House owners tend to build brick patio because of its durability and attractiveness that would compliments the appearance of the house and also able to add more value to it. In order to maintain your brick patio for longer period, you need to do regular maintenance especially if the patio has gone through harsh sun and snowy winters throughout the year. It is common for brick and stone which has porous surface to absorb water. The water that managed to get through the brick patio can cause the bricks to crack and in the end crumble especially during winter season. Even the salt that you use for melting down the snow during winter away from your brick can also quickly deteriorate the bricks and absorb the water, plus also add to the growth of algae and mold to the bricks. Below are some of the ways that you can use for maintaining your brick patio.
To maintain brick patio, you need:
- Bleach
- Bucket
- Water
- Stiff-bristled broom
- Construction sand
- Weed killer
Maintaining your Brick Patio
Ways to Maintain your Brick Patio
- First thing that you need to do is to mix a solution of 2 cups of your household bleach together with a gallon of warm water inside a plastic bucket.
- After that, you need to thoroughly sweep away any of the loose dirt, debris, leaves and dust that you can find on the surface of the brick patio.
- Take your broom and dip into the bleach solution before you start to scrub the surface of the bricks. This is to remove any mold and mildew that grows on it.
- Make sure that you pay attention on areas which are always damp and shady.
- Then once you finished scrubbing, you have to rinse the brick’s surface by using clean water.
- After that, you need to thoroughly sweep away any of the loose dirt, debris, leaves and dust that you can find on the surface of the brick patio.
- The next step is to spread a thin layer of sand over your bricks but make sure that the bricks are completely clean and also dry.
- Next, you can proceed by sweeping the sand in a vigorous way along the seams of your bricks. This is for working the new sand into the areas between them. It will prevent any buildup of water and erosion of your brick’s surface and also help keep it even and preventing settling in the surface of your brick patio.
- Next, you can proceed by sweeping the sand in a vigorous way along the seams of your bricks. This is for working the new sand into the areas between them. It will prevent any buildup of water and erosion of your brick’s surface and also help keep it even and preventing settling in the surface of your brick patio.
One example of commonly used sand is known as polysand or polymeric sand which has a binding agent (polymer) that can help keep it in place and offers resistance to moisture.
- Then, you must also check whether there is any growth of weeds and plants in between areas of the bricks at least once in every three months.
- This need to be done because the roots of the plants that might grow between the bricks can really damaged and cracks to its form.
- In order to kill of the weeds, you can use a full-spectrum herbicide like Roundup but be very careful when using it especially if you have children running around in your house.
- This need to be done because the roots of the plants that might grow between the bricks can really damaged and cracks to its form.
- Another method that you can use for maintaining your brick patio is by using specialty coatings especially if your patio tends to get icy or slippery whenever it is wet. The coated bricks can also last for several years if compare to wooden decks.
- You can choose a slip resistant coating available in the market.
- If you want to protect your brick patio from water, you can simply use a silane or siloxane blend coating that can help waterproof it.
- You can choose a slip resistant coating available in the market.
Before you begin any coating task, you need to make sure that the brick patio’s surface is clean and dry. Ensure that your brick’s surface is leveled while cracks that you see between the bricks should be filled with sand in order to maintain its even look.
Always remember that whenever you want to maintain your brick patio,
- You can use brick pavers sealer or joint stabilizing brick sealer in order to protect your brick patio from whether element plus also assist in retaining its color longevity. You will find that the brick sealer normally comes with gloss and matte finishes.
