PAVER REPAIRS BRADENTON SARASOTA |
SECTION 1 HOW TO RESTORE COLOR TO PAVER DRIVEWAYS AND POOL DECKS
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Restoring Colour To The Surface Of Paver Driveways and Pool decksPaver finishing is a skilled trade, to do it successfully requires specialist knowledge of the chemical compositions of different types of sealers and how they react to each other. Paver sealing is not something that should be left to inexperienced pressure washing contractors. If you paid $30,000 for a paver driveway why would you want to have it looking like the photo on the left? The white haze on the surface of the pavers was as a result of using cheap DIY sealers and this is typical of what they look like after a short period of time, if you want to achieve a high quality long lasting finish then you need to use an architechtural grade sealer and have it applied by a company that understands the technical issues. In this particular case the end result of using DIY sealers was a complete disaster, the horrible blotchy white patches absolutely ruined the paver driveway entrance to this prestigious home in Lakewood Ranch Country Club. The process of restoring pavers starts with a test of the area to determine which type of paver sealer had been used in the past. Some penetrating sealers are incredibly difficult to remove as the siloxane works its way deep into the pores of the concrete, the same is true of oil stains and in some cases we have to swap out pavers to remedy this. We opted to use a chemical stripping process which gradually softened the solids that were bonded to the surface of the paver. We then proceeded to pressure wash the surface of the pavers to remove the residues, we then repeated the whole process another two times until we were back down to the original paver surface. The paver surface and joints are now ready to grout and in this instance the customer chose our Light Tan Grout. Paver Grout stop weeds, mold and dirt growing and is guaranteed for 5 years. The last step to fully restoring and protecting the pavers was to apply 2 coats our our architectural grade paver sealer. The final pictures really do demonstrate that paver finishing if done correctly can produce dramatic improvements to the overall look of a paver driveway or swimming pool deck.
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SECTION 2 HOW TO REPAIR PAVERS THAT HAVE DRIFTED APART
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How to prevent driveway pavers from drifting apartPAVER DRIFT most commonly occurs around circular or curved paver driveways. As cars turn into and out of the corner the turning force and weight of the car is transferred onto the paver surface, if the outside edge of the pavers is not reinforced with thick concrete the pavers will eventually drift apart as in the photograph to the left. The drifting will get worse until remedial action is taken, for this particular driveway we took out the pavers and realigned them tightening them up to the original lines, by the time we finished shifting them back in place there was a 3" wide gap between the pavers and the original soldier course edge banding. The next part of the process was to take out the weak concrete footing that the contractor had poured and which had failed, we then dug out a trench and set in re-bar behind each paver, a thick concrete footing was poured into the trench over the rebar, when this sets it will spread the load and provide the strength needed to resist the high turning forces of cars going up and down the driveway. |
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With the remedial work completed the edge banding was restored to it's original position, the perimeter wall was strengthened with steel rods and concrete so that drift will not cause a problem in the future. Paver Grout™ would have filled in all the cracks and provided some increased stability for the pavers but it is better to have structural integrity in the driveway before we grout, this provides a much stronger and longer lasting end product. We recommend Paver Grout™ for all driveways and pool decks for a low maintenance finish, No Cracks, No Mold, No Weeds. |
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SECTION 3. HOW TO STOP WATER PONDING ON PAVER DRIVEWAYS AND POOL DECKS
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Water collects at the low points, if you have areas on your driveway that are collecting water then it is usually due to the base settling or because the base is being washed out. If the problem is not rectified the problem will get continuo sly worse as more water collects and more sediment is washed away. The remedy to this is to string lines in several directions to check the grade to find out where the low spots are, the next step is to remove a section of pavers around the affected area and build up the base with sand and then re-lay the pavers. Another common cause for water ponding is due to roots from adjacent trees growing under the pavers and lifting them thereby creating a low spot where water may start collecting. If you have a section of pavers that are being lifted because of tree roots it is best to take these out and cut back the root before replacing the pavers. |
SECTION 4. HOW TO FIX SUNKEN PAVERS AROUND POOL DECKS
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How to fix sunken pavers around pool decksPavers around pool decks often sink due to settlement or washout of the paver base sand, or the substrate the sand is laid on, before we repair the affected paved area we need to determine if the cause for the pavers sinking is due to settlement or washout of the substrate. Settlement occurs most frequently around the edge of pool decks and this can cause the tiles to drop or go out of alignment, this is nothing to be particularly concerned about. An effective remedy is to lift out the affected pavers and fill in the holes underneath packing the sand tightly down and then re laying the paver, it is unlikely that there will be any further movement of the pavers. To take out the pavers place a thin bladed knife either side and rock the paver back and forth to loosen the edges, the paver will gradually become loose enough to life out easily with your fingers. Some pavers are laid very tightly and you may need to hire a contractor with a paver lifting tool to remove the pavers for you, the most common reason for lifting out pavers is due to oil spills, we recommend using a high grade urethane sealer to prevent damage to the pavers from oil spills. If washout is the problem this may be caused by an underground leak and not necessarily from the spilled water from the pool. If you are having to regularly top-up your pool with an unusually high am mount of water this may suggest that you are losing water from a pipe leak and this is what is washing out the substrate and causing the pavers to sink. We highly recommend that customers have their pool deck pavers grouted this will stabilise the paver joints and prevent the pavers from going out of alignment. |
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SECTION 5. WHAT TO DO IF YOUR POOL DECK HAS INADEQUATE DRAINAGE
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What to do if your paver pool deck suffers from inadequate drainage.Mildew and mold thrive in areas that are damp. Thin Pavers which are laid directly on concrete pool decks can suffer badly from mildew, mold and other environmental staining. This is because water gets trapped between the concrete and the paver and stagnates, special care must be taken prior to laying the pavers that the existing concrete pool deck surface drains properly. This particular thin paver pool deck example in Braden Woods Bradenton Florida, shows what happens when drainage issues are ignored by paver installers. The paver company that laid these pool deck pavers ran them straight over the existing swimming pool drainage channel completely blocking it off. As a result water ponding was a constant problem. Standing water allows mildew and mold to thrive and will eventually damage the surface of the paver. The mineral deposits which show up as a brown blotchy stain over the majority of the affected areas were resistant to acid washing and high pressure cleaning. It is not surprising to learn that the paver installer that did this job is no longer in business. A basic rule in construction is to always ensure that water flows away from the property into properly installed rainwater gulleys and drains. The solution for this customer was to remove sections of the old channel and install a new drainage channel with 45 degree angles to allow better water flow and to prevent standing water from accumulating in the affected areas. The finished drainage channel ensures that the paver surface can drain properly during as well as after heavy rain storms. If you have areas on your paver pool deck where water is ponding consider remedial action to prevent permanent damage to the pavers. Removing Outdoor Bar Areas Around Paver Pool DecksAdditional work for this customer included the removal of an outdoor bar area which left an even bigger area of pavers which had to be filled in. Out door bar areas are nearly always plumbed with a sink and electrical outlets and these need to be capped off safely and in accordance with building codes. Removing outdoor bars can be problematic particularly if the pavers have been laid after the bar was installed, by removing the bar you can be left with an area which is difficult to patch up successfully. The original paver was no longer being manufactured and we were unable to find a suitable replacement, the customer opted to have us create a slate tile mosaic feature which freed up enough pavers to complete the fill-in repairs. The central tiled feature gave the space a much needed focal point and added a lot of color and detail to what was previously a bland paved area. When the work was completed the paved area was grouted and sealed. The finished photos can be seen to the left. The slate tiled inset is full of incredible colors, we complimented the slate with a natural stone mosaic tile and finished it off with a dark ceramic border tile. When the grout was dry we sealed the tiles to bring out the natural colors in the slate. Sealing the pavers also helped to bring out the softer warmer tones making the area feel much more inviting. The finished result is a pool deck that is not only cleaner but one that will drain correctly and one that will stay clean. The only maintenance that required will be a light rinse to wash away dust and pollen every so often. When we say "Quality Matters" it really does. Customer Feedback:
Sincerely Elizabeth T (customer testimonials and references are available upon request) |
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Our full range of Paver Maintenance Services includes the following,
Paver Cleaning and Stain Removal, Paver Grouting, Paver Sealing, Paver Re-levelling, Paver laying
Our staff are trained in the application of KC Paver Grout™ and the application of a wide variety of paver sealers
