Darken paving blocks

synergy · Post: # 43075Post **synergy** Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:43 pm

My paving man is doing an excellent job of laying down a replacement drive for me consisting of Brett Alpha Antique charcoal blocks.

My problem is that the colour is much lighter than I expected - more of a silvery grey than the dark appearance I'd imagined.

The job is nearly complete so I can't make changes now and hopefully will learn to live with it. But if not....is there any way to darken the colour e.g. by painting or staining? It doesn't have to be perfect (it's not that sort of house) just....blacker.

Thanks

Ted · Post: # 43078Post **Ted** Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:59 pm

What are they made out of?

Would an acid stain work?

PICS and Creative Impressions make acid stains that you just apply with a paint brush. You then need a sealer as the sun sucks the colour out over time....

Google the two above companies and call their tech depts... but maybe someone will come along with better advice in the meantime.

cookiewales · Post: # 43092Post **cookiewales** Thu Nov 12, 2009 10:11 pm

hydrochloric acid strong. will bring out the colour.thats the old way the brick yards used to use.to save on colour mix wash with plenty of water :p

Post: # 43108Post **Tony McC** Fri Nov 13, 2009 11:51 am

A good sealant will darken and enrich the colour. I had a similar problem with the 12 month old paving on part of my driveway. The blocks were quite light and the colour only really shone through when they were damp, so I decided to use a low-sheen sealant to improve their looks...

...and even after just one coat, you can see the dramatic difference.

cookiewales · Post: # 43117Post **cookiewales** Fri Nov 13, 2009 3:32 pm

thats more healthy and a better job than acid it only enriches the coulour nice blocks look like old bricks lovely on the eye :p

DNgroundworks · Fri Nov 13, 2009 4:21 pm

What is that paving Tony?

Post: # 43127Post **Tony McC** Fri Nov 13, 2009 8:26 pm

Tobermore Retro in Heather, 190x50 with an embossed top, and Mayfair Granite setts, 90mm wide x various lengths - both are 60mm deep. You don't see the Retro all that often in England, but I think they're lovely and cottagey. I wouldn't have chosen them for my own house, a 1960s brick-built semi, but let's just say I was "over-ruled".

They are superb for twisty garden paths and for rustic projects. They turned quite a few heads when they were first this time last year, so I put a small placard in the garden proclaiming, "Yes: they are lovely! Tobermore Retro in Heather: 01772 458923"

synergy · Post: # 43418Post **synergy** Wed Nov 25, 2009 4:52 pm

To Ted, cookiewales & Tony McC - belated thanks for your comments.

Tony, the photo of the sealant you applied seems amazing. Could this be though mainly because it makes the blocks wet? I ask because I prefer the look of our drive when it raining as this darkens the colour but this soon vanishes as it dries.

Also, could you advise which particular sealant you were using?

Thanks,
Karen

Post: # 43434Post **Tony McC** Wed Nov 25, 2009 9:18 pm

Had we been in the drier part of the year, I would have posted a "this is what it looks like now" photie, but as the ground is now permanently damp, I saw no point in posting a 'wet' photie.

The image above is a fair representation of the finished look of the paving when dry. The surface is definitely colour enhanced, and there is a hint of sheen, but nowhere near as much as when the blocks are actually wet.

The sealant I used is Advanced Sealings "Ultra". I applied two coats, and used around 3 litres for the first coat over 27mÂ² and less than a litre for the second, about an hour later. No vehicular traffic for 5 days (allowed additional time because it was done late September during a chilly spell) and I'm more than happy with the results.