Brick paver patios make for a beautiful surface for an outdoor living space. Unfortunately we have all seen brick paver patios and driveways that have weeds growing in between the joints. This can ruin the appearance and make you not want to make use of a great patio.
Luckily there are ways to prevent weeds from growing in joints. First let’s look at why weeds grow in brick paver joints.
Most people who are not familiar with the base of a brick paver patio think that weeds and grass are growing from under the pavers and through the joints. This is impossible on a properly installed hardscape. There should be 5-7 inches of compacted gravel under a residential patio that is nearly as hard as concrete and impossible for weeds and grass to grow up through.
Weeds and grass grow in brick paver joints when a seed or plant blows, falls or settles into the joint from above. It can then shoot roots into the joints and take hold making it look like it came from below. The best way to prevent seeds from landing in joints is to keep the brick joint filled up with the proper joint sand.
Many joints look like they are full, but what they are full of can be a great environment for weeds to grow. A coarse sand is initially what is swept into joints after paver installation. A lot of the times after a few heavy rains that sand washes out and leaves a void that gets filled with dirt, grass clipping and other organic material. This is the perfect mixture to grow weeds in. If this is the case on you patio you will have to remove the organic joint material by use of an industrial power washer.
Once the joints are cleaned of organic material and the paver surface is dry you should then sweep in new joint sand and fill all joints to just below the bottom of the chamfer or beveled edge. Too little sand and you will leave enough space for weed seeds, too much and the paver patio will not look right and you will feel sand under your feet and track it into the house. The use of a vibratory plate compactor is recommended to help settle the joint sand and interlock itself to resist washing and blowing out. Maintain the joint sand by sweeping in new sand as needed after heavy rains and the use of leaf blowers.
To further prevent weeds from growing in joints professional paver maintenance and restoration companies likePaver Protector suggest using sands such as polymeric sand and sealing that will harden the joint sand to resist washouts and voids for weeds and grass to grow.
When you do see weeds starting to sprout in joints be sure to spray them with round up or another herbicide. This will kill the whole plant unlike pulling the top off of the weed by hand. Once the weed is dead then remove it and sweep in new joint sand.
To learn how Paver Protector can help you prevent weeds from growing in the joints of your brick pavers please visit www.PaverProtector.com or call at 630-488-0069.
Paver Protectors main service area is Northern Illinois including St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, Elburn, Wasco, Elgin, Huntley, Hampshire, Bartlett, West Chicago, Hoffman Estates, Barrington, Inverness, Palatine, Schaumburg, Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Woodstock, the Fox Valley and more.