Paver and Driveway Sealing Houston, TX

On pavers, the signs are joints that have dropped below the paver edge, weeds or ant mounds in the joints, color that has gone chalky or faded, and dark staining under trees. White, powdery haze on new pavers is efflorescence, a natural salt bloom that should be cleaned before any sealer goes on.

On concrete driveways, look for surfaces that absorb water and darken immediately when wet, oil and rust spots that will not lift, and scaling on the surface. If the surface rocks, has sunk, or is cracking in many places, sealing is not the fix. Those signs point to base work, covered on our driveway resurfacing page.

On pavers, sealer does two jobs. It coats or penetrates the face of the units to resist stains and UV fading, and a joint stabilizing sealer helps bind the joint sand so it resists washout from storms and sprinklers. Tight joints are what keep an interlocking surface locked, so that second job matters as much as appearance.

On concrete, a penetrating sealer soaks into the pores and reacts inside the surface to repel water and oil without leaving a film. Keeping water out of a concrete driveway slows surface scaling and reduces the amount of moisture reaching the base through the surface and joints.

Sealing is protection, not structure. It cannot level a sunken area or close a crack that is moving. Those problems need to be corrected first, or the sealer will just highlight them.

Most of the result comes from the prep. The sealer is the last step:

1. 1Inspect the surface for loose or sunken pavers, cracks and drainage problems, and reset loose units if needed.
2. 2Pre-treat stains such as oil, rust, tannin and organic growth with suitable cleaners.
3. 3Clean the surface with controlled pressure or a surface cleaner to avoid gouging pavers or blasting out joints.
4. 4Remove old, failing joint sand from paver joints and let the surface dry fully.
5. 5Sweep in fresh polymeric sand, compact where needed, and activate it with a light mist.
6. 6Apply the sealer evenly by sprayer or roller in the right weather window, and keep traffic off until it cures.

Water based acrylic sealers are common on pavers. They give a natural or light satin look, are easier to recoat, and breathe enough to let moisture escape. Solvent based acrylics give a deeper, wet look that enriches color but can become slick and may need more care around pools.

Penetrating sealers, including silane and siloxane products, are the usual choice for broom finished concrete driveways and for pavers where you want no change in appearance. They do not leave a surface film, so they do not peel. Around pools and on sloped areas we favor finishes that keep traction, and we can add a grit additive to film forming sealers where slip resistance is a concern.

Sealer life depends on product, sun exposure, traffic and how the surface is cleaned. In Houston's UV and rain, film forming paver sealers typically need refreshing every few years, while penetrating concrete sealers can last longer. New pavers are usually best sealed after efflorescence has had time to work out, which is often several months.

Cost depends on square footage, how dirty and stained the surface is, how much joint sand needs replacing, the sealer type, and whether any pavers must be reset first. For a starting number, use our ballpark price tool.

The most common is sealer applied over a damp surface, which traps moisture and turns cloudy or white. Next is sealer applied too thick, which yellows, peels or becomes slippery. We also see joints pressure washed hollow and then sealed with nothing in them, leaving the pavers free to shift.

Sealing over efflorescence locks the haze under the coating. Fixing any of these usually means stripping the old sealer before starting again.

Between seals, a little routine care goes a long way. Blow off oak leaves, pine needles and seed pods before they sit wet and stain, rinse spills quickly, and avoid aiming a pressure washer straight into the joints. Keeping gutters and downspouts from dumping onto the surface also protects the joint sand.

If your pavers need more than a refresh, we can lift and relay sunken areas through paver installation, and repair cracked concrete through concrete repair. Brick drives benefit especially from joint care, covered on our brick paver driveway page. Asphalt is protected differently, through sealcoating.

As a Belgard Authorized Contractor and full paving contractor in Houston, we know how the paver systems we seal are built, so we can tell when a surface needs protection and when it needs repair. A Home Scout looks first, and the proposal is itemized with our price-what-we-quote guarantee.