Can a poor application of driveway sealer be corrected? Depending on the severity of the problem, it may require saturation, aggressive scrubbing, and repeated applications to re-emulsify the sealer.
If you’ve ever seen some pavers that have turned white after being sealed, the white haze or film you see is trapped moisture. “Whiting” as it is called in our industry, is not to be confused with concrete efflorescence, which can cause white-looking pavers to happen at any time, due to natural causes.
Whiting happens when your pavers have been sealed with a xylene or acrylic (solvent-based) sealer or sealed during imperfect weather conditions or application. The trapped moisture is caused by hydrostatic pressure, which brings the moisture up through the pores of the pavers and traps it under the sealer. Once your pavers have “turned white”, there is only one way to rectify the problem. The sealer must be completely stripped off and re-sealed with the correct type of sealer.
Removing and Stripping Old Sealant Off Driveway Pavers
Removing and Stripping Old Sealant Off Driveway PaversThe first step in this job is to strip and remove all the old sealer from the paving stone driveway. Unfortunately, the previous contractor did not complete the job properly the first time. Through time many additional layers of sealer were applied and magnified the patchy poor paver color “whiting” issues. There are a few different layers of sealer, the latest application seems to be an acrylic sealer. It gives a shiny look to the stones, the issue over the years has made the problem worse and more noticeable.
We are applying the sealer remover. It is a stripper. We will finish applying the sealer and let it sit for a few minutes. Then we start the process of pressure washing it off from the top of the pavers.
We have started removing the sealer. The stripper soaks in and makes it possible to remove the sealant layers. We are using the turbo nozzle with high pressure and hot water. Then we pressure washed the surface of the pavers with hot water, low pressure. As we strip the driveway each layer of the old sealer is removed.
What type of sand material fills the joints between pavers?
What type of sand material fills the joints between pavers?We add sand to the stone pavers. Then we are in the process of spreading the sand in the joints. We are using white silica sand, which works well with the urethane sealer, it absorbs the sealer and gets very hard. It also is very dry and falls into space very easily. We are compacting the sand with a vibratory roller. The compactor has rolls under it to prevent it from scratching the stones. Then we apply the sand once, vibrate it respread the sand, and vibrate it a second time. We are doing the final touches with the sand. We are blowing the extra sand from the top of the stones without removing it from the joints.
Polymeric sand is best to use to fill the joints in between pavers. High-quality polymeric sand will not leave any stains on the surface. Gappsi vibrates the pavers while sweeping which allows the sand to fill the joints tight and also helps the sand harden. Sweeping the excess sand off the pavers before wetting the sand is also very important. This prevents the glue that is in the sand from smearing the surface of the pavers. Most importantly, applying a good urethane sealer will further help the sand to harden and prevent ants from digging into the paver joints and weeds from growing on patios.
What is the best sealer for concrete pavers?
What is the best sealer for concrete pavers?After the sand is vibrated into place in the driveway pavers we apply urethane sealer. It is going to be a HUGE transformation given how extreme this driveway was.
This is the process of the first application of driveway sealer to the pavers. We spray the sealer and allow it to sink into the joints. This will soak into the sand and get hard from the urethane. We use a blower to help the sealer spread uniformly. This coat is a flood coat. A second layer of sealant is applied primarily to seal the stones. This first coat is absorbed into the sand in between the joints. We apply the second coat of sealer and final which gives the stones the color enhancement. We don’t float the surface of the stones with this coat because the pavers will not absorb as much as the first coat. However, we still have to move the sealer around because it can dry on top of the surface unevenly.
The sealer creates a very strong bond to the paving stone surface and over the sand particles in between the joints.
There are many manufacturers of sealers, from solvents to acrylic urethane. Epoxies, acrylic, and urethane sealers come in water-based versions and solvent-based versions, including combinations of both. The biggest difference between the two is the VOC content. The sheen and life of the product determine how often it lasts before needing to be reapplied. Solvent-based acrylics tend to yellow over time and don’t allow the concrete to breathe. Epoxies are the strongest sealers but are best used for smoother surfaces and more for indoor or warehouse floor applications.
The best sealers for paving stones are water-based urethanes
The best sealers for paving stones are water-based urethanes- They are algae and mold inhibitors
- Allow for superior joint stabilization,
- Environmentally safe
- Their UV Protection will not harm vegetation
- VOC Compliant in all 50 States.
When you choose Gappsi you can guarantee a well-trained Gappsi personnel will apply correctly the paving stone sealer products achieving the best results.
This driveway was installed over 20 years ago. The paving stones are by Nicolock in the color Bayberry Blend in a 6×9 Rustico and Sante Euro Circle.
Gappsi brought back the color of the stones to look better than they did when they were originally installed. The colors are very vibrant and uniform now that the sealer is applied correctly. You can see the color variations of the Bayberry Blend, the shades of gray, beige, and peach color even after 20 years.
Surface color enhancement and polymeric sand replacement in between the joints for this paving stones driveway was completed over 24 hours. This is the latest paving stone driveway restoration cleaning and sealing done by Gappsi in Whitestone NY.
To view our Interior Cleaning and Sealing options and to learn more about the application of driveway sealer visit our page Sealing Stone Patios, Driveways, and Interiors Stone.