Frequently Asked Questions About Our Sealing Process
Why Should I Seal My Pavers?
The most important benefits of sealing your pavers by a professional are:
- Avoid colors that tend to fade.
- Prevent weed growth on joints.
- Prevents mold and mildew.
- Enhances pavers colors.
- Avoids stains.
Why Pavers Turn White After Sealing?
Some companies use solvent base sealers with is not prepared for the Florida weather.
When the sealant is not applied properly, it can turn into a nightmare! Even if the pavers are dry prior to the sealer application there can still be moisture beneath the brick. In time, the water under the pavers start to evaporate and find a barrier of oil base product. And since oil and water do not mix, they react forming the ugly white spots visible on the pavers.
Therefore we only use the ICT water base sealer which is manufactured in Florida and made for our harsh climate.
What Is Efflorescence?
You can easily recognize efflorescence on walls, floors, retaining walls, and other surfaces made of brick, stone, concrete, or stucco. It’s often a white, powdery substance when seen on unsealed surfaces.
If a floor or other concrete surface has been sealed, you may see efflorescence as a white blush under the sealer.
Efflorescence is composed of a variety of water-soluble salts. Different surfaces and different areas of the country are more likely to have particular combinations, which lead to a variety of colors.
What Is The Cause?
For efflorescence to occur, you need water and salt. The salt comes from a range of sources. First, it may already be present inside the brick, stone, or concrete. Or the source may be the grout or cement holding the surfaces together. If the surface, such as a retaining wall, is in contact with soil, efflorescence could form. Finally, in areas with hard water, it could be present in the water itself.
The salt must be dissolved in water and transported to the surface of the masonry, stone, or concrete. The water may already be present in the surface itself. It could also come in from outside of the surface and dissolve the salts. Once this occurs, if the water can find a path to the surface and evaporate, it will leave behind crystallized deposits.
Removal of Efflorescence
The Efflorescence can be removed prior the sealing application using the TOTAL PREP product from ICT. HOWEVER THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT IT WILL NOT CAME BACK DEPENDING ON THE MOISTURE AND COMPOSITION OF THE PAVERS
How Long Does Sealer Last?
The durability of pavers sealing can vary depending on the traffic of the area, sun exposure and other factors. Our experience shows that on an average, ICT Sealers can last from 2 to 3 years on driveways and 3 to 5 years on pool decks. We recommend a maintenance check every 18 months.
Why Does My Pool Get Dirty After Sealing My Deck?
Our technicians are very careful when power washing pool decks. We work from the coping, out to keep dirt and sand from getting into the pool at a minimum. When sealing the coping we use a brush to avoid too much sealer dripping into the water but it is normal that some sand and products may get into the pool.
We recommend scheduling a deep pool clean after we finish our work.
We hope you’ve enjoyed these frequently asked questions and about our paver sealing process. If you need more information, please click the link below and contact us.
Will the Sand on The Joints Stay On Top of The Pavers?
Joint sand should be filled to 3/4 of the paver height for better stabilization and to keep the pavers from spreading apart.
When joint sand is needed, we will wet the sand and pavers to make sure the water soaks deep into the joints. Once that is done, the surface of the bricks are washed to remove any excess sand over the pavers. During this process some sand between the joints will be removed while still maintaining 3/4 height of the brick pavers.
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