Get Out There and Sand Sweep your Brick Pavers !

Spring Sand Sweeping is required maintenance of Brick Pavers in Michigan

Spring has sprung early in Southeast Michigan this March!  It is not too early to get out there on a dry & warm day and sweep joint sand over your entire brick paver patio, walkway, driveway, or porch.  Whether you perform this routine maintenance service yourself or hire a brick paver contractor, filling any paver joints void of sand is crucial to long-term performance & success.

In March & early April, paving stones in Michigan can be a little loose from an unstable & spongy base, as well as, the lack of sand in the paver joints.  Time will solidify the the base underneath but you will be responsible for making sure the paver joints are refilled with joint sand.

Here is an earlier post on reasons to keep up on sweeping paver joints that may be helpful for you.  It is important for a hired quality contractor to also be an educator or teacher of their expertise. Homeowner's need "real life" advice and not biased opinions endorsing any product or agenda.  Simple sand sweeping of paver joints will greatly improve any homeowners benefits and experiences with brick paver projects.

November Brick Paver Tip: Remove Leaves

Simple Brick Paver Maintenance steps will help you avoid unnecessary costs

As leaves fall from trees & bushes here in November, remember to remove them from your brick paver patios, walkways, driveways, porches, and more. Easily blow them off with a leaf blower or sweep off with a broom. Try to get this paver maintenance tip done before it begins to snow.

  Most people think it is because of the obvious reason for leaf stains. Leaf stains will usually disappear from high density concrete pavers in the Spring as the acid from the stain wears off. So do not worry about leaf stains this time of year if you see them already.

The biggest reason you should remove leaves from your brick pavers is the fact that leaves break down into compost, in other words, dirt & soil.  This organic transformation will fill paver joints with unwanted soil that will restrict drainage through the pavers and aid in the germination of weeds & grass. 

In the Spring I can usually identify the areas where leaves collected on paver patios and walkways going into the winter by observing the dirt stains areas in corners or along landscape beds.  It will require cleaning of the paving stone surfaces and paver joints to remove this organic matter. 

Simply blowing or sweeping leaves off brick pavers in the Fall will save time from performing this avoidable paver maintenance step in the Spring.

Polymeric Sand....Oversold?

Being touted as the "savior" for Brick Pavers is not true

The marketing machine for Polymeric Sand for brick pavers is in full force. Homeowners are embracing  the use of polymeric sand as the savior of brick pavers. Though there are some very good benefits, Polymeric Sand is NOT going to eliminate or prevent the need for ongoing paver maintenance.

Back 25+ years ago, I was frustrated with the perception that unqualified contractors gave homeowners...."Brick Pavers are NO maintenance !".  This could not be further from the truth and I had to spend needless appointment time explaining the myths these contractors created.

Polymeric Sand touting is the new frustrating "myth" that I have to spend countless time explaining the benefits and limitations.  Just this past week, I was frustrated with a customer who repeatedly said she wanted polymeric sand in the paver joints ..."so her bricks will never move!".

If she wanted to greatly reduce the chance of weeds or grass growing in the paver joints, if she wanted to reduce the chance of tracking any joint sand into the house, if she wanted to reduce the amount of sand sweeping each Spring of the paver joints, if she wanted to greatly reduce the erosion of any base material from rains, snow, & ice, then Polymeric Sand is a viable solution. In cases of extreme slope or water run off requires the use of bonding sand or permeable pavers.

But to keep your brick pavers in place for all time to come, well you are greatly misinformed. If that were true, we would fill all our road cracks & potholes in Michigan with Polymeric Sand and you would have a smooth ride from Detroit to Sault St. Marie.

Polymeric Sand is definitely beneficial in reducing the negative aspects of paving stones but you need to weigh the cost & benefits of it's use. If you can spend a half hour each Spring sweeping paver joint sand into open joints of your patio & walk, then Polymeric Sand is not necessary. Keeping paver joints filled already reduces weed & grass growth, loose pavers, and erosion damage.

Polymeric Sand requires patience and in most cases should be installed by a qualified brick paver contractor. Done wrong or sloppy, polymeric sand repair or removal can become a costly & tedious experience. Once winter frost goes through your brick paver paito, walk, driveway, porch, etc.. you will still need to touch-up areas each Spring.

Brick Paver Repair or Winter Frost Effect

The Winter frost in Michigan is going to begin to thaw in March. Like most freeze thaw cycles, the devastating effects will push all pavements, even brick pavers, to their extremes. Spring is just around the corner and most homeowners will begin to come out of hibernation and stretch their arms & legs. One of the first thing homeowners do is inspect their paver patios, walks, or drives.

The beauty of interlocking pavers is their capability to expand from winter frost with minimal or no damge. The paver joints absorb the effects of frost and the high density & low absorption rate of the brick pavers keep them from cracking.  But when you are dealing with mother earth, there are no guarantees that brick repairs will not be needed from shifting or heaving.

I always receive calls from frantic customers in pre-Spring weeks that their brick patio has a huge heave or raised area.  Good News! this is interlocking brick pavers at work! After the winter frost works its way out, your brick pavers will reset. No cracks, warps, or expensive repair costs.  As the temps float over and below the freezing mark, you can literally watch your paver patio move like a waterbed mattress.

Pavers that are raised or heaved, will go down. Pavers that are down, most likely will not come up. So, you may now have some type of brick paver repair that will need to be addressed. Do not confuse that brick areas are low because other brick areas are raised.  It is not unusual in Michigan during late March to early April to see your brick patio look like pizza dough be tossed at a pizzeria.  It should all level off when it gets warm and dry and you can enjoy this one free topping.

Once the Spring weather gets warmer & dryer, do not forget the most important brick paver maintenance requirement .... sweeping joint sand in the paver joints! As mentioned in earlier posts, this will deter lateral paver shifting, base erosion, and weed growth.  So, before you call your brick paver contractor for patio repair work, make sure the winter frost has completely thawed.

Winterizing your Brick Pavers

I am asked alot about the need for "winterizing" brick paver patios, walks, or driveways. The great news is that interlocking brick pavers are designed and installed to withstand the ill effects of winter climate & frost cycles and do not necessarily require any winter prep.

I do have some suggestions that will help in the long-term success and aesthetics of your brick paver installation.

• Remove any heavy items or vehicles that you plan on leaving on your brick pavers throughout the winter months. The reason is that the area under a heavy item or tires will not flex to the freeze thaw cycle, thus possibly causing sunken areas as the base below shifts. Over the years I have noticed, especially on brick paver patios,where homeowners leave there patio table base (filled with sand or water), leaves a slight indention in this brick paver area. Also, on driveways where homeowners leave boat trailers, campers, motor homes, etc.. the spots where the tires sat through the winter freeze thaw cycles are sunken.

• Sweep some joint sand in all the joints if needed. I always instruct my clients that brick paver joints will require a resweep of joint sand each Spring after the winter frost effects. But if the sand is low in your brick paver joints heading into the Winter, it would be a good idea to do a quick sweep. Brick Paver joints that are filled will allow for proper drainage of late season rains and also properly hold pavers in place. Really you should always keep your brick pavers filled with joint sand all year round for optimum success.

• Redirect any direct water or ice sources from draining on your brick pavers. If there are any gutter spouts that drain onto your brick pavers, it would be a good idea if possible to connect a solid corrugated pipe to the end of the gutter spout and run into the grass or plant bed. The constant freezing and thawing of snow and ice that runs down the gutter onto a brick paver patio, walk, or driveway will create a tremendous stress on your pavers in this area. Hopefully you addressed water drainage during the original brick paver installation but it will be important to reduce any thaw drainage & refreezing.

These are just a few things you can do to add to the long-term success and aesthetics of your brick paver installation. There is no need to cover your pavers or shovel off your paver patio. Just let the functional beauty and benefits of interlocking brick pavers do there job and enjoy!