Low Pressure Paver & Stone Cleaning by John from All Exterior Cleaning
Paver & Stone Cleaning Brisbane
The paver & stone surfaces around your home, office, factory, workshop, cafe etc need cleaning regular. They will eventually gather dirt and moisture that feeds the mould, get tannin stains from wet leaves, have bird & bat droppings, cars & trucks will leave tyre marks & oil stains, and there will be grease marks from the BBQ. These are all ugly and can be slippery. But with the right cleaning chemicals & the right water pressure your pavers can be clean again.
Types of pavers
- clay
- terracotta
- concrete
- sandstone
- reconstituted sandstone
- slate
- granite
- brick
The pavers will have sand or cement mortar in the joints which needs to be protected as it breaks down and weathers away. You may even need to make repairs to the mortar or replace the sand once the pavers are clean and dry.
How I clean your pavers and stone.
Pavers and stone are usually much softer than concrete, plus they have sand or soft mortar in the joints, this means that a different method than used for concrete cleaning is needed. It is the same principle “kill the mould, lift the dirt, wash it all away”. The cleaning solution needs to be strong enough to actually kill the mould and lift the stains, the pressure needs to be just enough to lift the dirt without damaging the pavers or stone, and the rinsing needs to be thorough to actually rinse it all away.
Blow dirt leaves & other loose debris away
Spot clean any heavy or special stains
The cleaning solution is applied and reapplied until everything is thoroughly wet, then scrubbed with a stiff broom if needed, and allowed to penetrate and kill the mould & lift the dirt.
The cleaning is done with low or medium-pressure water as needed and then rinsed with low-pressure water.
There are often deep stains which are then re-treated and washed again.
Unfortunately, the washing will wash away any loose joint sand or damaged mortar, but by being able to use the lowest pressure possible I am able to reduce the amount of sand or mortar that is dislodged.
Sealing your pavers and stone.
Now clean, your pavers and stone should be protected from more mould, dirt, oil etc with a high-quality sealer.
Sealer types
- penetrating – invisible; don’t change the slip resistance and long wearing, can be walked on a couple of hours after application
- surface coating, clear and coloured (acrylic, urethane) – a coating that can wear or chip, is slippery when wet, wet look gloss or satin finish, takes days to cure
- combination sealers that penetrate to last a long time, but also leave a coating that brings out the colours in your stone
Call John now on m: 0400 849 030 for honest advice and a free quote on cleaning & sealing you pavers.