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  Paul McNulty November 6, 2015 at 8:58pm

  I though all the block paving sealer products were a con? The same with cleaning products: it's the pressure washer doing the cleaning, so adding £50 to the bill for "chemicals" is just a rip-off.
  
  I'm happy to be educated, as I have a crappy block drive myself. Re-sanding is critical, but some sort of magic sealer that keeps moss off a damp, north-facing drive?
  
  I would suggest that whatever you have, be it blocks, gravel, tarmac or grass, it'll get weeds and moss because of the conditions in that area. You treat regularly (before it becomes a big problem), and with the right products, to kill weeds and moss on any surface.
  
  I'd set up a regular servce for them. MMC pro or something, together with regular spot treatment of any weeds.
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    Harry@VWGS > Paul McNulty November 6, 2015 at 9:19pm

    Hahahaha I love your replies Paul, precise and to the point, they crack me up...... Mitchel not sure about cleaning products but any sealants you use you will have to be careful of over spray onto the lawns, I don't deal in this type of thing personally but a number of my clients are large estate property developers and they seal their drives on new builds, I have seen them stay weed free for a number of years but it will need redoing every few years. I will find out the details of the sealant they use....:-)
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  Freshscaped November 6, 2015 at 11:04pm

  Paul is on the button. Once that initial sealant starts to break up it is a huge and expensive job to clear and replace it. So just clean up as best you can. No chemicals, just high pressure wash, let it dry then brush in fresh kiln dried sand. It will need re-doing every two-three years thereafter but that can be extended by spot weed treatment as required.

  The mistake isn't the sealant, it's the block paving. Simply a bad idea in most circumstances where it has been applied. Who educates the architects? ;-)
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    Colin Hunt > Freshscaped November 7, 2015 at 9:48am

    Not sure I agree that block paving is "Simply a bad idea in most circumstances...", as a patio yes, but blocks are great in any trafficked area. Providing they are laid correctly and maintained regularly, they will be serviceable for many, many years. We laid many drives in the 80's, one of which is at a garden we still maintain and it sits there, a bit weathered, but no weeds, no dips and still doing good service after 30 years. 
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      Freshscaped > Colin Hunt November 7, 2015 at 9:56am

      Agreed, Colin. It would have been more accurate had I said something to the effect of "in several situations where I have seeen it". Also, there's a whole stretch in north Leeds, Moor Allerton area, where some cowboys must have had a field day a few years ago. There are lots of paths, patios and drives that were very badly laid as well as many of them not being appropriate for block paving. I was thinking of that specific area rather than in general. In retrospect that is misleading.
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        Colin Hunt > Freshscaped November 7, 2015 at 12:29pm

        I know exactly what you mean, but it happens everywhere. We laid many a drive/in-out drive through the 80's and well into the 90's as part of our landscaping business before the 'Block Paving Specialists' virtually took over and we couldn't compete on price. We did one job, when another 'crew' started next door.  Nice guys actually, but they couldn't believe we used a lean-mix sub base and reckoned 'a bit of hardcore and two or three inches of Type' one was plenty.  

        The introduction of Indian Sandstone and decking saved the day as we were then able to concentrate on the rear garden re-design fad and leave them to it. We are now virtually all garden maintenance, many of which are our ex paving customers.
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  Mike Bradley November 7, 2015 at 9:10am

  Sika setting sand rather than kiln dried worth a go after pressure cleaning.
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    Freshscaped > Mike Bradley November 7, 2015 at 9:32am

    Thanks for that, Mike. Never heard of it but will look it up and give it a go next time I get some block to clean or repair. We have not, to date, ever been asked to actually lay block paving.
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  Geoff Norfolk November 8, 2015 at 3:16pm

  There's an interesting and helpful site that deals with all types of paving and includes a section on sealants for block paving.  http://www.pavingexpert.com/sealants.htm