The Brew Cabin

Hi Tony

Each Year / 6 months I am forced to clean my block paving. The moss just keeps on growing.

What is the best way to clean this (easiest)
Once it is cleaned should I put a sealant down (if yes which one)

Rgds
Ian

Hi Ian9,

you're in luck, posting your message just as I'm on my nightly rounds!

Anyway, to kill the moss, you can use Sodium Chlorate, bleach (dilute at 10:1), Jeyes Fluid (expensive) or any commercially available weedkiller. It'll take about a week to kill it off, and then it should be simply a matter of brushing the pavement clean.

You could try power washing, but be careful not to blast out the jointing sand, and keep the lance at an oblique angle.

A sealant will keep the moss at bay in most cases, and the best sealant depends on the type of finish you want, ie, gloss, satin, matt, and the type of paving, ie, clay or concrete. It's hard to find a sealant any better than those produced by Resiblock. Some sealants may be just as good, but none are better, IMHO.

There's more info, and links, on the Sealants page.

Thanks Tony

I'll give this a go

Ian

Ian9
If you don`t want to go down the sealant route your local farm supplier will have 5lbs bags of copper sulphate in granular form for around £8-10.Mix 5 tablespoons of granules to each gallon of water in a watering can.With the rose on and when the moss seems dry treat about april-may just after moss has spored.Moss detests this and the more expensive Zinc Sulphate, should last for 18 months per application.E-mail me if you have problems buying 95-98%strength I`ll
find you details of a supplier.Only thing you must watch is your fish pond!Not as harmful as bleach etc to pets,plants and little ones
Hope this helps!

I've not tried copper Sulphate, Kevin, or at least if I have, I wasn't aware of the fact, but I wonder does it have the same problem with concrete as does Iron Sulphate, which is a popular ingredient of "lawn feed'n'weed" products?

Iron sulphate produces nasty rust-like markings on concrete and they are more or less impossible to shift. Is that because of the Iron, the Sulphate, or a combination of the two?

Hi Tony,
I`ll try and expand a little on my reply.In the past I`ve tried-Sodium Hypochlorite,household bleaches,formalin,copper nitrate,ammonium sulphate,and trisodium phosphate.All of these chemical agents are suitable for bio-chemical stains i.e.moss,algae,fungi (I`m a fun guy!)lichens of certain types.In my humble experience copper sulphate is cost-effective ,with limited impact on the surrounding environment.As you quite rightly pointed out iron sulphate can stain concrete,in fact isn`t it the case some people purposely stain concrete for effect with this substance?
Copper sulphate can equally stain concrete at dilutions of 80% a mild green colour,a 3-5% aqueous solution (the formula I suggested) will in no way stain.
I am also glad you pointed out the contents of the lawn feeds if only people knew half of what is in everyday items like these!For example my hair shampoo contains the following amongst others:-
Sodium Laureth Sulphate
Propylene Glycol
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Sodium Citrate
Sodium Benzoate
Sodium Formate
All in small quantities I`m sure!
I`m sure you`ll agree sealing a driveway is always better in the long run (prevention better than cure) if you have the foresight to spend the extra few bob soon after installation or cleaning,my problem is that people see the up front costs,not the long term benefits.
Did I say I`ll expand a little?gone on long enough!
Cheers for now
Hope you`re feeling a bit better?
Is Touchers club still going?Spent a wild west night in there once-wild

I know iron sulphate is used as a base for many of the concrete staining techniques that are becoming more fashionable, but I suspect that it is at a much higher strength than would be found in lawn treatments or mosskillers, but then, you never know!

I remain ambivalent about sealing driveways. It's a wise investment if you want to keep those neat, pristine looks, and it's essential for some surfaces, such as PIC, but for natural stone or the more rugged/natural looking pavements, I don't think it's all that important. It really is a matter of personal taste, I suppose.

Toucher's Club? Was that in Warrington? I didn't spend much time in Warrington until I reached my 30s. I (mis)spent my youth at Wigan Casino or Blackpool Mecca on Saturday's, B.I.T. on Friday nights, and the Top Bridge in Leigh every other night. Happy days! :)