If you have those beautiful pavers on your driveway, you must be wondering what happened to the new shine it once had. The first time they were installed, they looked beautiful and added a lot of detail to your home. However, after a while, you will notice that they fade and lose their sparkle. It begs many homeowners to question, should you seal your pavers?
In short, yes. Sealing your pavers is the most effective way to make sure that they last longer. Doing so will also ward off stains, and keep their attractive appearance. If you do not seal your pavers, they may start to suffer from erosion, weed development, mildew growth or mold, discoloration, and can easily become loose.
But, is there more you should know about sealing your pavers? Indeed, there is! Although there are a number of benefits to sealing your pavers, it is not always necessary. It is important to consider your expectations and how long you want them to last before deciding whether or not to coat them. To find out, keep on reading as we will look over more concrete information.
What Are The Benefits Of Sealing Your Pavers?
From protecting your pavers from harsh environment and stain to enhancing its beauty, sealing your pavers has lots of perks!
Below is a list of benefits that come with sealing your pavers.
Protection From Harsh Environment
One of the main benefits of sealing your concrete pavers is protection. Sealing your pavers protects them from a variety of factors, such as the harsh environment. In particular, in places where it is hot and most likely has high humidity, rising water tables, and extreme sun exposure.
Therefore, to protect your pavers, the sealer provides some sunblock that offers a level of UV rate protection. Such as, we use sunscreen to protect our skin from sun exposure.
Preventing From Stain And Ageing
The sealing also prevents it from aging and staining. Coating a sealant can help to avoid discoloration and other symptoms of corrosion, making it stain-resistant. Many people enjoy grilling in their backyards, and several different stains can wind up on your pavers.
Pavers made of natural stone, concrete, and brickwork are all prone to rust, fading, mildew, and staining as time goes by. A seal can prevent future stains and other signs of aging as well as make cleaning a lot easier.
By making it stain-resistant, you can completely wash away the grease and dust without leaving any residue.
Resists Mold, Grime, And Dirt
Sealing will also help prevent mold, mildew, and moss. Mold can grow rapidly in places with tropical climates, so sealing makes it resistant. Therefore, it makes the pavers less breathable, allowing mold, moss, mildew to grow more slowly and make it easier to clean. It also shields against dirt and grime from ruining the surface.
Once these pavers have been varnished, they can wash off quite easily. Protection from the environment is necessary. As you can see, it is really one of the main benefits of sealing pavers.
It Enhances The Color
Apply sealant to your pavers to enhance their appearance. The real benefit is how it looks to the owner. The coating gives the surface a wet, clean look with a shiny finish. It will not alter the color of the stones; instead, it will highlight the hue of the material and bring out the color of the pavers.
What it really does is it darkens and enhances the appearance of the brick. It will make that paver color really come to life and enhance the natural beauty.
Check out these best paver sealers for protecting your hardscape.
How Often Should You Seal Your Pavers?
Generally, sealing your pavers every 3 to 5 years is a good rule of thumb. You will know when the water will stop beading on the surface and the sheen will diminish, indicating that your pavers need to be resealed. Furthermore, weeds may begin to grow in between joints, and the stones’ appearance may start to fade.
Also, you will notice the signs that they need resealing when the physical barrier is wearing off. During rain, you will begin to see a significant color change in the sealed pavers.
Bear in mind that if there is heavy rain, even well sealed pavers may darken for a few days until the water evaporates completely. It is not a sign of sealant failure.
Consider and plan the surfaces that will be laid out before resealing. Try to observe the kind of resistance the pavers have, the number of people walking on them daily, and how many vehicles park on them. Also, check for stains and if any mold is growing out from the stones’ joints.
It all depends on what you see and where you see it. It will be clearer to know when you will need to reseal the surfaces again, how sooner, and often.
Here is a tutorial on how to seal pavers.
Why Is It Important To Seal Your Pavers?
For several reasons, it is necessary to seal your stones and keep them clean:
- First off, they are great investments in the exterior of your house. You will want to keep your pavers clean and maintain a fresh-looking surface, which will give your home a beautiful outlook. It also has elements to keep the color as good as new, just by providing protection against UV rays from fading.
- Secondly, you will soon find that they may lose their original color over time. To avoid getting into that situation, ensure your pavers are sealed and clean to keep the color vibrant and authentic. Sealers can actually improve the color in most cases. It may even look better than the first time they got installed.
- Another important reason is that sealing the pavers can help prevent any unwanted substances from sticking to your surfaces, such as dirt, mildew, mold, moss, or grime. Mold and mildew are not only eyesores, but can be dangerous and slippery on many levels. It also makes sure to minimize the growth of these unwanted plants and stop them from getting through.
- Sealing also makes pavers stain-resistant. It is so easy to clean up, that only power washing or hosing off the surface will be enough to clean up your mess. Another one of its perks is that it will keep everything interlocked, such as sand. Even though the rain, bugs, and wind tend to damage this area. But the sealer’s goal is to keep everything tight from moving or sinking.
- It will also help improve the drainage around your installation. You are preventing water from gathering or moving beneath the foundation by coating the stones. The rain will be swiftly lowered by the result of this.
- Lastly, coating the surface will avoid many future dangerous issues. If you don’t wish to have your pavers sealed, you may notice that they become slick when wet. In any case, if mold ends up growing from lack of sealing, the floor might become slippery and very risky to walk on. So, for your own safety, varnish your surface with a sealant to keep a clean, maintained paver.
Every paver will age at some point and fade its initial color. It is important to seal your pavers and avoid messing up your house’s outlook. Sealing will be the most beneficial thing you can do to ensure they resist stain, endure longer, and keep their aesthetic beauty. Not sealing will only lead to erosion, build up, mold or mildew, weed growth, become loose, or have discoloration. So, if you were wondering why should you seal your pavers, we believe you now know the answer. Thank you for reading, and happy sealing!
