You have a beautiful patio, paved driveway or pathway. It’s durable, elegant, sturdy, and stunningly coloured – and you’d like to keep it that way. But how do you maintain your garden paving so it remains pristine for years to come?
In this paving maintenance guide, we’ll cover everything from how to clean your patio to protecting your paving from the elements. We’ll also include expert secrets on preserving paving and whether or not you should power wash your pavers, covering both porcelain and natural stone paving. Your patio, courtyard, or driveway will be the envy of the town.
The Importance of Paving Maintenance
Your paving has such an impact on the overall aesthetics and functionality of your landscaping. Of course, proper paving maintenance preserves the gorgeous colour of your tiles or cobbles, but paving maintenance isn’t simply superficial. By avoiding weather wear, you’ll keep your paving together and avoid potentially dangerous loose stones. Cleaning away algae and moisture reduces your slip risk for greater safety.
Choose naturally durable and low-maintenance paving materials such as granite, sandstone, and porcelain to make it easier on yourself. However, even low-maintenance pavers require upkeep and cleaning, as we’ll cover.
Why You Should Seal Your Paving?
Prevention is better than a cure, and applying sealer to your paving is a highly effective way to prevent damage. It creates a barrier between your paving and the elements, defending against moisture, staining, and more, and limiting mould growth and frost damage.
How to Seal Your Paving
To seal paving, ensure the area is clean. Wash with paving cleaner and water, dry fully over a day or two and sweep away any debris. Brush grout into the joints to ensure each slab is fully secure, sweeping away any excess. Roll on one layer of sealer, leave to dry, then apply a second coat.
For a more detailed step-by-step guide, see our patio sealing blog.
How to Clean a Patio
To clean a patio, you should first clear the space. Then, remove any garden furniture or plant pots for a thorough cleaning. Next, sweep away dust, debris, leaves, and loose moss into a pile to be thrown away.
Now, you can start washing your patio. Choose a sturdy sweeping brush with hard bristles and scrub with lukewarm, soapy water. If this doesn’t seem to do the trick, use a few drops of a specialist paving cleaner. At RF Paving, we have both porcelain cleaners and stone cleaners to suit your chosen patio type.
Need a little more help? Read our patio cleaning guide.
Removing Algae, Moss and Lichen for Paving Slabs
Algae, moss and lichen are the trio that tend to terrorise paving stones. Luckily, they’re easily dealt with.
Algae can be conquered with bleach, mixed with water. However, as bleach harms all plants, be careful not to get any of this solution on any of the greenery you want around your paved areas, such as potted plants and lawn grass. You will need to treat the area multiple times for the best results.
Lichens are little black fungus spots on your patio or driveway. They should also be tackled with a bleach solution and scrubbed with a stiff, small, or wire brush. Repeat daily for at least a week or every other day for two.
Moss is much thicker and furrier. To remove moss from your driveway or patio, scrape with a trowel or other garden tool. Then, scrub the surface with paving cleaner and a stiff brush.
Another common issue with paving is the growth of weeds. Luckily, we have a detailed guide on how to remove weeds from paving so you can easily clean up your patio, courtyard, or driveway.
How to Wash a Driveway
The steps to wash a paved driveway resemble our patio washing steps above. Remove obstacles, sweep the driveway, and brush with a firm broom and cleaning solution.
However, driveway pavers tend to be thicker and sturdier than those used for patios, meaning that they can endure slightly harsher cleaning. This is beneficial for car tyre marks, spilt car oil, and other dirt driveways are prone to. To handle these stains, you can gently pressure wash your driveway.
How to Power Wash a Driveway
To power (or pressure) wash a paved driveway, take care. Use low pressure and a wide nozzle to avoid focusing too much power on a singular spot. We also advise holding the nozzle at a 45-degree angle instead of pointing it straight at the paving to lessen the pressure further.
Seasonal Paving Maintenance
The changing seasons impact how we care for our gardens; our paving is no exception.
How to Maintain Your Paving in Spring
When spring arrives, give your paving a thorough clean to remove winter debris. Moisture and frost may have damaged your paving during the dreary months, too, so this may be the perfect time to re-grout and re-seal it so it’s ready for summer.
Be sure to check for any cracks that may have been caused by winter’s freeze and thaw cycle to have them repaired as soon as possible.
How to Maintain Paving Slabs in Summer
To maintain paving during summer, focus on regularly sweeping away dirt and debris, promptly removing stains, sealing the surface with a paver sealer, ensuring proper drainage, and addressing any weeds or moss growth between pavers; consider using polymeric sand to fill gaps and prevent weed intrusion.
How to Maintain Paving in Autumn
Autumn leaves are beautiful, but they can spell trouble for your paving. Piles of autumnal leaves will stain your stone pavers, or even create moss growth if left over time. Sweep leaves away from your paving as frequently as possible to prevent staining.
How to Maintain Your Paving in Winter
Before winter arrives, be sure your paving is in excellent condition. Remove any weeds, moss, or other growths that may rot and worsen during the colder months. You should also repair any cracks that may otherwise worsen over the winter and fill any joint gaps with grout. Our guide to preparing your paving for winter can help further.
Avoid de-icing your paving with salt or chemicals when the chill arrives, as these can damage and crack the paving. Instead, use salt-free grit or sand to prevent slippiness. Andy McLaughlin, our Operations Director and all-round paving expert, says “De-icing methods such as salt-free de-icer should be used to prevent further damage to your driveway, and avoid any mishaps that come with attempting your own methods. These methods are more natural, and reduce the use of harsh chemicals tampering with the look and health of your driveway.”
At RF Paving, we don’t just provide you with magnificent stone and porcelain pavers – we also offer the grouts, sealers and cleaners you need to keep those same pavers as smart and stylish as the day they were laid.
Want to know more about keeping your patio and driveway in order? Contact us with all your paving and landscaping queries.
