Block paving - Cleaning

[aubrey4444]

hi

i wonder if anyone could point me in the right direction , i have just jet washed my driveway which went well but left loads of gaps so i needed to fill them in so i looked on google to find out what kind of sand they said you would need to fill and it suggested jointing sand or kiln dry sand which i went with the kiln dry.

once i thought the gaps were filled i thought i would wash down with the hose to get rid of the excess sand, but it also got rid of the sand in the gaps so i am going to have to refill again .

is there a better way of doing this???thanks inadvance

[Mikey_C]

wait for a dry day, pour the sand on the blocks and brush off excess with a stiff brush. don't try and wash it in.

[aubrey4444]

wait for a dry day, pour the sand on the blocks and brush off excess with a stiff brush. don't try and wash it in.

ahh ok so what i did wrong was hose it down and i should of just swept it and left it as is??
thanks

[msh paving]

Keep the hose pipe away,it will take a few rains to stop the sand washing out,make sure its fully dry before brushing sand in MSH

[msh paving]

use a semi stiff brush not a big yard brush as you will brush it out MSH

[aubrey4444]

ok thanks guys so the bottom line is do not wash down with a hose , just sweep and leave.

thanks again....try again tomorrow.

[aubrey4444]

ok now refiled with sand , just wondering what be the best weed killer to use on block paveing?

thanks

[msh paving]

None, weeds don't grow through block paving just keep it clean every few weeks brush the lose dirt off that all you need, the weeds come from birds droping seeds and germinating in the muck on the blocks MSH

[RAPressureWashing]

Sort of agree with MSH, but we have appiled a weedkiller straight after pressure washing, allow the paving to dry out and re-sand, I have found this to keep weeds at bay a bit longer but it really does depend on what state the paving is to start with though.

[aubrey4444]

Sort of agree with MSH, but we have appiled a weedkiller straight after pressure washing, allow the paving to dry out and re-sand, I have found this to keep weeds at bay a bit longer but it really does depend on what state the paving is to start with though.

ok cheers guys but they still come through after sweeping which weed killer should i use, and also i did not have whacker to hit the block paveing with after i refilled does this matter or is it just a matter of keep topping up the sand .

cheers

[RAPressureWashing]

You shouldn't need a wacker after pressure washing as long as you took care.
Re weedkiller try round-up if you can get hold of it just follow instructions on the packaging. Like I said earlier we would if needed weedkill straight after washing IE same day, allow paving to dry out 24-48 hours of no rain, then re-sand.

[matsfc]

kiln dried sand- brush it in with a soft brush in circular motion, that will tease it into joints (don't waste too much time on this- it will either fall in or not).
only do when surface is 100% dry or sand will not fall to bottom of joints (might take 2-3 days after rain if weather is cold).
wait for rain then repeat if u see any sinkage in the sand...
then seal the surface (brushing a sealant over it).
powerwashing is bad for concrete so a sealant should stop the need for that for a while.

[aubrey4444]

kiln dried sand- brush it in with a soft brush in circular motion, that will tease it into joints (don't waste too much time on this- it will either fall in or not).
only do when surface is 100% dry or sand will not fall to bottom of joints (might take 2-3 days after rain if weather is cold).
wait for rain then repeat if u see any sinkage in the sand...
then seal the surface (brushing a sealant over it).
powerwashing is bad for concrete so a sealant should stop the need for that for a while.

ok thanks for that, keep that in mind cheers

[msh paving]

kiln dried sand- brush it in with a soft brush in circular motion, that will tease it into joints (don't waste too much time on this- it will either fall in or not).
only do when surface is 100% dry or sand will not fall to bottom of joints (might take 2-3 days after rain if weather is cold).
wait for rain then repeat if u see any sinkage in the sand...
then seal the surface (brushing a sealant over it).
powerwashing is bad for concrete so a sealant should stop the need for that for a while.

What's the circular motion in aid off to make the sand dizzy?as long as the blocks are dry it will fill the joints with out any messing around like that,

seal the surface by brushing a sealant over it what do you mean buy this, you need to use the correct product and use it right not just brushing it over ,that could make a big mess,

So why is pressure washing bad for concrete? our friend "R&A Pressure Washing" makes a living from this work so that comment is uncalled for

MSH

[matsfc]

i don't do blocking but i have seen good guys brushing this way- maybe they are just bored or maybe it works. but i can certainly see the logic in circular motions as it exposes the joints to the sand many times in different angles instead of just once.

i dont see how brushing a sealant over block paving will make a big mess unless you are using a glossy sealant and dont know how to brush.

pressure washing ruins concrete - this one i have 1st hand experience of as i used to do it for a living. it takes the face off the concrete paving and makes it more likely to get dirty. chop a marshalls heritage flag in half and look at the top layer- smooth, and its also soft- weather and powerwashing will wear it down and make it more porous (i've seen these flags look awful after 5 years so thats why i recommend india stone now). this is the most obvious flag but the same thing applies to all flags imo except natural stone. my brother cleans drives for a living (which always begins with powerwashing) so i have no reason to 'sabotage' it. http://www.sale-driveway.co.uk/ i'm just saying there is no need to powerwash so often as u will end up doing it more and more as u wear the face of the paving down.