Ep #8: How to seal a driveway, patio, or brick pavers

I get a lot of customers that want to learn how to seal their own driveways, pool decks, and brick pavers. They've asked my technicians and I to train them on this but unfortunately we don't have the time. So I've created this podcast to teach you how to seal your brick pavers from start to finish. If you have any questions, contact me at https://www.paverprotectors.com/contact.html. -Jeff

Transcript

Welcome to the Adventures in Paver Sealing podcast, with your host, Jeff Evers of Paver Protectors. Thank you for tuning into the Adventures of Paver Sealing podcast. I'm your host, Jeff Evers and through the years we've been asked by clients (or potential clients) if we can help them do the seal job They want to do it themselves, but they'd like us to come on-site and kind of tutor them. Unfortunately, we do not have the time to do that. But we did want to put together something so that if you wanted to tackle this yourself instead of hiring a professional we give you some advice, tips, and tricks on how to do it yourself so that you don't make mistakes and don't cost yourself a lot of money in the long run. So again, covering some advice, tips and tricks. If you're one of those people that likes to do things yourself, I'm here to help and when it comes to paver sealing, that's my expertise.

So first and foremost, obviously you decided, well, it's time to seal my pavers. What do I do next? Where do I go? Where do I buy the supplies? What do I need? This podcast is here to help you determine those things and get things in order so that you're not running around causing errors while you're working.

So first and foremost, you want to evaluate the surface that you are sealing. Know the surface that you're sealing. Do you have brick pavers? Is it a travertine pool, deck, or driveway? Is it shell stone, Chicago style brick, artistic pavers? There are a lot of different substrates out there that you could seal. So get familiar with the product or the substrate that you are sealing and what products you want to use. Each type needs to be treated a little differently. Today, we'll be discussing brick pavers as they are the most common substrate, at least here in Florida, that people want to seal.

Second of all, you want to have a plan of action. Do you have time to do the project in one day? Do you know what type of sealer you want to use? Do pavers need to be dry before sealing? That varies depending on what type of sealer you are using and will you be sanding the paver joints while you seal it? These are just a few of the questions you need to ask yourself before starting your sealing project.

Third, what type of materials will you need? You will need a pressure washer, a surface cleaner, which is an attachment to the pressure washer made to clean flat surfaces. You'll need some type of cleaner, whether you use chlorine to kill mold, or do you use a product like Cobble Prep or Cobble Clean by Surface Logix, et cetera. There's a lot of different cleaners that you can use because these bricks need to be thoroughly cleaned before you seal them.

You're going to need a broom. You're going to want to clean up loose sand debris, et cetera Type of sealer. Do you want to use a water-based or solvent-based? Here in Florida most people are using water-based because solvent-based typically aren't breathable and they'll cause Whiting and trap moisture. So for today's discussion we're going to discuss water-based sealer. There are a couple contractor grade products that you can purchase. ICT Ure-Seal H2O is a good one. Cobble Lock by Surface Logix. That's a good one. And another one called Seal and Lock is a pretty good product. Those are products for homeowners to use that you really can't screw it up if you follow the instructions. Secondly, you're going to need a sprayer or rollers. I recommend using a sprayer and having a spray shield handy that does the best job. And you're going to need sand if you plan on re sanding the paver joints.

So that brings us to the day of the project. What's the first step to do? Well first of all, you got to move off all the furniture, plants, rugs, vehicles if it's a driveway. You got to get all these things out of the area so that you can clean effectively. Next you're going to apply a cleaning chemical. You're going to treat any stains that you see, weeds, mold, these things. Follow the instructions of the manufacturers that make these chemicals carefully. These instructions are there so that you don't do damage to your brick. So make sure you are mindful of what they're telling you to do.

Then you're gonna wanna clean the area with a pressure washer using that surface cleaner. That surface cleaner is going to do a very good job of pulling up loose dirt and debris. And it's going to prep that surface very well so that when you go to seal it, you're not gonna have a lot of dirt and mold in the joints and into the pores of the brick.

Do not use a pressure wand. That's the one that comes with the pressure washer. If you're not using a surface cleaner and you use a pressure wand most people end up using too much pressure without even knowing it and they leave a lot of stripes on the bricks. Sometimes those marks can become permanent. They've actually done damage to the brick.

Next you're going to want to retreat the stubborn stains. So once you've used that surface cleaner, you've gone over the entire area completely. You're gonna wanna retreat the stains that did not come out and then thoroughly rinse the area.

You are going to have some stains that don't come out. That is normal. Even with us as professionals, with all the chemicals that we have available to us, there are a lot of stains that just do not budge. Typically we can get them to look a little better than they were. But don't expect everything to come out. Don't be disappointed if you get a few that just don't come.

Then you're gonna wanna broom any loose sand and debris off of the surface. And then if you're going to be sanding the joints that is now your time to do that. You are gonna re-sand the joints...put sand into the joint so that the sand is an eighth of an inch to a quarter of an inch below that brick edge. Do not sand it to the top. That is not correct specifications and it could cause issues as far as that breaking loose prematurely. Then again, you're gonna broom off any loose sand and debris.

Now, if this is a two day project, basically you're done for today and you're gonna resume tomorrow. If it's a one day project, we're going to go onto the next steps...which if it's a two day project, these would be your steps, the next day.

Now it's time to seal. You're gonna wanna mix and apply the sealer based on manufacturer's recommendations. I mean, in the years that we've been in business, we have used a ton of different sealers. All of them are mixed, slightly different. So follow manufacturer recommendations to get the best results. You would want to apply to sealer with a sprayer, being sure that sealer penetrates into the sand joints to stabilize the sand. This is very important if you wanted to sand your joints and have actually groomed it in. But it's also important, even if you didn't, because they're still sand in those joints from when the pavers were installed and you want that sealer to stabilize that sand so it doesn't wash out quite so easily.

You wanna let it dry for a short time and then apply another coat. Be sure to use a spray shield when necessary and apply nice even coats being careful not to walk in the sealer. Depending on the product you use, how thick you put it on, how you mix it, walking in it could leave footprints. And believe me, we know from experience. It happens periodically. It can be fixed. But you want to save yourself that headache and try not to walk through the sealer that you've just sprayed.

Now you want to use a roller to back-roll, any puddled sealer that did not penetrate into the brick or into the joints. You'll wanna make sure there's a nice even coat. Let it soak for a few minutes because it may penetrate. But what doesn't penetrate use a back roller to get that puddled sealer.

And at this point, you want to let that dry a little bit and then apply additional coats for more shine. But be careful more shine does not necessarily mean better looking. Some people want their driveways or their pavers to look like a sheet of glass. Be very careful. You want your sealer to be breathable. If you're on a pool deck, you don't want it to be extremely slippery. So once you use manufacturer recommendations, anything above and beyond that is on you. UWe do see people over apply sealer all the time and it causes a lot of problems. So be very careful if you do decide to apply additional coats, beyond what's recommended.

Lastly, you wanna tape off the area and let it dry for 24 to 48 hours. Be sure that rain's not in the forecast. Depending on the sealer that you use, some sealers can be dried 40 minutes and withstand rain. Some recommend four or five days. You know, those are usually the software-based sealers. But if you're using a good water-based sealer, make sure there's not rain in the immediate forecast. So this way it gives you the time to let it dry out.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions and you want further advice or you get in a jam, give us a call. Our number is (239) 288-0705. Ask for Jeff. I'm the owner and my staff will get to me as soon as possible so I can get right back to you. It's not a very difficult process. It does take a lot of time and you gotta be tedious. You don't want to get sealer on the walls of your house, on your vehicles or anywhere that it's not intended to be applied. So be very careful when doing this. Again, if you need any help, give us a call. That's what we're here for. Good luck with your paver sealing project. I'm Jeff Evers, and that is it for today's podcast.

Thank you for listening to the Adventures in Paver Sealing podcast. To learn more about Paver Protectors, please visit paverprotectors.com or call (239) 288-0705.