Winter Blues

With winter rapidly approaching the windows of opportunity for sealing paving are becoming more and more scarce.

All sealers need good drying weather to cure properly and bond, so as the temperature drops and the days shorten, there are less and less chances to successfully seal paving.

Of all the sealers, solvent based acrylics are the most forgiving in the winter. The solvent, normally Xylene, flashes off at low temperatures and therefore is less dependant on the weather to cure. They will go white in appearance if they come in contact with moisture, but this can normally be remedied with a quick once over with more sealer, or better still, neat Xylene. Always ask advice before carrying out any remedial.

The Tarmac Sealcoats are the least winter friendly as they require temperatures of above 10 degrees centigrade for 24 hours after applying and no moisture for at least 24 hours to cure properly. Incorrectly cured sealer is likely to not bond with the paving and wear off very quickly.

For more advice call us on 0845 676 9703

Time to Seal Your Driveway

We may not like to think about it now, as we are having the best period of weather so far this year, but winter is coming up fast!

No matter what paving you have, it will benefit from sealing before the cold weather arrives.

Decorative Concrete, Block Paving and Tarmac all degrade with exposure to freeze thaw cycles if not properly maintained. Water gets into cracks and open pores, it then freezes and expands causing the cracks to enlarge and worsen leading to spalling and potholes. Sealing all paving will help reduce weather effects by filling these small cracks and fissures, repelling the water and helping your driveway investment last another year!!

We recommend sealing should be done every two or three years as part of a proper maintenance regime.

Which block paving sealer is right for you?

There are three main groups of block paving sealer, Moisture Cured Urethanes, Water Based Acrylics and Solvent Based Acrylics.

The Urethane sealers are by far the most durable and give the hardest set in the sand joints. the downsides are the cost, by far the most expensive, and the ease of use. Urethanaes are  impossible to ‘put right’ if things go wrong. The paving must be bone dry, any dampness can cause the sealer film to go milky white. If this happens, your two choices are to live with it or to strip using a heavy duty stripper and start again!

Water Based Acrylics such as Acrylite GP and Acrylite GP Plus are more forgiving than the Urethanes, however, if things go wrong, again you are faced with the same two choices as above. The films and hardness of set are less durable than the Urethanes but are still pretty good. These products are non hazardous and therefore easier to transport, they are practically odourless so are easy to apply and store. They are general purpose sealers that can be used on a variety of paving mediums like Indian Sandstone and Block Paving. If the application guides are followed, these are the safest and best option for capable DIYers.

Solvent Based Acrylics are the most forgiving of all of the sealers. As the acrylic is disolved in solvent, mistakes can be rectified by re melting the film with neat solvent. If the sealer blooms from dampness, a coat of neat solvent normally rectifies the problem. This is why these sealers are favoured by contractors. The durability and set hardness is the lowest of all of the sealers, depending on the supplier, some are better than others. The actual solid content of the sealer and the acrylic used have a dramatic effect on the performance. Being hazardous, these sealers are difficult to transport, are highly flamable and have a very pungent aroma.

 

Driveway cleaning and the hosepipe ban

Hosepipe ban ends in some parts of the country but can you now clean your driveway? That depends…..

After what has been one of the wettest springs on record it was announced yesterday that Thames Water, Anglian Water and Southern Water were lifting the hosepipe bans they imposed in April. However, that still means there are hosepipe bans in force for the following water companies:

South East Water

Sutton and East Surrey Water

Veolia Water Central

Veolia Water Southeast

So, if your water is provided by one of these companies, you still can’t clean your driveway with a hosepipe or pressure washer. The good news is that, as a company, we can.  So, if your driveway, patio or other areas are beginning to look a bit the worse for wear, you can still get it sorted out and get that patio ready for when the summer does eventually arrive!

We offer a full patio/driveway cleaning service for tarmac, concrete or block paving so give us a call on 0845 6769 703 and we can give you a quote. We also offer a free site survey.

Dealing with weeds and ants in block paving driveways

Block paving has become incredibly popular over the last few years but one of the problems many people experience with this type of driveway is weeds growing up through the joints in between the blocks. These areas are also susceptible to ants.  The end result can be that your driveway starts to look unsightly and unkempt.

So, what’s the solution? Well, you could apply a weed killer, but that will only provide temporary respite and won’t solve the problem completely. The same is true of the ants, you can put down an ant killer, but they will be back.  The ideal solution is to seal the block paving. This will stabilise the joints between the blocks in your driveway and prevent further regrowth of weeds or ant ingress.

Sealing block paving can be a relatively simple process and it is one you can do yourself with the right sealer and equipment.  The first step will be to clean up the driveway to remove dirt, oil stains, grease and mildew using a product such as Latexite Driveway cleaner/degreaser. Then, you just need to apply a block paving sealer that can be applied with a roller, brush, sprayer or squeegee.  The result will be no more weeds or ants and the sealer will also help to enhance the colour of your block paving making it look as good as new.

Have a go, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is and what results you can achieve. We’ve got lots of FAQs and advice videos on our website to show you how.

How to calculate how much driveway sealer you need.

A question we get asked a lot is how much driveway sealer do I need? This is always a tricky one to answer as it can depend on the condition of the driveway you are sealing. A very poor condition driveway will use more as you are advised to apply two coats.  If the driveway has never been sealed before it will also use more sealant.

To give you some help in how to calculate how much sealer you will need for your concrete, block paving or tarmac driveway we have developed a handy calculator on our website.  Just put in the dimensions of your driveway in meters and it will tell you how many pails of our sealant you need. It will even tell you how much you’ll need if your driveway is in a poor condition or has never been sealed before.

So pop along to our calculator and you can work out how much you need. You might then be able to take advantage of one of our multi-buy offers on some of our tarmac sealers.

Tarmac Sealing – The Time is Right!

If you are thinking about sealing your tarmac driveway, now is the time to get it done! Tarmac sealer needs to adhere to your tarmac driveway and to do this you must apply it when the temperature is 10 Degrees Centigrade and rising. Don’t forget that applies to night time temperatures as well. So, the ideal time to apply tarmac sealer is between March and early October but you do need to check the temperature if you’re thinking about it whatever time of year.

Don’t forget that if you have just had your tarmac driveway laid, we recommend you wait at least 6 months before applying a sealer. This allows the natural distillates in the asphalt to be emitted prior to sealing. A good way to check is to spray water on the driveway and, if it beads up, it’s not ready yet.

For more advice about tarmac sealing and our tarmac sealing products you can visit our website at www.blackjacksurfacetechnology.com

Welcome

Welcome to the new driveway repair blog where we will be sharing with you tips and tricks for how to keep your driveway looking great and protect it from daily wear and tear. Over the coming weeks and months we will be covering a wide range of topics giving you tips on how to repair your driveway and answering some of the most commonly asked questions our customers ask us.

We will be covering tarmac, concrete and block paving driveways in our blogs so keep reading for advice and guidance that may save you a fortune!

For further advice, videos and our full range of driveway repair products visit our site at www.blackjacksurfacetechnology.com