How You Can Protect Your Concrete Paver Driveway Installation This Winter
Winter will be here before you know it, so it's time to get ready to take care of your concrete pavers installation. Winter is a tough time of year for pavers, and many people who have a pavers driveway must take special precautions to protect it from ice and snow. The following tips will help you take care of your driveway this winter, to ensure that it looks just as good next year it does now.
Buy the Right Tools
The first thing you'll need to do before winter comes is buy the right kind of tools to take care of your driveway. For example:
- Buy the right snow removal tools. Metal shovels and metal snow blower blades can damage your concrete pavers. If you use a shovel to remove snow, buy a plastic shovel. If you use a snow blower, purchase a rubber or vinyl-edged snow blower blade.
- Buy non-sodium de-icing product. Rock salt is corrosive. While some pavers may be able to tolerate minimal use of rock salt throughout the winter, it's best to avoid using this product if possible. Purchase a non-sodium de-icing product to remove ice from your concrete pavers. Follow all manufacturer's instructions.
Wash the Undercarriage of Your Car
Even if you don't use rock salt on your driveway this winter, you'll find that rock salt still makes its way onto your driveway via the tires and undercarriage of your car. Keep the undercarriage of your car clean by taking it to a car wash throughout the winter. Whenever the weather warms up, spray down your driveway with a hose to remove any rock salt.
Seal Your Pavers
A good quality sealer will fill the pores of your driveway and make it easier to clean, which will help protect your pavers from de-icing salt on your car. To seal your driveway, remove any weeds and debris from the joints between the pavers, then sweep the driveway. Use a joint-stabilizing sealer that helps seal in the sand between the pavers. This type of sealer helps stabilize the position of the driveway and prevents more weeds from growing up in the driveway in the future. Follow all manufacturer's instructions when installing the sealer, then give it the appropriate amount of time to cure.
Following these instructions will help you take care of your concrete paver driveway installation when winter comes. For more tips and information, talk to the contractor who installed your driveway or a company like Premier Lawn and Landscape Design.
