With our late winter on the west coast being so mild, many of us are starting our spring maintenance projects earlier than usual. One we should have completely tackled last year was the power washing of all of our concrete paving stones ~ Rick did manage to get the side and back patios done again last spring but the main entry, sidewalk and driveway hasn’t been power washed for a few years.

Moss loves to grow in our climate and although it looks lovely ~ giving an aged, old world appearance, too much of a good thing is just that ~ too much! Showing these before photos is like showing you an overstuffed closet before it is sorted but that’s just going to have to be okay ~ I will grin and bare it!  In this first photo you will see another reason why covered areas are a really good thing on the west coast, the paving stones look pretty darn good where they don’t get wet.

BEFORE

Eeeekkkk! The photo below is horrifying ~ I am now really cringing at showing this!

DURING

This next photo looks very odd but is taken from the bonus room windows above the driveway and looking through the new pergola we added to the front of the garage. (Our next post will be on the pergola addition) Isn’t the volume of debris that is coming out of the spaces between the paving stones astonishing?

The difference is incredible ~ the power washed bricks look almost as good as the day they were installed 12 years ago! I really don’t mind the aged look in the driveway but it doesn’t acquire the extensive moss and blackening because of all the sun that is on it during the day.

AFTER

Power washing all of our concrete paving stones has been a huge job, it is horribly messy ~ with even the windows and walls needing to be washed after it is all done but it is worth every bit of effort ~ the exterior of the house looks so refreshed with this project being done.

To help prevent the build up from occurring quite this way again we have had the surfaces sealed. This will make keeping the pavers looking good a much easier task going forward. Over the years we have regularly recommended having aggregate concrete patios, sidewalks and driveways sealed as it makes the little stones in the concrete easier to walk on barefoot and for the ease of cleaning but haven’t been as familiar with the sealing of pavers ~ we will always recommend it now!

The sheen that is added once they are sealed is very slight but it does certainly make them look nicer and you know it is there with how the water beads on the surface, which also looks nice to have the light reflecting off of the water.

As much as I don’t look forward to the next step, it is one that will help reduce weeds from sprouting and the tiny ants from burrowing and leaving their little mounds of sand on the surface of the pavers. We will be applying a new type of sand over the entire surface, one that has fine glass mixed in ~ the glass cuts the roots of the weed seedlings as they try to grow and discourages the ants from making the underside of the pavers their home. It seems as though it would have made sense to have applied the sand before the sealer but it was recommended to do the sealer first so that it can then adhere to the edges of the bricks as well.

Now to finish removing the moss and weeds in the garden!