4 Things To Do Before Sealing Your Pavers
Sealing is a great way to protect the investment of an outdoor patio, pool deck or walkway. In this post, we’ll explain four important things that need to be done prior to starting the sealing process.
1. See what the manufacturer has to say.
Before even selecting a sealer for the job, you’ll want to review the paver manufacturer’s specifications for sealing. This will give you important insight on the types of products that are safe to use on the pavers and the appropriate waiting period before applying sealer to newly installed pavers.
2. Check the weather.
In most cases, a sealer should only be applied to pavers that are completely dry. Confirm there won’t be any rain in the forecast for a full 24 hours before, and after the project as well. Sealer should also not be applied in extreme temperatures. As a rule of thumb, 60-80 degrees is usually ideal.
3. Perform an efflorescence cleaning.
Performing an efflorescence cleaning is a mandatory step before sealing. An efflorescence cleaner will not only remove dirt and debris from the surface of the pavers, but it will also deeply clean the pores of the pavers to promote better penetration of the sealer. Lastly, the efflorescence cleaner will slightly etch the paved surface to allow for better bonding of the sealer.
Recommended Blog Post:
Why You Must Use An Efflorescence Cleaning Before Sealing Pavers
4. Remove contaminated sand from the joints.
Before sealing, contaminated sand should be removed from the joints and replaced with polymeric sand. The efflorescence cleaning should be done after the sand is replaced and before applying the sealer. For more details, read Why Efflorescence Cleaning Happens After A Poly Sand Installation.
CONCLUSION
Before sealing pavers, these four tasks need to be completed:
Review the paver manufacturer’s recommendations for sealing. This includes what products are safe to use and how long you should wait before sealing newly installed pavers.
Verify dry weather is forecasted. You’ll want a full 24 hours of no rain before the project, as well as 24 hours of no rain following it.
Perform an efflorescence cleaning. This is a mandatory step in the sealing process.
Remove contaminated sand if needed and replace it with polymeric sand.
Once you’ve checked these four important steps off your to-do list, you’ll be ready to seal!
