Get Ready for Winter with Fall Paver Maintenance
Fall has officially arrived, which means that before long, we can expect the winter to be here. Winters in southeast Michigan can be really tough. Not only are they cold and make us hunker down in the warm indoors, but they can wreak havoc on our home and exterior landscaping features. You can minimize the impact that the winter will have on your home’s brick paver hardscapes with some basic care and maintenance. Here are some maintenance activities we suggest for this fall.
A Good Cleaning
Giving your brick pavers a good cleaning before winter will help with a few things. First, it’s a great way to force out things like insects that have built homes in your paver surface and those pesky weeds that grow in the cracks. Believe it or not, but these invaders can create big problems for your paver hard surface during the winter. Holes created by insects and plant roots are the perfect place for water and ice to penetrate your hardscape, causing the materials under the pavers to move. This causes pavers to sink and heave. The end result? A bumpy hardscape in the spring. Second, a good cleaning will bring up any old paver seal, and allow us to have a fresh surface when we are ready to apply a fresh, new layer of seal.
Reset Pavers
If your pavers have already started showing signs of movement, the fall is a great time to have a contractor like Classic Landscape come out and reset your pavers. This process is why so many homeowners like using pavers instead of concrete. Localized settling and heaving in your pavers can be easily repaired, by removing the pavers (and only the ones that have moved), releveling the base material and then resetting the pavers back into the surface. Concrete and stone don’t always offer this ease of repairs. Making these repairs can protect your hardscape from additional water and ice damage over the winter. Pavers that have sunk or heaved can also catch on shovel or plow edges and be pulled from the surface.
Sand and Reseal
The normal wear and tear on paver hardscapes can cause the sand between the bricks to come out. Even washing your paver surface can dislodge the sand from your pavers. After you’ve completed a good cleaning of your pavers and had them reset, follow up with re-sanding your entire hardscape. This sand will keep water and ice from sinking below your pavers and causing damage. To ensure that the new sand will stay in place, follow-up with a new layer of sealant. This seal will keep the sand in place, create an additional barrier from water and ice, and protect your brick pavers from the tools of winter like snow shovels and ice melt.
You’ve made a substantial investment by installing a brick paver hardscape for your home. While we’ve installed them for you, with the intention that they will last a long time, sometimes even the best brick paver hardscape will need a little extra maintenance. To ensure that this maintenance is minimal, don’t wait until things get bad. Annual fall and spring maintenance of your pavers will keep your hardscape looking great for years to come.
I Need Paver Maintenance and Repair Services Near Me!
For all of your hardscape and landscape needs, including hardscape maintenance, give Classic Landscape a call. With over 25 years of experience, we will have your brick paver hardscapes ready for winter in no time at all. To schedule an estimate or to learn more about our services, call us at (586) 243-3555.