Water Seal

Sealing your pavers is a wise decision. Much like you should weather proof your wood deck with a product like Thompson's Water Seal, applying a sealant to your brick pavers will help prolong the life of your pavers.

Pavers are an aesthetic material. Functional, yes, however, most people agree that the primary value pavers bring to a home is their visual impact. Sealing pavers helps to add to this value. A sealer will protect them from premature fading due to strong or direct sunlight. You will be able to clean the pavers easier once they have a sealer on them. Water will bead on top of the pavers after a hard rain, just like it beads on your car after you've had it waxed. Mold cannot as easily take a foothold in the natural pours of the bricks, as those pours are now sealed. And most significantly, sealer will darken the pavers. When pavers are sealed, they have a wet look to them. Generally, the wet look is very appealing as it makes the rich, vibrant colors of the pavers stand out more prominently.

The sealing process normally takes two days. The first day the pavers will be pressure washed and cleaned. Any stains, mold, or mildew will be washed off of the surface of the pavers. Once they have been washed, it may be necessary to add more joint sand in between the bricks in order to stabilize the field. This step is not always necessary. Normally, newer installs will not require more sand as the pavers have recently been installed and there's a sufficient quantity. In older paver applications, a touch up of the joint sand is recommended after the pressure washing process. Next, the pavers must dry completely. Most paver sealers are solvent based, not water based. The use of a solvent based sealant requires a low moisture content. If the pavers are sealed, while damp, with a solvent based sealer, a white, cloudy residue will form on the surface of almost every brick. It is, therefore, imperative that the pavers are completely dry before the sealer is applied. The next day, the sealant is applied. To apply the sealer, we recommend using an air sprayer versus a paint roller technique. We apply two medium coats across the paver area, allowing about an hour between each coat for dry time. It is important to not apply too thick a coat as the sealer will not properly penetrate the pours. Once the second coat has been applied, let the sealer dry overnight before using the area.

When asked whether a sealer should be applied, we consistently recommend that it should. If you have recently just installed pavers or if you've had pavers for ten years and you want to freshen them up, cleaning and sealing them is a sound investment in their well being. It is not a necessary step to owning pavers, but one that will allow you to enjoy them looking beautiful for a long time.

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