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10 Easy Tips to Help You Restore and Seal Your Brick Pavers
1. If need be it is best to level any pavers that may have settled unevenly. Lift the unlevel brick and level the base by adding slag or heavy sand base. Do this prior to any sealing.
2. It there is an excessive amount of weeds and grass growing in the joint sand, it is best to use roundup first. This will kill the root system of the weeds. This reduces the chance for weeds to reoccur. Do this a week prior to pressure washing.
3. Pressure wash all pavers to remove dirt, grime, and weeds. Make sure to rinse thoroughly. Use a cleaner if you need to remove spills such as oil, rust, or efflorescence.
4. If you have an old sealer that has failed and turned white, it would be a good idea to remove the coating first. The use of a paver sealer stripper and a pressure washer will be required for this step.
5. Let dry for 24+ hours then sweep in sand if needed between the pavers. Make sure the sand is dry as wet sand will not fill the gaps. When done it is best to blow off the excess sand with a leaf blower. The sand should not be level with the top of the pavers. 1/4″ below the top is best.
6. If you choose to spray your paver sealer make sure that you saturate the pavers at the correct square footage. One issue is that a lot of consumers under apply the sealer when spraying. Make sure that it is uniform as well.
7. If you choose to the roll the sealer it is very important to not “pull” the sand out of the joints, leaving it all over the pavers. This is one of the reasons we suggest the sand be down a 1/4″ from the top.
8. Make sure that when applying the sealer that you are also saturating the sand. Paver sealers will help harden the sand, minimizing erosion and weeds.
9. Let dry for 2-4 hours for foot traffic and 24 hours for vehicles and heavy furniture or grills. Make sure that your sprinklers are off as well for 24 hours.
10. Paver Sealers will dull and get dirty through the years. The sealer will still be prevalent but loses its lustre. Applying a solvent will restore the shine giving your pavers new life. The Aromatic 100 Solvent is designed for this. It is very easy to do and cheaper then sealing. We suggest doing this during the off years of sealing so your pavers keep looking great. Paver sealers typically last 18-36 months. It is best to reapply when needed repeating the same procedures.
That looks like something under the sealer causing the discoloration. The sealer itself does not discolor. Could be trapped moisture, polymeric sand haze, etc. Did you use a polymeric sand?
Our pavers have turned yellow and the sealer always seems to crystallize. What product do you recommend for stripping our pavers
Post some pictures here in comments.
Yellow pavers need a stripper. What do you recommend
https://www.opwdecks.com/paver-sealer-stripper.htm
Use one of the efflorescence cleaners we sell to remove if you have it. If you do not have the efflorescence than just seal with the Super Seal 25.
What is the price on the Clemens paver sealer stripper
https://www.opwdecks.com/concrete-and-paver-sealer-stripper-5-gallon.htm
My pavers were put down 8 weeks ago. Is it too soon to seal them with Super Seal 25? Also, is thera any method to quicken the process to remove the effervescence before sealing.
I’m interested in changing the color of my unilock pavers. They are 30 years old, in great shape, but the color no longer matches my house. They have dulled to a pinkish red and I’d like to change them to something in an orange/brownish tint. Is there anything that can be used to accomplish this task?
Thank you,
Cindi
Probably not a good idea. Best to test an area first.
Can one safely spay a water based sealer over a solvent based sealer sprayed on tee years ago? Any recommendations as to the product I should use in this case? I am looking for a wet finish.
Thanks for your help
Bob Josefchak
It can be many things:
1. Trapped moisture
2. Efflorescence
3. Polymeric sand haze
4. Cheap quality sealer
Hard to say and there is not one fix for all scenarios. Typically it is something underneath the sealer that causes this.
what caused white spots to appear on newly laid brick pavers on driveway that was also sealed
A month or two. Make sure there is no efflorescence.
How long should I wait to seal my new pavers?
Yes as long as the water based sealer has not failed by turning milky white and the surface is porous enough to accept a new sealer. Test by sprinkling some water on the driveway. If it absorbs then you should be okay.
can i use a xylene based sealer on a driveway that had been done 3 years ago with a water based sealer
It depends on what the lines are. Most likely re washing to feather/blend them should work.
what can I do to get rid of lines on pavers from power washing