Patio Sealer Tips

Do you have an outdoor space which requires some floor maintenance that you may have been neglecting? That fact is, protecting any outdoor floor is not very difficult but it can provide great results down the road. Instead of cracks and a washed out look you can have a patio or walkway which stays looking great. The best way to provide protection is with a sealer to keep the moisture from rain and snow, along with staining from dirt and organic material, on top of the surface so it can be washed off.

If you have a patio or walkway constructed of pavers then there are two types of sealers you can contemplate using. For decades, people just laid out the pavers and once they were tamped in, the home owner thought they were done with their project. Recently, sealer technology has advanced to the point that providing protection for the surface of these pavers has become more popular. The two types of sealers now available are the topical sealer and the penetrating sealer.

Topical Sealers

Topical sealers are generally applied to paver stones and bricks in order to keep moisture from penetrating the top layer. These sealing products can keep rain and snow melt from entering any small fissures in the surface. This is very important if you live in an area where it freezes as even small amounts of water can crack or break these floors when it expands from being frozen. Secondly, they help to keep stains from entering the surface which means the pavers can look new for years to come with no washing out of the colors.

Penetrating Sealers

Penetrating sealers do just what the name implies. They don't just sit on the surface of the floor but they penetrate inside to offer a better lay of protection against water and staining. Generally, this product will penetrate the surface about 4 mm. These sealers will also help with efflorescence which is the depositing of salts on the surface. The salts, if not stopped, will cause the surface to become dull and listless looking. This type of protection is also added to the grout lines if you have set the stones or tiles instead of just laying them on a bed of sand.

Many people choose to apply both types of patio sealer if they live in a harsh environment where it rains, or snows a lot in the winter. If you live in a sunnier climate then just the use of one will probably suffice for a long time. The fact is, you spend a lot of time and effort installing your outdoors floor surface so you should do this little bit of maintenance in order to keep it looking appealing to your friends, your visitors, and yourself.