Creating a patio is a great way to expand your home and create a space that will last. Not to mention it increases property value, so you’ll likely recoup the expenses in the future. How good pavers look —and how long they last—depends on maintenance. Here are our tips to maintain and preserve pavers so your patio always looks its best.

Cleaning and Sealing Services

Cleaning and sealing services should be your first choice to maintain and preserve pavers in your patio. The licensed general contracts at U.S Brick and Block have a range of products and techniques to guarantee individual customer needs are addressed and delivered on. Getting your pavers cleaned and sealed protects them against harsh substances such as grease and oil.

Other benefits include enhancing the natural beauty of the pavers, preserving the quality of your patio, improving overall appearance, removing and protecting against weeds, a Cobble Coat to prevent slipping, and a range of sealers to suit your stone type.

Replace Individual Pavers As Needed

You don’t have to wait until everything breaks to start making replacements. One of the great things about pavers is that any damaged stones can be removed and replaced as needed. Don’t hesitate to get small cracks and damaged pavers fixed.

Avoid Dirt Build-Up

Dirt is a major problem for outdoor kitchen and patio pavers. You should do your best to avoid dirt building up on the patio. We recommend you sweep the patio regularly and use a mild dish soap to wash and rinse the pavers every so often to keep them clean.

Use Natural Solutions to Kill Weeds

Weeds are another major issue, but you should be careful how you tackle them. The chemicals in weedkillers can cause just as many problems as the weeds themselves. Stick with a natural solution to get rid of them. Mixing water and vinegar is a simple but effective method.

Soak Up Oil Spills

You should take care of any oil spill on your pavers as soon as possible. Don’t give it a chance to get into the stone or cracks. Use a granular oil absorbent and be careful when cleaning the oil so you don’t accidentally rub it in and make the damage worse. Spot treatments are the best choice. Avoid rubbing the oil and instead focus on getting it off the paver as quickly as possible.

Use Joining Sand

Joining sand will be a great friend for your pavers. Use sand to keep spaces filled and prevent anything getting through the foundational sand layer. As with anything, things go very wrong very quickly if the foundation is damaged. Polymeric sand is a great option if you don’t know what sand to use as a filler. There are other choices as well. Talk to the people at your local hardware store to get some other recommendations.

Caring for Pavers in Snowy Areas

Living in an area that gets a lot of snow comes with various unique challenges – including unique challenges when it comes to taking care of pavers. There are several things you can do to help protect your patio. Firstly, use rubber-edged shovels when clearing the snow. This will prevent chipping the patio pavers with harsh metal edges. Also avoid other sharp objects such as tire chains. While it may be okay to melt the snow on the patio with salt, you shouldn’t use rock salt for it. Try using calcium chloride instead.

Dealing With Plant Matter

The less plant matter on or near your patio the better. Use a Clorox liquid bleach diluted in water (at a ratio of ten parts water to one part Clorox) to remove mold and moss from the patio. Where you can, avoid any other plant material near the patio. Don’t overdo it with the bleach solution, however, as too much bleach can stain your pavers. This is another case where you can accidentally rub it in and do more harm than good. It’s best to run a patch test before use.

Have a Regular Maintenance Schedule

The only way to ensure that your patio stays in perfect condition is to have, and stick to, a maintenance schedule. If you’ve ever seen someone with an incredible patio, their secret is that they clean it regularly or have someone else do it. Keeping up with regular cleaning and maintenance ensures that your patio always looks clean and fresh.

If you go without cleaning the patio for too long, you can expect a build of dirt, dust, debris, and other stains. All of which are more difficult to clean up the longer they’ve been around. That’s why you need to set a schedule and follow it. Prevention is better than the cure with patio maintenance, as you should be able to avoid heavy maintenance tasks by keeping up with the little ones.

Final Thoughts

Regular maintenance is the key to a great looking paver patio. Maintenance prevents damage to the patio and ensures it looks good for years to come. The core elements of a healthy maintenance schedule are cleaning, sealing, and managing weeds. Treat cleaning the patio as you would cleaning anything else – it’s something you do regularly all year round.

Weed control is particularly important during the spring as that’s when weeds bloom the most. Getting rid of them before they build up and cause damage might get tedious, but it’s better than having to pull the whole system up to make repairs.

Seal the pavers as soon as you install them and then re-seal them every few years. Or get the professionals at U.S Brick and Block to do it for you. Our team is more than happy to help with all your paver needs. It’s easier than you think to maintain and preserve pavers and ensure your family and friends have an outdoor recreation spot. With these tips in mind, and some professional help where needed, your patio will last for as long as you want it to.