Prepare your Pavers for the Summer

After a long and cold winter, swimming time has finally come. But before you can lounge by the pool, a good clean up is necessary. In the spring, it’s important to prepare your landscaping for the summer, and this preparation must be done without forgetting the pavers. Often neglected in favour of the lawn and the flowerbeds, they also need attention. The hardscape is as important to maintain as the softscape. Here are some tips that will help you upkeep your outdoor pavers and prepare it for the sunny season. Whether it’s a terrace, a walkway, a driveway or a pool area, all these paved spaces require a minimum of work in order to keep them in good condition for the longest time possible.

To Avoid Altering Their Appearance

Hardscape is the most expensive element of your landscaping. Between extreme weather conditions, pedestrian traffic and plants that grow in its joints, your pavement is not immune from hazards related to the forces of nature and human activity. Without any maintenance, it may deteriorate over time: dirt can get stuck in its pores and stain it, while green moss can take up residence in its joints and invade it. To avoid altering the appearance of your pavers, it is thus important to pamper them a little.

To Maximize your Investment

More than adding a pool, hardscape can help increase the market value of your property, provided, of course, that it’s well taken care of. If you decide to sell, know that a beautiful and well-maintained pavement will also seduce potential buyers at first glance. Nothing is more repulsive for the latter than a neglected walkway or a weed infested terrace. Pavers are robust and require very little maintenance. No doubt about that. But a minimum of attention is needed for them to age gracefully and allow you to maximize your investment.

Fortunately, pavers are not difficult to upkeep. True, they require little work, but a little work is needed nonetheless. Here's how you can clean your pavers and prepare them for the summer in five easy steps.

Clear the surface of your pavers with a broom. Remove any debris that may settle on and eventually stain them by decomposing: dead leaves, grass clippings, pollen, dust, etc. After a good sweep, water your pavers with a hose to remove the dirt that got stuck to their surface.

Then, extract moss and weed that grow between the pavers, in their joints. If you don’t, they will end up invading your pavement. These unwanted plants could be removed with a high-pressure cleaner or scrubbed with a stiff bristle brush. You can also use a gardening tool designed to weed the pavers or, more simply, a good old screwdriver.

Next come the stains. To eliminate them, you can either use a high-pressure cleaner or scrub the stained area with a stiff bristle brush and a small amount of dish washing detergent diluted in water. For this step, you can also use Techniseal cleaning products. Designed specifically to dissolve the toughest stains, such as rust and grease, these products will make your pavers look great again without discolouring them.

Add polymeric sand in the joints. This will prevent the growth of moss and weed between the pavers. The sand will also help solidify and secure your pavement.

Once the pavement is clean, coat the surface with a sealer to protect it. A good Techniseal sealer will prevent further staining. In addition to reviving their color, a sealer will make your pavers look as good as new and it will also make it easier to maintain them.

There you have it. Your paved areas are ready for the summer. You can now enjoy the good weather and lounge on your beautiful terrace. The next important moment in the maintenance of your pavement will be in the fall when it’s time to prepare it for the winter… By then, have a great summer!