What You Need To Know About Sealing Your Pavers

You have just installed beautiful new pavers to your home and they look absolutely stunning! You get compliments from all your neighbors and your home value has certainly gone up, but how do you make sure they stay this beautiful? While not absolutely necessary, you should consider sealing your new pavers. Paver sealant is a tool used to maintain, protect, and enhance your freshly installed pavers. 

What are the Pros and Cons of SEALING your pavers?

Cons:

- Sealing is not cheap. While it will not cost nearly as much as you just paid to have them installed, having a professional (which is highly recommended) come and seal your new project will still cost you some money.

- It will require maintenance. Sealing will have to be redone about every 2 to 5 years to help maintain the effectiveness of the sealer.

- Improper Installation. If not installed properly, the sealer can pool and create a white haze on the pavers that must be completely stripped to correct.

Pros:

- Enhanced appearance. Depending on the finish you choose, your pavers can have a gorgeous low gloss look, or a stunning matte finish.

- Protection from fading, mold, weeds, dirt, and grime. The biggest pro sealing has to offer is the added protection for your new project. Without sealer, your new pavers are likely to become dull and faded due to the sunlight breaking down the color over time. Sealer will make your new pavers more porous, making it harder for mold to grow and if it does, it will grow slower. With a coat of sealer over your new pavers, you will not have to worry nearly as much about any pesky weeds growing in between your pavers, as well as dirt and grime clinging to the pavers.

- Easy clean up. Say your car has a small oil leak. Those pavers under your car could be stained for the rest of your life! But if they are sealed, you may just need a little degreaser and some soap and your driveway looks good as new! 

How long should I wait before sealing?

Another commonly asked question is how long you should wait to seal your pavers. You should typically wait 60-90 days after installation of your new paver project. This is to let any efflorescence in the paver work its way to the surface and get washed away before it is sealed.

So while sealing pavers is not absolutely necessary, it is definitely something that should be considered. It will help keep your pavers looking beautiful and help keep them safe!