The winter season is here, and with it comes the rain, snow, and ice. This may seem like a great time to go outside and play in the snow, but what about those of us who have paved patios? If you don’t take the necessary steps for winterizing your patio, they will be damaged for years to come and cost you a lot of money in maintenance! With these steps on how to winterize your pavers during the winter months, you can keep them looking as good as new all year long.
Keep Your Patio Clear Of Debris And Dirt
Snow and ice can damage your paver surfaces during the winter. When you clean away debris like leaves, sticks, dirt, and grass clippings, it reduces the chance of surface damage due to snowplows or other forms of winter abuse. The more packed down this type of material is under heavy pressure from heavy machinery or foot traffic in snowy conditions, the greater chance there will be for cracking and breaking to occur throughout the integrity of your paved area. By keeping these items cleared out regularly between seasons, you ensure that they don’t have time to pack down over a couple of weeks while being left unattended!
Use A Pressure Washer
If you don’t own a blower or pressure washer, consider renting one for the day or even hiring someone to do it. It’s worth the cost and will definitely be less than what you can expect to pay if maintenance is needed for your patio pavers. By using a pressure washer, all of that packed-down dirt is easily removed from your patio pavers’ surfaces. In addition, you can use a high-pressure setting on your water to remove stubborn contaminants like bird droppings, moss, or sap residues that may have built up over the course of the summer.
Do Not Use Salt-De-Icers
After you clean your patio paving, do not use any salt deicers on them. This is because the chemicals in these products can cause severe damage to these surfaces and even lead to cracking, chipping, and pitting if used too frequently. While some manufacturers may claim that certain types of salt deicers will not harm pavers, this simply isn’t always true as most variants contain calcium chloride, which has been known for many years now as a very damaging chemical compound when put into contact with concrete or other similar materials.
Apply A Quality Sealer
Sealers are typically available in both indoor and outdoor types, but it is important to note that the “outdoor” type will protect your pavers much better against dirt build-up as well as salt stains from snow or ice treatments. These products usually come in a liquid or dry form, so make sure you read carefully before choosing which one suits you best! You may need more than one coat of this product if there are many spots on your paver patio or walkways that still have some residue stuck onto them after washing everything down with water. Just give each coating enough time to air dry before adding another layer until all surfaces look clean again. These steps should keep your pavers looking as good as new for years to come if done correctly!
Shovel Away The Snow As Frequently As Possible
One of the best things you can do for your paver patio or walkway during the winter is to shovel it as frequently as possible. Of course, if a storm comes along that dumps several inches of thick snow onto your paving, then this may not always be an option until the end of the storm when everything begins to melt away. Just make sure that after each time you clear off your pavers with either a broom or shovel, whichever one works the best, rinse them down immediately afterward so that salt residue doesn’t form.
If you are proactive about taking care of your pavers during the winter season, then they will not only last much longer but also look better once the winter has passed. By utilizing the above steps to complete the task at hand, there is no reason why anyone cannot accomplish it successfully. Pavers can be expensive, and replacing them would cost even more money in repairs for years down the road if you do not winterize them because proper maintenance techniques were never learned! So take advantage of these easy steps before the winter begins so that everyone may enjoy their beautiful paver patios or walkways all year round without having any issues whatsoever with deterioration over time due to harsh weather conditions.
AT SEQUOIA STONESCAPE, WE’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT PAVERS AND CONCRETE HARDSCAPING
With over 10 years of experience, our family-owned paver installation company would love to help. We also provide peace of mind with a 5-year warranty. Get in touch with us at (503)-932-7605.