My first paver, re-sand and seal job

Residential
1

I got a job coming up at the end of the week to wash, re sand and seal a backyard interlock patio.

It’s a fairly new patio, but the customer has had quite a few parties on their patio since it was installed and it was never sealed. That being said, the amount of food stains, BBQ grease stains and random drink stains makes it look like it’s 20 years old. I was thinking about pre-treating with a degreeser such as super clean, letting it sit for 15 mins then hitting it with the surface cleaner.
I don’t wanna go through the process and the stains not come out.
Any tips or tricks??

Thanks!

2

Yes. Get in the habit of doing test spots.

3

Awesome! Thanks for that.
Any recommendations for degreasers that would do well opavera for food stains?

4

Yes, I use Extra Clean. It’s specifically made to clean animal fats and proteins.

5

There’s a forum on here called decks 101 or deck cleaning 101 i read that sodium percarbonate and potassium hydroxide work really well on food grease. Not sure of the mix ratio.

6

Because most pavers are so porous, you’re not going to get any grease stains out completely no matter what you use though you can lighten them a little. That’s the price the customer pays for not sealing in first place. The good news is that when you seal them, it will help blend in the rest of them closer to grease stain. But before you start might as well set realistic customer expectations. You have any pics? Other alternative is to flip the bad ones if you’re going to be re-sanding anyway, but that’s a pita, so charge accordingly

7

Fun times when they break. Hate pulling pavers out on old areas

1 Like
8

If they have a distinct top and bottom, you can’t really flip them. The other alternative is moving them around. A lot of times people have portable grills, outdoor rugs, tables, etc that you can move the stained pavers underneath.

9

What most would charge for that, it’d be cheaper for them to just buy new ones to replace the bad ones.

10

Thanks for all the replies and advice!
I’ll give them a wash first and if they are not happy with the results, I’ll bring up the idea of moving some pavers around.