It doesn’t matter how well-laid a pavement is, or whether it is a patio, driveway, or road, maintenance is essential. Out on the road, we have all seen the workers in high-visibility jackets making important repairs to the under car conditions. And if the nation’s roads require maintenance, you can be sure your garden patio or driveway requires it too.
The truth, ultimately, is that maintenance allows paving to continue looking its best whereas lack of maintenance will invite deterioration. Those offering “maintenance-free” paving services are not honest people – you will always have to do at least something on a regular basis to keep paving looking its best. Paving experts Parking Lot Pros, advise that this does not necessarily need to be backbreaking work. A little diligence is all that is required to keep the costs down.
Maintenance vs Cleaning
Although often grouped together, we should probably distinguish paving maintenance from cleaning. Cleaning duties for different types of paving, from stone slabs to smooth concreting paving are broadly the same. If things have really deteriorated, then you might need to invest in a power washer to really get grime off but, where cleaning is concerned, doing it fairly often can make the job a breeze.
Normally, all you’re going to need to do is get out a bristly garden broom and clear away organic debris before hosing things down or splashing some soapy water around. Of course, it depends on what you are cleaning. Paving stones and slabs can pose a particular problem, simply because of the spaces between them, which can collect dirt. In such cases, a bit of scrubbing may well be a required.
Tips for Different Maintenance Duties
Weeds
What are weeds? Despite a popular misconception, weeds are any plant that is growing where somebody doesn’t want it to. In practice though, this usually means the hardy plants that are tough enough to grow precisely where plant growth is discouraged. Plants commonly considered to be weeds can therefore grow with only a little organic detritus to use as soil. This means you will often see them coming up between slabs in your patio or even through cracks in a concrete driveway.
Weedkiller and the age-old manual task of simply yanking them up is the familiar way of tacking weeds, but this doesn’t really solve the problem. The trick is to stop them appearing in the first place; to do that, nothing more complicated than regular brushing can do the job. You should look for the buildup organic material and simply clear it away.
Algae, Moss, and Lichen
You will be familiar with the grimy, greenish growth which, over time, can build up on paving. This can occur anywhere there is sufficient moisture for the growth to begin. The solution here is nothing more complicated than regular scrubbing with the right chemicals. These can vary depending on whether it is algae, moss, or lichen and, in some cases, you may also have to get scraping with a trowel. But, by dealing with the problem before it gets too bad, you can avoid such strenuous work.
Cracks
Cracks in concrete paving can be a pain to remedy, so you should really prioritize preventative measures here. To begin with, you will need to make sure the right concrete is installed properly in the first place. Excess water in the mix can lead to cracks. For slabs, you might also want to install joints to deal with the problem.
As you might have noticed with all the above advice, regular maintenance and cleaning before things get out of hand really is, above all else, the golden rule.
