Bay Area home and business owners often wonder if the interlocking concrete pavers in their walkways, driveways, patios or other hardscapes should be sealed. Look online, and you’ll find varying opinions. While it isn’t absolutely essential to seal concrete pavers, there are many benefits you’ll want to know about if you’re considering having your pavers sealed.

Sealing not only makes your patio, driveway, or pool deck look beautiful, it also protects the surface and helps preserve the integrity of your project. The various colors and textures available today make concrete pavers super appealing in the landscape, and sealing helps preserve the color and texture so that your patio or walkway looks as beautiful five years after the fact as it did the day it was installed.

Other important benefits of sealing pavers include:

• Repels grease, oil and other materials that leave stains
• Regular cleaning is easier and less labor intensive
• Pavers remain tight
• Sealers help contain sand between the joints
• Inhibits the growth of grass and weeds between pavers
• Keeps the growth of algae or moss around or between pavers to a minimum
• Pavers are protected against harsh products like salt and other chemicals used to melt ice
• Protection in extreme weather conditions
• Reduces traffic wear on surface of pavers

Sealing interlocking concrete pavers is always recommended, however it’s important to keep in mind that you should never over-do it. Applying paver sealer too often will likely result in a hazy appearance, something you want to avoid!

Paver sealer should be applied every three to five years in most cases. Depending on the type of sealant used, you may notice a substantial change of color in the pavers during a rain when the time comes to seal again. You may simply notice the actual sealant is showing signs of wear if you had a film-forming sealant applied. Our concrete paver experts can help you determine if it’s time to reapply.

You can apply sealant yourself, but be warned – it isn’t the easiest thing you will ever do. If you hate painting, there is a good chance you will hate sealant application even more! Keeping wet edges, applying to the point of saturation, soaking up the excess with a roller so you don’t end up with drip marks or lines…you see what we mean.

Now that you know sealing your concrete pavers is a good idea, you probably have lots of questions. How long after installation of your project should you wait before sealing? What type of sealant is best for your needs? We invite home and business owners in the Bay Area to give The Paver Guys a call today for answers to all of your questions!