The Brew Cabin

Posted: **Mon Mar 21, 2005 8:28 pm**

The wife has given me the job of cleaning the block paving tomorrow - a job I knew nothing about until viewing this brilliant site, however I've have never done it before.

The paving is full of weeds and has the usual dirt stains and I was intending on using the pressure washer at an angle of less than 30 degrees as per the maintenance page on this site - is this the right thing to do ? Should I use a screwdriver instead to get the weeds out ?

Could someone please advise me if I need to shoot up to the B an Q and get me some jointing sand (there are a few small gaps) Also, is this Pathclear OK to use to prevent the weeds from coming back ? If I get the nod from a kind soul on here then I'll get me some. We used some Roundup a while ago and it stained the block paving white which took ages to get off !
Many thanks for your help.

All the best.

Tony

Posted: **Tue Mar 22, 2005 2:06 pm**

Can you get hold of sodium chlorate? I'm not sure if Joe Public without a weedkiller license is allowed to play with it anymore, but it is the best thing for weeds on concrete block paving. I use it a couple of times a year, and will be sending out the bone idle teenage son-and-heir to give the drive the first dousing of 2005 this coming holiday weekend.

Regardless: you can wash the paving with or without prior treatment. The power of the water jet will dislodge many of the weeds and then you can use the blade of a trowel or a screwydriver to persuade the rest to go.

Re-sand the paving as soon as it's surface-dry, and then water-in a soluble weedkiller (Pathclear is OK, and, from memory, Tumbleweed is ok, too) to help deter any new colonists.

Posted: **Wed Mar 23, 2005 7:47 pm**

Thanks very much for your help Tony. It's the red brick paving we've got which got stained with the Roundup.
Is it OK to give the sodium chlorate a go on it ?

Posted: **Thu Mar 24, 2005 10:11 pm**

I can't think of any reason why not - my drive is a red brindle (well: it is under all the crap that's built up on the surface since it's last good cleaning!) and there's never been any adverse reaction to Sodium Chlorate. I know that, in the past, we have used it on 'plain' red CBP driveways and patios for customers, and never had any problems with discoloration.

Posted: **Fri Mar 25, 2005 8:21 pm**

Thanks again for your help Tony, I really appreciate it.
Cheers.

Tony

Posted: **Mon May 16, 2005 12:02 pm**

Hi Tony. Iam thinking of starting my own block paving buisness using specilist machines. After what you attempted with your block paving, would you have paid for someone to clean it for you. As you can see Iam asking for a general feedback,for someone like yourself.
Hope you do not mind.
Thanks.
GARY.

The Brew Cabin

Cleaning block paving