If you’ve recently laid a paver driveway, walkway, or patio – or you’re considering doing so in the near future – then you may be wondering what you need to do to stabilize your paper joints. After all, the last thing you want is for all your hard work to shift or move. You’ve got your pavers where you want them. So, how do you keep them that way?
One of the fastest and easiest ways to stabilize your pavers is with a quality sealant job. By properly sanding and sealing your pavers, you’ll lock them into place and prevent any future, unwanted movement.
So, here’s how you can take advantage of paver sealer as a joint stabilizer.
Step 1: Lay Your Pavers
Before you can do anything else, you need to design and lay your paver space. So, measure the area you need to cover. Look online for design inspiration. Talk to others who have experience in designing patios and walkways. And once you’ve decided on a design, get the materials you need and lay your paver space. Unfortunately, after your pavers have been laid, your work isn’t yet done.
Step 2: Sand Your Pavers
If you’re going to take advantage of paver sealer is a joint stabilizer, you’ll need to first apply sand to the joints. Sand provides a number of helpful benefits. For one thing, it eliminates large gaps in your patio or walkway. This moves your pavers from being a collection of individual pieces to being a united whole. Sand also keeps water from seeping down below your pavers and washing out the base aggregate. So, it’s important for you to sand your pavers if they’re going to remain stabilized over the long haul.
Sanding your pavers is not a particularly difficult process. You’ll simply want to purchase the correct kind of joint sand, spread it out over the surface of your pavers, and sweep any excess sand away. Once your joints are filled with the proper amount of sand, you’re ready to begin sealing your pavers.
Step 3: Seal Your Pavers
Using paver sealer as a joint stabilizer is as easy as applying a normal water-based or solvent-based sealer to your entire paver surface. Although you can use either kind of sealant, we generally recommend a water-based one for the following reasons:
- Water-based sealers are safer for you, your family, and the environment. They don’t release the high levels of VOCs that solvent-based sealers do. In addition, you can use them indoors without any danger whatsoever.
- Water-based sealers are easier for you to apply. Solvent-based sealers can be messy. And at times, they are too thick to be used with a normal garden sprayer. Water-based sealers don’t have any of these disadvantages. You can use a simple plastic sprayer to apply your water-based sealer evenly and effectively.
- Water-based sealers work just as well a solvent-based ones. In other words, unless you want to severely darken your pavers, there are no good reasons to use a solvent-based sealer over a water-based one.
Once you apply your sealant, you’ll want to wait for about 24 hours before resuming normal foot traffic. As the sealant dries, it will lock all of your joint sand in place. This will provide a greater level of stability for your entire patio or walkway.
It’s that simple.
You can ensure that your paver patio or walkway looks great for years into the future (and remains exactly where you laid it) by using a paver sealer as a joint stabilizer. And in addition to stabilizing your paper joints, sealer will also protect your pavers from stains, weather damage, and more.
Interested in purchasing Seal ‘n Lock products? Click here to find a Seal ‘n Lock distributor near you.
