The recent blast of arctic air sent temperatures plummeting across the country. Many of you in high snowfall areas have probably already started stocking up on deicing agents for your walkways and driveways. Although deicing agents offer an immediate benefit, they can sometimes have a corrosive effect and diminish the beauty of paved surfaces.
By choosing Belgard Hardscapes for your paver driveway, walkway or patio, you’ve already taken the first step to increasing resistance to the long-term corrosive effects of deicing materials. Belgard pavers are manufactured to be more resistant to salt absorption than asphalt and solid concrete, as well as more resistant to cracking caused by shifting temperatures.
To ensure long-term resistance to the downfalls of deicing, regularly maintain pavers with paver sealants for additional protection and follow these tips:
- Mix salts with sand prior to application
- Don’t over-salt
- Use salt for melting ice only, not snow removal
- Once loose, remove ice to avoid salt buildup
- Wash residue from pavers in the spring
For more information on caring for pavers in cold climates, click here.
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4 comments
What is the best way to keep the sand grout sealed so that it does not come loose? Recent rains have caused some of the sand to come loose and expose the gap between pavers. The pavers were sealed after installation. Will this be an ongoing need to keep the gaps between pavers filed?
This is a tricky question…During a rainfall, it may be possible to erode the sand from the joints and re-sanding may be required. If a polymeric sand was used during the construction of your paver area, polymeric sand is not engineered to come apart once properly installed. Some products when exposed to water will become soft and be subject to deterioration and would require maintenance repair. I also would comment that if a Belgard authorized contractor provided this material, he/she is obligated to return and make the repair. Another aspect that I don’t know is what type of paver was used, as some products have 1/8” joints and other (e.g. Arbel, Urbana, Lafitt, tumbled/Antique, etc.) are designed to have larger joints and should be installed with polymeric sand. If not, they will require sand replacement in the joints until there is enough sediment collected in the joints to create a crust and become more stabilized. I would suggest contacting your contractor, if one was used, or one of our Belgard Dealers for more site specific answers. If you need help finding an authorized contractor or dealer near you, visit our locator page.
It is interesting that over salting can cause additional erosion on your pavement. I hadn’t considered this, and I think that this is the reason why my patio is in bad shape. After reading your article, I will definitely watch my own salting more closely so I can avoid this in the future. Do you have any tips on repairing this type of thing? Thank you for such a helpful and straight forward article!
Unfortunately the only repair is replacement. Once the paving stones begin to deteriorate, nothing can be done to reverse the deterioration. In the future, look at safer products for use with concrete and use less at one time. Less product with more frequent applications will help with deicing with fewer adverse effects to the pavement.