Maintaining the beauty of your spray-on paving is not an easy task. You need to be careful with the chemicals and the cleaning tools you are going to use, so as not to damage the pavers when cleaning them. Although it looks like a thing only professionals should do, there are many ways you can maintain your spray-on paving without breaking the bank or calling for a handyman.
Here are three easy ways you can do to maintain your spray-on paving good as new:
- Do not allow weeds from growing.
Weeds are unsightly and they can damage your paving. Grown weeds already have an extensive root system that can take up the gap sand when you uproot them. Nonetheless, you do not need to pull them out every day, as there are many ways you can prevent them from growing.
To do this you need to know first which areas are likely to be moist and cold and do not get enough sunlight. These are the places where molds, weeds, and fungi usually grow. You can use the same poison (pesticides) you use in the garden to poison the weeds in your pavers.
Do not apply the poison rashly. Professionals at repave.com.au highly encourage their clients to do a patch test first in an unnoticeable area to see if it can cause discoloration or any damage to the paving. This prevents the catastrophic effect of discoloration that cannot be easily removed.
And finally, to avoid having to pull out weeds frequently, you can do some preventative measures like pressure cleaning or spraying every now and then or applying polymeric sand to prevent weeds from growing.
- Remove stains regularly.
Among the common things that stain the pavers are fungi and moss. They do not damage your pavers as weeds do, but they can cause it to be slippery and dangerous. Other stains can be very hard to remove and may even settle once neglected.
You can remove stains from fungi, grease, or oil with the following:
- Brushing
You can remove moss or lichens by thoroughly brushing them off when they are dry or you can hose them off using your home’s pressure cleaner. Be careful not to use a commercial pressure cleaner as too much pressure can damage your pavers.
- Applying chlorine
Aside from fungicide, applying chlorine is another way to bleach out fungi stains. You can also use chlorine to remove tannin stains from barks or gum leaves. Apply chlorine together with a garden sprayer and make sure to thoroughly wash it off with clean water after.
- Using coke
If you are seeing oil and grease stains, you can use coke to remove them. Simply pour coke in the affected area, let it sit for some time, and then wash off. You may need to repeat the process if it does not remove them on the first time.
- Pouring boiling water
If none of these works, you can apply boiling water. This kills the moss and lichens, but you will need to brush them off afterward.
- Spraying fungicide
It may appear like your pavers are already cleaned after brushing off the fungi or moss, but there could be non-visible roots or parts your brush or pressure cleaner was not able to reach. To prevent them from growing back, you can spray fungicide. Again, a patch test is necessary since some fungicides can cause discoloration on your paving.
- Maintain a good water drainage system.
Long-term exposure to water can cause damage to your pavers. Set up a good surface drainage system to prevent the accumulated water on the surface of the paving to sink through the pavement structure.
Ensure your storm water drainage is away from the paved area or could at least flow freely away without accumulating in the surface.
- Always keep a bag of polymeric or dried sand handy.
Probably the easiest way to take care of your patios is to use a polymeric sand. It not only prevents weeds from growing in your pavers, but it also prevents bugs and other pests from living underneath your pavements and making their way into your house.
Remove the weeds, moss, or fungi before applying the polymeric sand. Pour the sand directly to the paving joints, and use a broom or stick to sweep them down there. Blow off the excess sand because it will discolor the paving.
Then, lightly mist the sand with a garden sprayer, do this 3 to 4 times in an hour. Finally, avoid water from coming into your patio and wait for 24 hours before using it. And you are done.
There you go! These are very easy and practical ways to protect your spray-on paving from damage and to keep it looking like the first day you had them down.
