Paver and Brick Driveway Cleaning

The pavers themselves are usually in better shape than they look. Most of what makes a paved driveway look tired is in and around the joints, plus a general film across the face of the units.

• Weeds and grass rooted into the jointing sand — the single most common complaint
• Moss and algae starting in the joints, then spreading across the paver faces
• Efflorescence, the white bloom concrete pavers push out for years after laying
• Leaf tannin, which stains pale sandstone-coloured pavers heavily
• Sunken or rocking units where the bedding sand underneath has washed out
• Ant nests, which pump fine sand up through the joints in warm weather
• Tyre rubber and oil in the parking spot and at the turn

Brisbane's wet season accelerates all of it. Heavy summer rain washes jointing sand out, the gap it leaves collects organic matter, and by autumn there is something growing in it.

A pressure washer will happily strip a joint down to the bedding layer. It looks satisfying and it is the fastest way to loosen a paved driveway, because the sand between units is what stops them shifting under a car.

So the wand angle over joints matters. We clean the joint enough to remove growth and old contaminated sand, without excavating it, and then put fresh sand back before we leave.

Sweeping new sand into the joints is the step most people never see done, and it is what separates a paved driveway that stays put from one that starts moving.

The sand has to go in dry, be swept diagonally across the joints so it packs rather than bridges, and be topped up once it settles. On a driveway carrying vehicle weight that matters far more than it does on a patio.

• Standard washed jointing sand — simple, and needs topping up periodically
• Polymeric sand — binds once wetted, resists weeds and washout, needs a dry window to cure
• Which one suits depends on your joints, your drainage and how much upkeep you want

• Efflorescence may come back. The salts are inside the paver and keep migrating out for a year or more after laying.
• A concrete paver whose face has already worn will still read lighter than its neighbours after cleaning.
• Sunken or rocking pavers are a lifting and re-bedding job, not a cleaning one. We will point them out to you.
• Weeds return eventually. Polymeric sand slows it considerably; nothing stops it forever.

Clean pavers with empty joints are a problem waiting to happen. We would rather spend the extra time re-sanding than hand back something that looks good for a month.

A re-sanded driveway settles rather than staying exactly as we left it. None of what follows is a fault, but it is worth knowing what is normal.

The sand drops

Fresh jointing sand compacts under traffic and rain for the first few weeks, so joints that looked full on the day sit slightly lower afterwards.

A top-up with a broom sorts it, and we show you roughly how much to expect before we go.

A haze across the paver faces

Fine sand dust sitting on the units after sweeping is normal, and it washes off with the next rain or a light hose.

Polymeric sand is the exception. It has to be swept off thoroughly before it is watered in, which we do on the day.

Shaded joints colour up first

The strip of paving under a fence line or along the southern side is where moss comes back earliest. It is the same reason that strip was the worst part before the clean, and it is worth a sweep every few weeks rather than a wait.

• Top the jointing sand up as it settles, particularly in the first few months after a clean
• Pull weeds while they are small, before the root gets down into the bedding layer
• Keep the driveway swept in autumn so leaf matter is not sitting in the joints through the wet
• Check that downpipes are not discharging straight across the paving and washing sand out
• Consider sealing pale concrete pavers, which holds the colour and makes the joints easier to keep