Maintaining/cleaning paver driveway

[Rocket3004]

Hi all

I’ve got a paver driveway. In the two years since we’ve been here a mild-moderate amount of moss has crept up between bricks in some spots and the pavers generally look a little sad, and discolored.

I’m contemplating some DIY maintenance. I tried using some 30 second cleaner (bleach essentially) to see if that would be good enough but I think it will need to be more thoroughly cleaned. I’ve picked away at some of the moss by hand and what I assume is polymeric sand underneath/between seems to be generally intact.

Is the best option to use a pressure washer surface cleaner attachment to clean the pavers and rid the moss? Alternatively could I just spray some weed/moss killer between the pavers and try a higher strength chemical cleaner on the pavers to perk them up a bit?

If pressure washing is the way to go, do I necessarily need to follow up with re-sanding the joints?

Lastly - to seal or not to seal? If sealing is the way to go, any suggestions on products to use (ideally straightforward to apply).

Thanks!

 

[manwithtools]

Pressure washer followed by re-sanding is the best way to go. I'd do it every year if you can. Not sure of your location, but that can make a difference regarding moss growth. Biggest factor is the amount of shade. Regardless, keep it clean!

 

[yhprum]

If you sprinkle some oxy clean type powdered detergent and lightly wet it, it will kill the moss. Same with sodium bicarbonate (baking Soda)

 

[jshillin]

For cleaning it, pressure washer is the way to go. We have a big area at the ballfield that had moss and really discolored. I pressure washed it last year and it made it look great.

 

[Youngandfree]

30 second cleaner is overpriced bleach. Look at the strength of Sodium Hypochlorite. I'd get gallons of pool shock that will be either 10% or 12.5%. Dilute it 50/50, spray it on. Ideally to clean the cracks you use a turbo nozzle on your pressure washer. Have to go around every brick. You'll blow out the sand of course so plan to re sand them. Sealing is necessary to protect the pavers and lock the sand in.

We use Trident Sealers and trident sand. It's a water based sealer that can be sprayed on. We made a bucket sprayer with a long hose and drill battery. Here are some pics of the last job we did. You can see the difference the sealer makes in the color on the patio and driveway.

Trident has a free online university that is a great resource. Just watch the videos. You can order direct from them or may find a distributor in your area like Sherwin Williams.

T3 University

 

[Adaylate]

Surface cleaner on your pressure washer.

 

[andyvh1959]

If you use a pressure washer then you'll have to replace the sand with polymeric sand and then a sealer correct? Would a rotary brush work like is used to scrub/clean concrete floors in factories? You'd still have to hose it off and likely still have to replace the displaced sand with a new application of polymeric sand right? Does polymeric sand really make that much of a difference?

I laid a small patio of 8x16 flat concrete "pavers" behind my house back in 2009. Made the mistake of using regular sand, over which I laid a blocking fabric and then set the stones on top of that, and used regular sand to fill the gaps after tamping down the pavers. Looked good for maybe four years, until the friggin ants worked their way into the sand, pushed little piles of it out on top of the stones, which of course meant they were under the stones displacing packed sand, and the stones started to shift/buckle, which opened up more gaps, which lead to weeds and more ants, which lead to,....you get the picture.

So now I'm thinking of taking up the cheapo 8x16 blocks and replacing them with real, interlocking, 4" thick pavers. But before I lay down replacement pavers I'd apply a weed killer, remove much of the current sand, replace it with packed limestone chips or polymeric sand, then a barrier, then lay the pavers and then fill the gaps with polymeric sand.

 

[Montauket]

Pressure washer followed by re-sanding is the best way to go.

Do this ^^

 

[Youngandfree]

If you use a pressure washer then you'll have to replace the sand with polymeric sand and then a sealer correct? Would a rotary brush work like is used to scrub/clean concrete floors in factories? You'd still have to hose it off and likely still have to replace the displaced sand with a new application of polymeric sand right? Does polymeric sand really make that much of a difference?

I laid a small patio of 8x16 flat concrete "pavers" behind my house back in 2009. Made the mistake of using regular sand, over which I laid a blocking fabric and then set the stones on top of that, and used regular sand to fill the gaps after tamping down the pavers. Looked good for maybe four years, until the friggin ants worked their way into the sand, pushed little piles of it out on top of the stones, which of course meant they were under the stones displacing packed sand, and the stones started to shift/buckle, which opened up more gaps, which lead to weeds and more ants, which lead to,....you get the picture.

So now I'm thinking of taking up the cheapo 8x16 blocks and replacing them with real, interlocking, 4" thick pavers. But before I lay down replacement pavers I'd apply a weed killer, remove much of the current sand, replace it with packed limestone chips or polymeric sand, then a barrier, then lay the pavers and then fill the gaps with polymeric sand.

A rotary brush will remove just as much sand. I wouldn't put polymeric sand under the pavers. A d no you don't "have" to seal them when using poly sand for the joints

 

[Stelzer]

30 second cleaner is overpriced bleach. Look at the strength of Sodium Hypochlorite. I'd get gallons of pool shock that will be either 10% or 12.5%. Dilute it 50/50, spray it on. Ideally to clean the cracks you use a turbo nozzle on your pressure washer. Have to go around every brick. You'll blow out the sand of course so plan to re sand them. Sealing is necessary to protect the pavers and lock the sand in.

We use Trident Sealers and trident sand. It's a water based sealer that can be sprayed on. We made a bucket sprayer with a long hose and drill battery. Here are some pics of the last job we did. You can see the difference the sealer makes in the color on the patio and driveway.

Trident has a free online university that is a great resource. Just watch the videos. You can order direct from them or may find a distributor in your area like Sherwin Williams.

T3 University

Agree with everything except turbo nozzle. Surface cleaner makes much quicker work of it. Nice bucket sprayer btw! I have quite a few rigs I've cobbled together over the years and attach to hand trucks for ease of mobility.

 

[Youngandfree]

Agree with everything except turbo nozzle. Surface cleaner makes much quicker work of it. Nice bucket sprayer btw! I have quite a few rigs I've cobbled together over the years and attach to hand trucks for ease of mobility.

Eh surface cleaner doesnt always clean them out adequately.

Check this out. Trying to talk my brother into getting one since he's starting to get into paver work. His first paver clean, sand and seal job was a monster. That was first coat going on.

STRIPINATOR Paver Sealer Stripping Surface Cleaner - Hi-Low Solutions

Dread Stripping paver sealer? 🔥 $200 OFF till end of March The Stripinator: Hi Low Solutions' Ultimate Surface Cleaner for Paver Sealer Removal Introducing The Stripinator, Hi Low Solutions' newest innovation in surface cleaning, specifically designed to strip off paver sealer. But it doesn't...

hilowsolutions.com

 

[Montauket]

That stripinator is a hard pill to swallow and store for personal use at 2600 bucks. I do just under 3000sq ft and 500LF of fence in two half days. Wash the first day sand the next. I could do it in a day but I don't want to. Turbo nozzle for 29 bucks please. I hope you brother buys it and lets you use it as that is a home run.

 

[Rocket3004]

Thanks all for the replies... really helpful. I think I'm going to give the surface cleaning attachment a shot, but have my turbo nozzle around also. Hopefully a pass with the surface attachment clears out the bits of moss between pavers with ease. It isn't terrible so I think it should do the trick.

For sealing - @Youngandfree and others - do you think that is necessary or worthwhile? I did some reading trying to see if the sealing is more so to 'protect' the pavers or to lock them into place. It sounds like either or both, depending on the product? My goal would be to restore the color a bit and make them stain resistant. Also, if it buys me time from having to at least pressure wash it again for a couple of years, I might give it a shot. Since these are pretty porous, I'm not sure hoe effective it really is. I'll probably start with pressure wash and re-sanding with more polysand and see how it goes.

I am in the Northwest so there is plenty of clouds and rain for most of the year which is prime for moss/mildew to creep in. Most of the driveway is exposed to sun whenever the sun is out.

Also nice work with the bucket and the jobs posted... my driveway is much smaller in comparison! For the guys that do this for a living, curious about how much per sqft do you charge for cleaning/sanding/sealing?

 

[Youngandfree]

Thanks all for the replies... really helpful. I think I'm going to give the surface cleaning attachment a shot, but have my turbo nozzle around also. Hopefully a pass with the surface attachment clears out the bits of moss between pavers with ease. It isn't terrible so I think it should do the trick.

For sealing - @Youngandfree and others - do you think that is necessary or worthwhile? I did some reading trying to see if the sealing is more so to 'protect' the pavers or to lock them into place. It sounds like either or both, depending on the product? My goal would be to restore the color a bit and make them stain resistant. Also, if it buys me time from having to at least pressure wash it again for a couple of years, I might give it a shot. Since these are pretty porous, I'm not sure hoe effective it really is. I'll probably start with pressure wash and re-sanding with more polysand and see how it goes.

I am in the Northwest so there is plenty of clouds and rain for most of the year which is prime for moss/mildew to creep in. Most of the driveway is exposed to sun whenever the sun is out.

Also nice work with the bucket and the jobs posted... my driveway is much smaller in comparison! For the guys that do this for a living, curious about how much per sqft do you charge for cleaning/sanding/sealing?

Sealing will help prevent stains from soaking in. My brother said he charged right at $2.50/sq ft. Today we had to do the bluestone on the back of that same house.

 

[PGSD1]

Late reply but, I've had and maintained a backyard of pavers for ~10 years. Be careful with the pressure washing pressure as it can take off the top layer of the pavers (showing more of the aggregate in the pavers). Been there and done that. Muratic acid (diluted) removes stains but also removes the top layer if you're not careful. I use an electric pressure washer as it's not too powerful = less damage to the pavers and just use diluted muratic acid for rust spots.

I clean and seal my pavers every ~3 years. Sealing pavers does several things; 1) Makes them look great again "more colorful", 2) Locks in the sand so there are much fewer weeds, 3) seals the pores of the pavers so less mold grows.

My process; I power wash the pavers. Wait a few days so they're fully dry. Then use a cheap pump sprayer to apply the sealant (the sealant ruins the sprayer so I throw it out when done). You can roll it on (like paint) but, using a sprayer is much faster.

There are lots of sealants out there but I like;

Amazon.com

Armor AR350 Wet Look Concrete Sealer and Paver Sealer with Low Gloss Finish

The sealant does wear off over time so it does need to be re-applied every few years.

 

[Solpainter]

I have used Wet & Forget on pavers, drives, wood fences and
Roof. It has never disapointed me. The moss will die in a few days and rain will wash it away. The pavers will brighten up and good for a year or more.