Expert paver cleaning and sealing is an excellent means of protecting a beautiful patio, outdoor walkways, pool deck, and other stone surfaces, keeping them looking their best over the years. Regular cleaning is especially vital in area prone to harsh winds, strong storms, and airborne sand and silt, while some stone and brick surfaces might need sealing more often than average.
Professional paver cleaning and sealing removes growing mold spores and adds a layer of protection against excessive humidity and dryness, reducing the risk of mold, cracks, splits, and surface spalling. Expert cleaning also restores paver colors, ensuring they look their best. While paver services help protect these materials, note that improper cleaning methods might damage outside stone while poor-quality sealing does little to protect them.
No matter your investment costs, it’s vital that every homeowner do all they can to keep patio pavers looking their best and protected from damage. This ensures those stones last as long as possible and provide a safe walking surface, free of slick sand and other debris.
Before you pull out the garden hose, however, you might note some important details about residential pressure washing and other exterior cleaning services, and why these are best left to the pros. You can then discuss your concerns or needs with a power washing contractor near you, and know that your property is also clean and pristine and in good repair!
Advantages of Regular Paver Cleaning and Sealing
If you’ve been putting of professional power washing for your property’s exterior surfaces, and especially needed cleaning of patio stones and brick, you might note some advantages of this work. You can then schedule it as needed with a pressure washing company near you, and know your home is protected and looking its best.
- Sand, silt, and other gritty debris make their way into paver pits and pores, etching and scratching stone, brick, and concrete. The longer these residues are allowed to sit, the more they’re ground into that stone and the more damage done!
- As gritty debris etches stone and other materials, this allows dirt, mud, dust, and other debris to also get trapped in those cracks and crevices, building up over time. It doesn’t take long before those stones and pavers look dull, dingy, and rundown.
- Along with dust and dirt, those areas of etching and scratching also hold excess moisture that encourages mold, mildew, moss, and algae growth. These residues work their way into stone crevices, putting pressure on them and increasing the risk of cracks and surface spalling.
- Sand, silt, mold, moss, and other such debris create unsafe walking surfaces.
- A standard garden hose doesn’t provide enough power to remove ground-in dirt and debris, and does little more than remove surface grime from patio pavers and stone.
- Renting pressure washing equipment yourself and trying to manage this job on your own can mean dislodging stones, creating muddy residues, and even making cracks and other such damage worse.
- While stones are naturally strong materials, they are prone to damage caused by wind, excessive rainfall, erosion, temperature extremes, and sudden changes in temperature and weather conditions. Sealing provides an added layer of protection for stone, brick, concrete, and other such materials, prolonging their life and reducing the risk of fading and cracking.
- Sealing also provides a barrier between dirt and all those nooks and crannies along stone surfaces, making it easier to sweep or wash away mud and grime between professional power washing appointments.
How Often Should You Schedule Paver Cleaning and Sealing?
Most homeowners find that every-other-year paver cleaning and sealing is sufficient for their home; however, you might need to schedule this work more often, depending on local weather conditions, everyday wear and tear, and other such factors. For example, brick and stone exposed to harsh sunlight might tend to dry out and become brittle, risking premature cracking and other such damage. Annual sealing adds the protection needed to keep brick and stone in good condition.
Consider everyday wear and tear for your outdoor spaces as well. Cobblestone driveways are not very common, but if you do have a stone or brick drive, or tend to run wheel barrels, riding lawnmowers, and other such heavy equipment over stone or brick walkways, you’ll need more frequent sealing. Tires drag dirt and grime over brick and cause added erosion over existing cracks, whereas sealing keeps those materials strong and protected.
Homes in tropical areas or near the beach, those near busy roadways or airports, and those in areas prone to lots of storms might also need cleaning more often than other properties. Rain and wind deposit lots of dirt and grime on outside surfaces, while airborne soot, sand, silt, and other such debris also tend to settle on paver stones and exterior brick. If you have an exterior kitchen or use a grill quite often throughout the year, this can also mean thick soot and smoke residues settling on your patio or walkways, and the need for more frequent cleaning.
Some stone materials are also more porous than others. Granite, for example, is very solid and without many of those pits and other openings, whereas brick is very porous! The more pits, crevices, and other openings along patio paver surfaces, the more prone those stones are to collecting dirt and other debris, and the more often they’ll need proper paver cleaning and sealing.
Pool deck cleaning or paver cleaning for homes with pools might be needed more often than average as well. Pools create airborne chlorine and other chemicals that settle onto stones, drying them and making them brittle and prone to damage. Regular paver cleaning and sealing removes those residues and ensures stone, brick, concrete, and other materials are strong and durable and always looking their best.
Schedule Paver Cleaning and Sealing With Other Power Washing
If your property needs paver cleaning and sealing, it’s probably time for other power washing services as well! Roof cleaning is especially vital, to remove damaging storm debris, mold and algae, and drying soot from roof shingles and tiles. A clean roof also makes your entire house look like new!
Gutter cleaning also protects a home from potential water damage. Clogged gutters allow rainwater to wash over them, running down a home’s exterior walls and windows, leaving behind an unsightly and damaging mess. Water pooling around a home’s foundation also risks leaks and interior water damage as well as mold growth and insect infestation. Avoid these risks and keep your Saturday afternoons free by investing in professional gutter cleaning when needed!
A pressure washing contractor near you might also note other power washing services needed around your property. He or she can inspect a home’s windows, driveway and walkways, pool deck, exterior walls, and the like, and note levels of dirt and grime. They might suggest a soft wash pressure cleaning for all those surfaces or note one that has been neglected for some time and that could use some extra attention along with your pavers!
Is DIY Paver Cleaning and Sealing as Good as Professional Services?
When you call a power washing contractor, you might not think they do much to clean your home’s exterior surfaces including patio pavers. It can even look easy to rent a power washer and tackle this job yourself; however, DIY power washing including paver cleaning and sealing can mean more damage overall! Consider how and why that is, and some added reasons to leave this work in the hands of a pressure washing company near you.
First note that professional power washing contractors don’t always use high-pressure washing as you might expect, and especially for paver stones! Too much pressure dislodges stones and gravel, as said, and creates lots of splatter around walkways and patios. Instead, your contractor might use soft wash systems, with specialty cleansers meant to dissolve thick dirt and grime, along with soft brushes for added cleaning.
A pressure washing contractor might also want to ensure that he or she allows pavers and stones to dry properly before sealing, to keep out excess moisture. Your contractor can also inspect stones for signs of damage, mold growth, softening, and other such issues, so you know if added services are needed or if it’s time to consider replacing weak stones about to split and crack.
Related Questions
Does concrete need sealing?
Concrete patios are often more attractive than you might imagine, as concrete can be painted and then stamped to look like individual stones. Regular sealing protects concrete from wear, water damage, and fading, while also ensuring that paint looks fresh and true.
Does a new patio need cleaning and sealing?
Even a new patio is exposed to high levels of air pollution, airborne soot, and the like, so it will need cleaning on a regular basis. Many paver materials are sealed at installation, so you might not need to repeat this service for another year or two. Ask your patio installation contractor their recommended schedule for your new paver cleaning and sealing, so you keep that new space looking its best.