Step1  Pressure Washing Pavers normally will be the first step in the maintenance process . This is assuming you have already treated the pavers with herbaside like round up three days prior to process. Scrubber works good for this task forcing water under pressure straight down into the joints forcing up old dirt and sand large surface area of a scrubber makes fast work doing this step of the cleaning process .  Stage 2 Once the debris is out of joints the next step is to  remove  stubborn algae with bleach and  remove rust with liquid rust remover like Rust out or White Ox and Oscillating power tip .   Stage 3  Removal of debris and chemicals with wide angle pressure tip allows for good pressure to mover the debris and prepare for Resanding .  At this point , if more chemicals are needed  then reapply  or removal of efflorescence  with chemicals is applied  Also at this stage if you need to strip off old sealer chemical stripper needs to be applied and then pressure washed again.  Now lets look at the next step now that our pavers are all clean  let look at  next stage Resanding the pavers.

Step 2  Resanding  is a necessary  step in the paver maintenance . Sand stabilizes the positions of each paver to each other. with out the sand, pavers would shift and create many problems and one of these being structural wash out .  So placement  of sand is very important. The  type of sand for joint stabilization is also critical to avoid joint failure.  Aggregate  should have different sized and irregular shape pebbles. This allows for proper sealer penetration , Multi purpose sand is the best choice .  Do not use play sand, the   pebbles are round shaped and compact  too tight for proper sealer penetration,  there are several ways to install  the sand into the joints, it can be done dry with a broom  pushed in  with blower but we  find the best results is to  broom it into the joints with water . the best way is to obtain broom tip with pressure washer has lower  water flow and  also cleans off the sand  in one  application.    the sand should be 1/8 of and inch below paver surface . too  much sand in joints will cause algae and sealer problems . Once the sand is properly applied,  we look at the final  step Installing the sealer .

Step 3 Installing  the Sealer.  It is very important you understand the the nature of sealers and the right application of each .  Sealers come in two types of bases   Water base and solvent based {usually Xylene based } Before the development of water based sealers  solvent based  was the choice .  Now looking at the solvent based clear sealers  there are basically  two types . Regular resin based and curing resin based sealers .  These are  both topical based sealers usually used on dense and dry concrete substrates.  Pavers have many different characteristics compared to a slab of concrete. The maintenance products are also very different . Curing solvent based sealer are more tolerant to moisture conditions, where as regular solvent based sealers are very sensitive to moisture and will turn milky white and look washed out. A very costly mistake .This will cost about three times the original installation to strip and replace with the proper sealer.   Ok,  so let us look at water based sealers now and their better choice for the  paver industry .  You have two  choices  here .  Acrylic some times  modified with a urethane  or urethane .  Look at Matrixs' choices of products . 

Matrix  prefers  the urethane.  Urethanes were historically not the best  but major improvement  have made this product the Matrix pick for pavers.  The acrylics are a good product, easier to apply. They are one stage and the urethanes are two stage  meaning you have to mix them in the right ratios and then use it immediately (for two stage).  Ok here is why Matrix recommends  the urethanes . They hold up longer in the Florida Sun. Urethanes dry to a tougher finish and of course have a better shine ,  We will install the acrylic if you are looking for a matte finish .  Here is  the main reason we exclusively use water based sealers on pavers,  they are the right product  for the right application.  We recognize  the need for penetrating sealers with paver  products.  Penetration is necessary for joint stabilization and seals porous and rough surface pavers much better.  By using water based products you avoid problems with moisture and product turning white .   these products need to be applied in Two coats . The first coat needs to be flooded into the joints so the sand will absorb the sealer and set up  hard .   This eliminates possibility of  germination of seeds and keeps the sand clean . The last coat is sprayed on light over the surface of the pavers for  added protection and shine finish. Product will bead up water for about two to three years.  Ok let go look at some water based products  Seal n lock and  ICT ure- H2O