anyone sealed block paving?

[seneca]

having finished jet washing and re-sanding of my block paved drive,I have come to the tricky matter of what to do next.
to seal or not to seal? - that is the question!

I'm completely stuck about
1) what to use - so few products out there and even fewer places to get them from.
2) do the sealers actually work - maintinance free drive for a few years etc.
3) are they cost effective - £100 or so for 1 coat of a medium sized drive. 2 coats are recommended so double that.
4) can you still clean the blocks- brushing etc, or does that erode the sealer
I'll be most interested in hearing other peoples stories, if anyone has any. Most people tend to get their drives sealed by the people who fit them. Unlike mine which was there when we moved.
As usual, any comments will be greatly appreciated.

 

[crazycanuck]

I've used a product called thompson clear sealer it's great,
you can brush paint or spray it on.
First coat soaks in let dry and reapply.
I've also used it on brick work like chimmineys where you have a lot of water from rain soaking in.

 

[seneca]

Hi,
just finished sealing the drive. Just a few points for anyone who was in a similar position to myself - ie. hadn't a clue what to get, where from and how to apply it. Looks pretty good now, but can't wouch for how effective it is.... time will tell!
Having looked long and hard, with no luck, I ended up getting some stuff from ebay. It's called block resin, and is basically polyurethane. For anyone who's interested, it's a lot like white spirit : clear, very smelly and flows like water. You have to pour it out so it spills around the drive, and then roll it out with a medium pile roller. Takes about 3 hours to dry and then you can re-coat it if you wish.
The big snag with it is the paving needs to be completely dry, and then no rain for a further 24-48 hrs (hence why I only got round to it this weekend.) When it dries it leaves a shiny surface, like its wet. Oh, and it will make a mess of your clothes, gloves, wellies, and hands. Imagine pva when it dries and multiply by 10.
Hope this is of some use to someone.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I recently had block paving laid, and was going to seal it.



Then I read this: http://www.pavingexpert.com/sealants.htm

 

[Hysteresis]

Without doubt the best product on the market is 'Resiblock'.
'Google' to get the manufacturers and suppliers. http://www.resiblock.com/ It is very expensive but it is used in places such as town centres and parks.
A word of advice though. Drives should be sealed immediately after laying for any success. If you wait, seeds get into the sand filling, and then establish. When you finally decide to pressure wash and resand there is no way you will get anywhere near all of the seeds and established roots out. So when you resand, the nasties are in fact still in there. Sealing does not stop these from germinating and the b******s still get through.
I have had my drive professionally pressure washed and before resanding the guy sprayed my drive with Sodium Chlorate and even this did not kill all of the nasties. I now spend a few minutes every week watching for the inevitable sprouting of greenery and quickly give the new growth a shot of soduim chlorate and this seems to be keeping them at bay, at least for the time being.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Hmmm.

Look at the list of situations on Resiblock's site, and the list of things that they say their sealants are good for.

Ask yourself how many really apply to your driveway...

 

[Hysteresis]

Hmmm.

Look at the list of situations on Resiblock's site, and the list of things that they say their sealants are good for.

Ask yourself how many really apply to your driveway...

Hi Ban-all-Sheds.
If it's good enough for all of those projects, it is certainly good enough for my drive.
I simply said that Resiblock was the best Drive Sealant on the Market and I also qualified that with it is very expensive.
I think the projects to which Resiblock refer rather confirms the point.

 

[JerryM]

no expert on this

i have a block paved drive and have not sealed.

the man i bought my blocks off (along with the rest of the landscaping stuff) says it does not work (for long).

i'm quite happy having mastered the ancient art of removing the perennial oil stains (those with old cars) - i use cat litter, spread it over, leave a few days and brush up - magic.

 

[Hysteresis]

no expert on this

i have a block paved drive and have not sealed.

the man i bought my blocks off (along with the rest of the landscaping stuff) says it does not work (for long).

i'm quite happy having mastered the ancient art of removing the perennial oil stains (those with old cars) - i use cat litter, spread it over, leave a few days and brush up - magic.

Hi Jerry,
Resiblock certainly works. Have a look at Resiblock web site and see where they have used it.
What I have found is that oil stains are not a great problem - what is a problem is the weeds and moss etc etc that take root in the sand fill. Once these have rooted it is almost impossible to get rid of them. Even pressure washing, sodium chlorate spraying and re-sanding does not get rid of them.
The guy who laid your drive is quite right - normal sealant only works for a short while and that is why I recommended Resiblock 22. It is Expensive but it works. The project list rather prooves the point

 

[JerryM]

Hysteresis,

appreciate your advice. will have a look at the resiblock - certainly not come across it before.

i can see that weeds and moss may be a problem in waiting for me - i'm clear at the mo and approaching 12mths. i guess a weed killer once a yr is therefore essential before any start to get going.

i used silver sand (i think called dry kiln) and wacker'd it in many times to get a real compaction. i feel this was quite important looking back although it seemed ott at the time.

A friend suggested mixing cement into the dry kiln but i was not brave enough to try it. i felt it would be ok but might be detrimental if any of the blocks settled slightly.

 

[Hysteresis]

Hysteresis,


A friend suggested mixing cement into the dry kiln but i was not brave enough to try it. i felt it would be ok but might be detrimental if any of the blocks settled slightly.

I had a similar suggestion and was foolish enhough to try it. What actually happens when you do this is, that as dry cement is rather like talcum powder in texture, and extremely fine even compared to silver/kiln sand, as you try to fill the he bock spaces some of the cement (powder) separates from the sand and leaves a cement deposit on the face of the blocks which can't be brushed off. The next time it rains the cement cures and stains the blocks. It is only a fine layer of cement which is left and it eventually weather off but in the mean time it makes a terrible messs of you expensive paving.
You were so right not to attempt the suggestion. It took about two years for my drive to recover from this ill-fated suggestion.
It sounded a good idea at the time - But Don't Do It.
As I said Resiblock 22 is very expensive, and obviously the cost is dependant upon the area to be sealed.
With my drive I used a less expensive sealant, and I constantly check the drive for weeds and algea growth and use sodiulm chlorate out af a squeezy bottle to keep on top of them. It only takes a few minutes every week to keep the drive clear and my drive is a big one.

 

[JerryM]

Hysteresis,

i do a fair bit of brickying and can imagine the problems the cement causes.

will look out for the sodium chlorate (have not come across it before) to put in a squeezy bottle to go with my kitchen sprayer bottle used for spot weeding.

The neighbours are really going to want to know what I’m upto armed with 2 sprayers.

many thanks.

 

[Hysteresis]

Hysteresis,


will look out for the sodium chlorate (have not come across it before) to put in a squeezy bottle to go with my kitchen sprayer bottle used for spot weeding.

Sodium Chlorate can be bought from any Garden Centre. It is an unforgiving plant killer. So be careful not to let it come in contact with anything you don't want to kill (Even the Wife). It is stronger than 'Pathclear' and is not neutralised by the soil as 'Weedol'.
I purchase mine from a shop called 'Wilkinsons' but I have no idea if you have one in Cheshire. Have a look at http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/ and there is a store locator on the site. I use Wilkinsons as it is the cheapest I have found. Failing this any Garden Centre will stock it.

 

[JerryM]

Hysteresis,

my wife calls into the warrington wilkinsons so we're in business - thanks

for info - the other sprayer i mentioned is for the lawn - i use verdone and just spray small areas when in need - works better than applying to the whole of the lawn.

 

[oldbutgood]

As above there are plenty of sealants and may opinions. There are basically two qualities within the trade drive cleaning business. £100 for an average drive or £300 for the rolls royce sealant. Pay-choose blah blah.
If you leave them... they just get mucky again.

20ltrs for about £60 0r £90. Matt, Gloss,