Essential Tips for Maintaining Your Interlock Driveway, Walkway or Patio
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In the majority of cases, homeowners have a preference for interlocking concrete pavers for home landscaping projects, like walkways, patios and driveways. Nevertheless, like any other part of a house, these too have the need of regular and professional maintenance and repair to ensure that they stay in the best shape for a prolonged period of time. If not, they might start sinking or loosening to the point where they become quite disagreeable to look at and ruin the entire appeal of your house.

Fortunately, these interlocking concrete pavers can be repaired and restored to their previous state with the proper care and upkeep. Listed below are a few steps which will help you in doing so.

Sealers

You might consider coating the surface of your pavers with sealer for a layer of protection against the surface damages and the staining that are bound to happen over an extended period of time. Additionally, they will also help you to seal in the original color of the paver and maintain it for longer. Usually, a paver can be re-sealed every two to three years. Before you apply the sealer, make sure that the surface of the paver is free of any foreign particles, like dust, leaves, and debris. Sweep and clean the surface using either a sprayer or a brush. Today, there are several commercial paver sealers available in the market that are customized according to the type and concerns of the pavers.

Power Washing

Power washers distribute the pressure uniformly to ensure that the pavement gets cleaned evenly and well. As this would remove the sand in between the joints of the stones, it is important that you replace it with either landscaping sand, or a superior quality polymeric sand. Make sure that you clear all the undesired fragments from between the joints as that would enable the polymeric sand more space to sink in and concretize the pavement.

Using Polymeric Sand

Polymeric sand is considered to be one of the best materials for walk and patio joint sand. Its composition is such that it can easily seep in between the narrow spaces in the pavers and strengthen the surface. It also discourages foliage growth, like weeds, to build in the joints and cracks. Besides that, with polymeric sand your paver will be prevented from the havocs of common pests, like ants, which thrive in patio sand. The biggest advantage that polymeric sand has over regular sand is its durability, helping you to minimize your maintenance cost in the long run. If you are building a new patio or walk, make sure that you use this variant. However, if your initial landscaping was constructed with regular sand, you can replace it with polymeric sand while repairing. You can use a pressure washer to disintegrate the old sand. After the surface is dries down, sweep the polymeric sand into the joints and then mist the surface lightly. You can sweep over one more time to ensure that there are no gaps left.

Reset the Pavers

If the surface of your paver has become uneven, you can repair the damage by removing the pavers that need to be reset. Following that, add a small amount of sand to the base course to make the surface level. Before you replace the pavers, make sure that you compact the additional sand. After replacing the pavers, sweep polymeric sand into the joints. Keep in mind that this is just a basic repair that can be done on your own. However, if the damage to the paver is too intense, it is advisable to employ the services of a professional inspection and repair to be restored fully.

If you happen to require professional help regarding your paver, driveway or patio, you can elicit the services of Action Home Services and our landscaping experts for all your problems at the most competitive prices.