Sealing brick pavers is an important step in installing a new patio or driveway for your home. You’ve made a big investment by deciding to have a beautiful new brick surface installed. The first step to properly maintaining your pavers is to have them sealed. Sealing pavers protects them from wear and tear, damage from tools, debris and falling objects, protects against stains, and keeps them looking new longer. But, when is the right time to seal a paver surface? Read our suggestions and get in touch with a Birmingham brick paver maintenance professional.
Let it Settle
A new paver patio or driveway may need to wait a little bit before sealing. No matter how hard we work at getting the surface nice and level, it is likely to shift a little, from being walked on or driven on. It’s a lot of work to seal a surface, only to have to pull up pavers to add more sand and relevel. It is often recommended that after having a new paver surface installed, to wait two to three months to have it sealed. This allows for that shifting, and any adjustments before it is set and sealed.
Before the Weather
Michigan weather can be really tough on paver surfaces. The water, snow and ice of winter can cause settling and heaving if it gets between the cracks of your pavers. The exception to the rule above about letting your pavers settle before sealing, is if you are installing right before the winter. If it is late summer or fall and you have just installed your paver patio, you may want to consider sealing right away. The cost to completely repair weather related shifting and sinking is a lot costlier than resetting a few sealed bricks.
After a Good Cleaning
Even a well-sealed patio or driveway will need a good cleaning at some point. If you are going to take the time to clean and scrub your pavers, removing any existing dirt, debris and stains, you will probably also scrub off some amount of your old sealant as well. Once you’ve cleaned your pavers, and they have been allowed to dry completely, reapply a quality sealant to ensure that pavers stay clean and stain-free for as long as possible.
Normal Maintenance for an Older Surface
If your paver surface isn’t new, even if it has been sealed before, it’s a good idea to have it resealed periodically. Just like paint or stain for a wood deck, eventually your sealant will break down and you will start to notice bricks and sand shifting and your bricks won’t look as nice. This is a good indication that your pavers should be resealed. Before you do the work to reseal your patio or driveway, it’s a good idea to make sure that any uneven bricks are reset and any damaged pavers are replaced. Then, remember to have your bricks resealed periodically as recommended by your professional paver maintenance contractor.
Hire a Birmingham Brick Paver to Help with Sealing and Other Maintenance
PMS Diversified Construction is the expert in brick paver installation and maintenance. If you are looking for a Birmingham brick paver to give your paver surfaces an upgrade or just some basic maintenance, our professionals are here to help. Call us at 1-800-BRICK-PAVERS, to schedule your maintenance appointment.