We wash and dry before sealing

Sealing starts with a clean, dry surface

We seal pavers and asphalt driveways around Clearwater, and every job starts the same way. The surface gets pressure washed to lift out dirt and the black mildew that grows in shaded joints. Then it has to dry all the way through, which in summer can mean waiting out an afternoon storm. Sealer rolled over damp pavers traps that water underneath, and the finish turns a cloudy white that does not wash off.

On pavers, the joints matter as much as the faces. Washing pulls some of the sand out, so fresh sand gets swept back into the joints before any sealer goes down. A sealer made for pavers soaks into that sand and helps bind it, which keeps it from washing out in the next downpour. Full joints hold the pavers tight together and leave less room for weeds and ants to push up through.

Asphalt gets a different treatment. Florida sun dries out an asphalt driveway over time. The black surface fades to gray, and the edges start to crumble. Before sealcoat goes down, we clean the oil spots and fill the cracks, because sealcoat over an open crack lets water keep working underneath it. The sealcoat then goes on in thin, even coats, and the driveway stays closed to cars until it cures.

• Pressure wash to lift dirt and mildew
• Full drying time before sealer goes on
• Fresh sand swept into paver joints
• Oil spots cleaned and cracks filled on asphalt
• Sealer applied in thin, even coats

Florida weather wears sealer down fast

Sealer has a hard life on a Pinellas driveway. Ultraviolet light breaks it down from the top, and summer rain finds every spot where it has worn thin. Once the sealer goes, the pavers fade toward a chalky version of the color you picked, and the joint sand starts washing into the lawn. On asphalt, the gray comes back and small cracks open up along the tire paths.

Where the house sits changes what the surface is up against. Near the water in Clearwater and Dunedin, salt air settles on pavers and pool decks. It leaves a film that sealer will not stick to until it gets rinsed off. Under the live oaks, fallen leaves stain the pavers brown, and the shade keeps mildew growing in the joints. Sprinklers fed by well water leave orange rust marks along the edges of a driveway.

So we look at the surface before we price the job. Rust marks and leaf stains are easier to treat before sealing, because sealer locks in whatever is on the paver when it goes down. Newer pavers with a white haze on them need that cleared first too. That haze is salt from inside the concrete working its way out. Seal over it and it stays trapped under the finish for as long as the sealer lasts.

A sealed pool deck still needs grip

A pool deck gets splashed with pool water every day it is in use, and the sun sits on it for hours. Chlorine and salt from the pool both work at the surface of the pavers. Sealer slows that down and keeps the color from bleaching out along the pool edge. It also makes spilled sunscreen and leaf stains easier to hose off before they soak in.

The finish on a pool deck is a different choice than the finish on a driveway. A high gloss sealer looks rich when it is dry, but it can turn slick under wet feet. On a deck where kids run, a low sheen finish is the safer pick, and it keeps the stone looking like stone. Travertine needs its own care, because it is softer and more porous than a concrete paver and soaks up sealer unevenly.

Sealer holds up best on a deck that drains. A pool deck should slope so rain and splash water run off toward the yard or a drain, away from the house. If water sits in a low spot, the sealer there clouds and peels first, and we point that out before sealing over it. One Google review from Shivani Haripal reads: "They did an awesome job sealing our pool deck! It looks fantastic."

You can see when sealer wears thin

You do not need a calendar to know when to reseal. Pour a little water on the pavers. If it beads up, the sealer is still working. If it soaks in and darkens the stone right away, the coat has worn through. On asphalt, look for gray showing through in the tire paths and near the street, where the sun and the traffic hit hardest.

Resealing a surface that was sealed well is mostly a wash and a fresh coat. A surface that was sealed badly is a bigger job. Sealer that has peeled in patches or gone cloudy has to come off before anything new goes on. New sealer bonds to the old coat, so it would fail right along with it. We check which one you have when we come out to look.

After sealing, the surface needs time before it takes traffic. Walking comes back before driving does. We tell you the timing on the day of the job, since it depends on the heat and the humidity. Turn the sprinklers off for that zone until then. A sprinkler that runs over fresh sealer overnight leaves spots and streaks that are hard to fix without redoing the area. Leaves and sap that land on wet sealer get stuck in it too, so we look up at the trees before we start.