Block paving is a versatile and stylish choice for driveways, patios, pathways, and more. Here at your specialist surfacing company, we use high-quality materials to ensure your block paving withstands heavy traffic and adverse weather conditions, ensuring its longevity. Block paving is available in a variety of colours, shapes, and patterns offering endless design options to make it truly unique. It’s also low maintenance, ensuring that it keeps its vibrant appearance with minimal effort.
Positive points aside, we get asked many questions about the upkeep of block paving, one of them being whether it needs to be re-sanded after cleaning. Keep reading to find out how best to maintain your block paving surface longevity.
The Nature of Block Paving
Block paving is assembled using jointing sand, which fills in the gaps for cosmetic purposes but also provides friction to help lock the blocks into place. This friction helps your driveway carry heavy loads and without jointing sand, block paving bricks will eventually separate and crack over time.
The materials we use here at Premier Surfacing are the best quality on the market, including Marshalls, Blockleys, and Brett which adhere to the British Standard 6717/6677.
How to Properly Maintain a Block Paving Driveway
Block paving driveways are fairly simple to maintain. They require brushing with a stiff brush to remove dirt and debris, weeds and moss treated and removed, oil and grease stains treated with a gentle cleaner, the surface of your block paving washed and rinsed, and any jointing sand that has been lost between the blocks replaced.
How to Re-Sand Your Block Paving Driveway
The sand in between your block paving isn’t just for aesthetic purposes, it ensures the structural integrity of your driveway and helps to bind the blocks together, preventing them from shifting over time. Failure to replace jointing sand when gaps appear can mean that you risk permanently damaging the blocks, as they become more prone to cracking. Re-sanding also helps to prevent weeds from sprouting up in between the blocks.
Although important to use these preventative measures against loosening sand, some of the sand will inevitably become loose and shift over time. The below steps will help recover your driveway to its original glory:
- What You’ll Need – stiff-bristled brush, bucket and sponge, shovel, kiln-dried sand, soft-bristled brush, and a compactor.
- Clear your Driveway – ensure you have a clear view of all the areas that need re-sanding, remove weeds that have sprouted in the gaps with a stiff-bristled brush, and clean your driveway with a bucket of warm, soapy water and a sponge. Do not use a jet washer on block paving as it will blow out even more jointing sand. After this, wait for your driveway to dry.
- Filling the Gaps with Sand – once dry to the touch, spread the kiln-dried sand evenly over your entire driveway, or just the areas with gaps. Using a soft-bristled brush start sweeping the sand into the joints between the blocks and if you want the sand to settle more tightly, use a compactor to create a firm, stable surface. Repeat the process a couple of times to ensure an even surface.
- Remove Excess – use your soft-bristled brush to sweep away the excess, allowing you to get a full picture of any areas where the sand hasn’t settled, you can repeat the process on these areas if needed.
How to Stop Sand from Washing Out of Your Block Paving
One of the best ways to ensure that jointing sand stays in place the longest is to apply a sealant once you have re-sanded, this will keep sand erosion to a minimum and also protect your driveway. It’s also worth noting that when you clean your block paving, do not use a jet washer which will loosen the sand between the blocks, instead try a gentler cleaning method. If, after these modifications, you still find that sand erosion is a constant, then it may be that you have an uneven foundation or sub-base, and you may need your block paving driveway re-laid.
Contact a Specialist Surfacing Company for High-Quality Block Paving
Here at Premier Surfacing, we ensure your block paving is both professional and expertly finished to the highest standard. We always ensure that your foundation is even and suitable for block paving to be laid, ensuring that the upheaval and maintenance of your driveway are as painless as possible.
We offer a whole range of products and styles, from traditional to contemporary designs with a variety of colours, textures, and materials to choose from to create your perfect driveway.
We are a specialist surfacing company undertaking works in and around Staffordshire and Shropshire, including Stoke on Trent and Market Drayton. Contact us today to start the process of getting the driveway of your dreams.
