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Home Decorating

sealing paver patios?

15 years ago

I've been a long time lurker (always wanting to register, but afraid I may then discover that what I thought I was doing right in decorating/garden is all wrong!!)...But I think I finally have the courage to maybe post a few pics of our home and garden for some advice in the coming weeks. :) I love visiting though and have learned a lot from all of you--thanks for that. I look forward to getting to know you all more.

So my question:

There was a post a few days ago about sealing paver patios. I'd never heard of this. I got worried that we should have done this!! We live in the Mid-Atlantic part of the country and have had our patio for 3 years now. I researched last night and all I found out was that sealing is really expensive and is done mostly for aesthetic purposes. None of our neighbors with paver patios have sealed them either. Our installer guaranteed our pavers for life and will come back if one sinks or cracks, etc. So I guess I'm not understanding what the sealing is for. Can anyone give me their perspective on this?

Thanks!!

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Comments (6)

western_pa_luann
15 years ago
No need to seal... you actually WANT the drainage between the pavers.
neetsiepie
15 years ago
Sealing is usually done to protect the product from weather. Helps keep the color brighter, and keeps the porous material from absorbing water and possibly cracking.

Problem is, they don't seal the BOTTOM, where the water wicks up.

If you're concerned, you can DIY with masonary sealer you can get at a hardware store and a roller. Personally, I don't like the look of sealed concrete (pavers are usually concrete or clay based). If you've had yours 3 years and no problems, then you didn't need it done.
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mpmg46
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you so much! I think I'll be leaving it alone then and planning a new garden plan for one side of our back yard...so much more fun than sealing pavers!!
tinker_2006
15 years ago
We just sealed ours - it brought the color out more and will protect from stains if someone drops a greasy hamburger or spills red wine. I also like it that the sand stays put now... it's much cleaner and drains perfectly.
tinker_2006
15 years ago
oh and WELCOME!!!
jan_in_wisconsin
15 years ago
We just had our patio installed, and it is not yet sealed. However, our professional installer recommends sealing it in a year, next spring at the earliest, so that the concrete pavers have a chance to "cure".

We were told that sealing the pavers protects them. Since they are concrete, anything that stains concreted could stain the pavers, i.e. grease and possibly other food items. We will be using the area for grilling and entertaining.

As for sealers, we were told that we could preserve the dry look of the pavers with the sealer, or opt for a "wet" look. The wet look sealer will deepen the paver color to its appearance when wet.

I don't think we'll be attempting the sealing part ourselves. We'll probably hire the same professionals to do it.

I hope this helps,

Jan

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