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Sealing your pavers is a great way to prolong their lifespan. Not only does a quality sealer prevent water from seeping into and beneath your pavers, but it also enhances the natural beauty and shine of your investment. While there are tons of great tutorials and tips available today, bad advice is also plentiful. Below is a list of some of the worst advice you could get when preparing to seal your pavers.
“New pavers? Seal them ASAP before the weather can damage them!”
Sealing your brand new pavers is a bad idea. Depending on the type of pavers installed, you should wait a minimum of 30 to 90 days before applying a sealer. When pavers are installed, they undergo an efflorescence process. During this time, water seeps into the pavers and sand and dissolves the salts used to manufacture them. As the water evaporates through pores in the top of your pavers, the salt residue rises to the surface. Sealing your pavers before this process has completed will leave a white, hazy film on the surface. While this film will occur prior to sealing, it can be easily removed. If you seal it into your pavers, you will need to use a chemical to strip the sealant from the surface before cleaning and re-seal once dried.
“Don’t worry about pre-cleaning. Just sweep it and you’re ready to seal.”
This advice can lead to unevenly colored, flaking sealant. Deep cleaning your pavers removes all traces of dirt before you apply your sealant. (It will also remove that pesky efflorescence noted above.) By doing this, the sealant actually adheres directly to your pavers. If the pavers are left dirty, the sealant sticks to the grime instead. This can quickly lead to issues, like flaking. To fix this, you will need to remove the sealant and start again. Since we know time and money can be limited, this is less than ideal!
“Worry about the sand another time.”
As your pavers age, they weather the environment, personal usage and more. As a result, sand erosion and damages can occur. Before you seal, however, you should take the time to refill your polymeric sand and repair any other damages. Refilling the sand in the joints can be time consuming. Save yourself time and do it prior to sealing; the sealant can help provide added protection for your filler sand and reduce the rate of refill.
“Use this sealant. It’s cheap and works on everything.”
First, there is no “one-size-fits-all” sealant. A brick sealant will not work well on stained concrete pavers. The different chemical and material make up of each type of paver will vary the required type of sealant. Additionally, cheaper is not always better. Cheaper sealants typically need more coats and wear off faster. In the long run, they won’t save you on time or money when you have to work twice as hard and apply three times as many coats as a better quality brand.
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