Maintenance for Your Pavers in the Spring

The season of spring is here, and while it may not be warm enough to use our patios just yet, we can go outdoors and begin cleaning up our outside areas so they are prepared for when the temperature rises.

Basic Maintenance

Pavers require very little upkeep, but spring cleaning is advised to make your place look better. Here are some pointers:

To get rid of dirt and any stains that may have developed during the winter, use a power washer on a low setting and a stiff brush or broom. Spraying too closely to the surface should be avoided to prevent accidentally removing jointing sand and endangering the paver's surface.

Your neighborhood's hardscape or construction provider can suggest a general cleaning (always ask to ensure it's safe on the particular product you have installed). As an alternative, you can create your own secure cleaning solution by mixing warm water and dishwashing solutions. Whichever option you decide on, make sure to test it first in a limited area.

Any difficult stains can be eliminated with a hard brush and cleaning solution.

Advice: Avoid using a metal wire brush. Little metallic particles left behind by metal wire rubbing on the surface might cause rust stains on the paver surface.

Maintenance of Jointing Sand

Pavers that use polymeric jointing sand don't need much maintenance. Yet occasionally, it's possible that some of the polymeric sand became loose over the winter. If it occurs:

Take out any weeds that may have gone unnoticed at the end of the previous season.

Fill up any gaps with new polymeric sand and carefully adhere to the bag's directions.

Clean concrete sand should be swept in and a sealer that is also designed to stabilize the joints should be used if a basic jointing sand (without polymers, a binding agent) was used. To prevent compromising the paver surface, be careful to follow the directions on the product.

Examine the surface and edging.

Because they are made to withstand freeze-thaw cycles, correctly laid pavers should preserve their integrity and look for decades. It's still crucial to perform a routine visual inspection of your paver surface:

Verify that the edge restraints on your patio, driveway, or pathway are still holding the pavers in place. If they have shifted, take out the pavers there, put them back in, and reinforce them with more spikes in the edge restriction.

Inspect the surface for any heaving or settlement. Poor or insufficient base materials, as well as inappropriate compaction, are the root causes of settlement. You should speak with a professional if the region is visually unstable or take the following actions:

With a pressure washer or water nozzle, remove the sand between the joints.

Lift any further pavers in the impacted region after prying out a few of them first.

In order to level the area, apply more concrete sand.

Replacing the pavers

Introduce fresh joint sand.