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Have you decided to install block paving and wondering what the best sand to be applied to the joints is in order to achieve a perfect job? Well, you’re at the right place! This is one of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to block paving and we seek to give you a reliable solution once and for all.

The best sand for block paving is a kiln-dried sand. It’s an extremely fine sand which has been dried in a kiln to get rid of all the water before it’s incorporated to achieve the best results. Therefore, the sand contains no moisture and is commonly used to fill the joints of block paving to keep the paving’s structure rigid and strong. It also goes a long way to prevent the ingress of water while stopping the paving from moving and becoming loose. The major reason why the paving sand must be dried is to allow it flow easily into the joints as well as the block paving’s gaps. As result of this smooth flowing to the bottom of the joints, there will be no sand sticking to the sides of the pavers.

Another major reason why kiln-dried sand is commonly applied to the block paving’s joints is to prevent water from penetrating the paved area. It also tightens the individual pavers together to prevent from moving and becoming loose. In the event whereby you happen to leave the joints of your block paving without kiln dried sand, it’s highly likely that they’ll sink as a result of water penetration and the blocks will become very loose. After washing block paving, it’s very important to also replace any sand washed off in the process once the paving is dried to prevent water ingress into the joints.

You should pull up and remove weeds by hand as and when they appear. If it is a regular problem, you might need to reseal the paving. In extreme cases, the sub layer itself may need to be re-laid. You can use weed killer, however some paving can be discoloured by stronger weed killers.

Patios use durable and hard wearing materials which will be able to withstand extreme weather. It’s important to consider the drainage of your patio, as heavy rain will need to drain away to an area that can absorb the water. A professional will be able to design and lay a patio to do this.

Moss growth on tarmac and asphalt is pretty common. This can make your driveway or outside area slippy and untidy, so it’s a good idea to get rid of it.

Start by using a stiff brush to dislodge as much moss as possible and clear it off your driveway. Then use a moss killer to kill any remaining moss. Make sure you follow the product instructions – some moss killers are best used on tarmac or asphalt that’s clean and damp, whilst others are better for dry surfaces.

To prevent further moss growth, it’s a good idea to reduce the amount of shade on your tarmac or asphalt as much as possible. This will help you keep it as warm and dry as possible, and reduce moss growth.

When your driveway is suffering from depression, it becomes unsafe for driving (a danger zone) and ugly - no homeowner wants that! Unfortunately, most driveways won’t hold flat for long as they tend to develop cracks and potholes pretty quickly. Here, we are going to take you through how to fill asphalt driveways’ depression so as to ensure the sinkholes in your driveway poses no threat to you or your loved ones, while also beautifying your property. The approach to be used depends on the intensity of the depression. If its only a few cracks and holes, this can easily be repaired with some equipment. But if otherwise is the case, then calling a reliable professional will be your best bet. In this article, we’ll show you how to repair dips in your asphalt driveway relatively quickly.

✓ Pick a date with warm and sunny weather. This is because if you work in a cold weather, chances are the materials will freeze and hence, unusable. So find a day when the temperature will over 50 degrees Fahrenheit and below 80 degrees Celsius and when there would be no rain. We’ll advise a day between May to October.

✓ Prepare the area. Remove all loose stones, soil, dirt as well as vegetation from the holes. Once done, you can then proceed to washing the area with a pressure washer or sweep with a broom.

✓ Apply a thin mixture of asphalt to the area. Use a flat stirring stick to coat the low driveway area with a thin mixture of asphalt.

✓ Tamp the asphalt repair mix. Purchase the right kind of asphalt to repair the driveway. Fine aggregate asphalt mixture is more suited to filling small holes, whereas the coarse aggregate is more suited to filling larger holes. Apply layers ( about 2 inches each time) of the asphalt repair mix to the sunken area and use a shovel to give it a smooth finish. Once done, simply make the area smooth and protect it with a piece of plywood. Do not walk or drive on the area for a couple of days.

Cleaning block paving is a fairly straightforward task, although you’ll want to be careful to not use any chemicals that may cause damage to the surface. Use a simple household soap, mixed with water, and brush this across the paving with a stiff brush. Then, simply rinse off with clean water. Alternatively, use a pressure washer – but be careful not to use it on a powerful setting, as this may damage the joints and can cause slabs to come loose. Using the pressure washer on a medium setting and at a 45 degree angle is recommended.

Generally, a paved driveway is always subjected to regular usage and yours isn’t likely to be an exception, otherwise you won’t be here. Regular usage automatically necessitates regular maintenance of the driveway in order to extend its lifespan, make your property safer and add more value to it. This maintenance will involve a frequent inspection of the paved driveway so as to identify and repair divots, cracks as well as rutting. Paved driveways usually have a lifespan ranging between 15 to 20 years, but this can only be guaranteed when backed by regular maintenance activities. Failure to provide your paved driveway with a regular maintenance will lead to a rapid deterioration within just a couple of years after installation.

The issues commonly faced by paved driveways is usually different based on several factors such as the weather, your location, your property’s sub base as well as some other elements. The ability to identify the problems and solve or repair them on time is key to success while it’s also save you some time and money. In this article we’re going to look at how to go about do-it-yourself tasks that involves minor cracks. More intense damages are advised to be handled only by professionals.

✓ Prepare the area. Clear the debris, weed the plants or vegetation (if any).

✓ Use a strong spray from a garden hose to wash clean the cracks

✓ In the event whereby the crack is deep, simply fill it until it reach about a quarter inch of the surface with sand.

✓ Tamp down the sand to make it more compact.

✓ Apply a patching compound to the surface of the cracked paved driveway.

✓ Leave it for some time to cure.

✓ Once cured, you can then apply your sealant.

No, pattern imprinted concrete shouldn’t be slippery. Most good driveway installers will add a special anti-slip agent to the sealant before they brush it onto your driveway, so it will stop it from being slippery.

It’s important to ask a driveway company how they will seal your driveway when you get a quote from them. If an untrustworthy company seals your driveway badly, it can cause a thick and extremely slippery surface, so it’s vital that you ask any contractor what their procedure is before you engage them.

It’s also important to remember that pattern imprinted concrete isn’t a ‘non-slip’ surface – it’s just not slippery. You could still slip over on a concrete driveway, just like you could on tarmac or a block paved driveway. Also, once you’ve walked and driven over your driveway for a few months, its skid and slip resistance will increase as it weathers and builds up tiny specs of dirt on it. Pattern imprinted concrete is often used in high footfall areas in places like shops, fast food restaurants and theme parks, so if there was a significant slip risk these businesses wouldn’t use it.

You might think that you could ask your contractor not to seal the driveway to make it less slippery, but it could actually do the opposite. By sealing pattern imprinted concrete, it means that moss and algae is much less likely to grow, which can be extremely slippery to walk on if it’s left to its own devices. If moss does form on your driveway, the sealed surface is much easier to clean as you can simply pressure wash it away; this is not as easy to do on a non-sealed surface.