Taking Care of Your Paving

Are you unsure of how to care for your paving, and how to keep it looking spic and span? Then you have come to the right place, as we would be glad to give you a quick breakdown of cleaning and maintaining your driveway or walkway paver/paving.

Have you given thought to maintaining your paving, or have you perhaps just had new paving installed? You would be surprised to discover just how vulnerable your paving is to dirt and damage. It is therefore important to maintain it on a regular basis in order to keep it looking its best. While paving maintenance really is one of those ‘prevention is better than cure’ things, it is possible to get neglected paving looking its best again.

Let us look at some common paving challenges and maintenance concerns, shall we?

• One of the first things that happen to paving and clay bricks is the growth of moss. While the growth of moss is pretty awful looking, it is not too great a concern though, as these growths can be killed and removed quite easily. How so? If you need to get rid of moss growing on your paving, simply make use of a solution comprised of copper sulphate (1kg to 10 litres of water). For a milder case of moss growth, boiling water or steam can be used to remove the growths.
• Another challenge for paving, especially in driveways and walkways and particularly in areas of land that were previously very grassy or home to a number of plants, is the growth of weeds in between the grouting of the paving stones. The solution? One can go with a proprietary weed killer to get the job done quickly. However, such a chemical may impact the look of the brickwork or stone masonry in your paving. An organic, safe yet extremely effective alternative for killing the plants that tend to grow through your paving is vinegar. That is right, ordinary household vinegar can get the job done easily and effectually. Just remember, as with the growth of moss mentioned above, plant growth is generally indicative of damp brickwork, and will usually reappear if this basic cause is not cured.
• If you have a little bit of an accident when painting your home and a little bit of the paint gets on your paving or your clay brickwork, there is recourse – not to worry. All you have to do in order to get the paint removed is to apply a small amount of commercial paint remover or a solution of trisodium phosphate (1 part to 5 parts water by mass). Simply allow the paint to soften after application, and remove with a suitable scraper (not metal). Wash the bricks with soapy water and finally rinse with clean water. Voila, clean paint-free paving that looks as good as new!