweeping in any joint sand. There is no need to use polymeric (bonding) sand in the joints if you are going to seal your pavers. If you are not sealing, then let your paver patio or walkway dry for 24 hours before using any polymeric sand. DO NOT sweep jointing sand into joints if the pavers or paver joints are wet! You want fine angular joint sand to completely fill all joints and wet sand will NOT achieve this goal.
After joint sanding your brick pavers, use a light mist from the house hose to wash off the top of the paving stones, letting the sand wash off the pavers and letting the sand settle in the joints. Let the brick patio or walkway dry and settle in for a day or so before application of the brick paver sealer.

Applying the brick paver sealing needs to be done on a dry and rain free day. Make sure you follow the directions of the brick paver sealing manufacturer when sealing your brick patio, walkway, or driveway. I usually wait until after 10am to let any dew or morning moisture burn off. Though most paver sealers are dry to the touch in a half hour, it is best to stay off your paver installation for 24 hours. The smell of a freshly sealed patio may be strong for a few days and usually is not noticeable within a week.

My preferred method of applying paver sealer is to use a 2 gallon pump garden sprayer. I have used 100's of different sprayers from commercial steel sprayers to cheap plastic garden sprayers. I find it is best to use the inexpensive $20-25 plastic sprayer and just throw away after use. The amount of time & effort to flush out and clean the parts of a sprayer from the thermoplastic resins is not worth keeping the sealer sprayer. Even an expensive steel commercial sprayer will need all rubber seals replaced and constantly cleaned. Spraying on sealer will give you a heavier coat of sealer that will help soak into the joints. Using the rolling method of sealer with a foam roller will stretch your sealer more evenly but is hard to get soaked into the paver joints. The rolling method of applying sealer also can experience some problems if the paver joints are wider, pulling sand up out of the joints and rolling onto the top of the brick pavers. The spraying method of applying sealer also is easier to apply to steps, walls, caps, and tight areas.

It is important not to make yourself crazy prepping to get your brick paver patio, walkway, or driveway perfect for sealer. It is not a controlled environment like inside. You can not control the weather, temperatures, wind, or any floating debris. Your goal is to enhance the appearance and performance of your brick pavers and retaining walls.