Fall has arrived in Michigan, bringing along with-it vibrant colors and natural beauty to your outdoor living space. The cooling temperatures are a perfect reminder that it’s time to do some maintenance on your hardscape products outside your home before the harsh winter arrives in a few short weeks.
If you kept up with our blog over the years, you have learned that brick pavers don’t require much maintenance if you have maintained them properly over the years. Here is our paver maintenance guide to keep your outdoor living space looking and feeling like new.
Apply Sealers
The basic rule of thumb for reapplying paver sealer is every 3 – 5 years. Remember, your outdoor living space was an investment, and you want to keep the surfaces looking beautiful for years to come. Over time pavers may lose the initial color so, making sure they are sealed will help keep the color bright. Sealing your pavers prevents dirt, mildew, mold, and other substances off your pavers. If you decide to apply sealer, we do recommend that you place soft pads on any patio furniture to minimize scratching and possible rusting if you have metal furniture.
Blow or Sweep
We recommend that throughout the fall season, you make it a point to blow or sweep leaves off your pavers. If left on your pavers for extended periods, it is possible that the dead leaves can seriously stain your brick pavers if not removed.
Remove Outdoor Furniture
Leaving your furniture out year-long could be hard on your brick pavers. Over time pavers can sink and settle in spots which can cause your patio to drain poorly and create issues for snow removal. Furniture should be moved to a place where settling and heaving will be minimal.
Pull Weeds
Weeds in between brick pavers are not only unsightly but can also cause structural damage to your brick pavers. With proper maintenance, you can prevent this from occurring. If you find you have a considerable number of weeds growing in your pavers it could be that your pavers were installed improperly to include the contractor not using polymetric sand. Without proper maintenance you can expect some weeds to grow over time. Searching the internet you will find several techniques for removing weeds from hand pulling, boiling water, and organic herbicides, to using a weed torch. Research the best solution that fits your budget and the environment.
Fill the Paver Joints
Polymetric sand is the recommended material to use between your pavers. The joints that are created from it are even and durable. It also reduces or eliminates any risk of weeds growing along with ant infestation between your pavers. When combined with sealing, this is a great solution to keeping your pavers firmly in place and looking pristine.
If you have any questions regarding brick paver sanding, sealing, and maintenance, give us a call today. We can be reached at 1-800-BRICK-PAVERS. JJW Brick is owned by PMS Brick Pavers, We’re The Guys, located in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
