Although Paving looks great once it is fresh and new, over the years it suffers from the weather and elements that cause it to wear down and get cracks over time.
Variety of pavers to choose from
There are different type of pavers that you can choose from. There’s stone, clay, and concrete, just to name a few. Amongst the most expensive options that you can choose from include bricks that are typically used for a house, and dry formed concrete. These two materials are the most expensive because moisture is easily absorbed into them.
Natural stone options like sandstone, granite, limestone, and basalt, are quite dense and do not absorb very much moisture at all. However, there are some sandstones that are of low quality and they are porous, so you just have to keep a look out of the quality and know what you are buying. You’ll want to make sure you purchase your natural stone from a reputable company.
Pavers that are made from clay hold up very well when it comes to not allowing moisture to absorb. However, when this material is used for paving in a shaded area, if can become susceptible to mold growth over time. You will want to make sure you check the borders of your driveway after about a year or two of installation to see if there are any signs of mold growth.
Sand mixture
Pavers are typically installed with a sand grout; which holds the pavers in place nicely and allows natural flexibility of the surface as well as effective draining. Mortar is sometimes used for grouting if the pavement’s foundation is mortar. This typically keeps the issues with weeds growing through the foundation at bay. Mortar is often better to use compared to cement, because the cement foundation breaks down more quickly over time resulting in having to be replaced sooner.
Pavers and weed growth
Weed growth can occur over time through the edges and cracks of pavers, depending on how the pavers are placed as well as depending upon what shape the pavers are. Often times what can happen is over time, any cracks that are in the pavers edges can hold seeds that grow into weeds through the cracks. Bricks and cobbled stone used for paving can be very beautiful but are very hard to set up in a way that would keep the weeds from making their way through the cracks over time.
In this case it is a good idea to use pavers that have sharp edges and that fit into place tightly or almost perfectly to the point there are no spaces between them for weed growth.
It does not help when there is rain or run off water in one section of your pavement. Any water settling in one spot for extended periods of time can cause growth to occur, so if you can help it, try to find ways to keep your pavement as dry as possible.
Ways to eliminate the weeds
Keeping in mind the possibility that you will have some weed or moss growth over time on your pavement, there are other ways that you can go about preventing the weeds from growing through, or getting rid of weeds that already exist between the cracks of your pavement.
Pulling the weeds out if they are long enough is one way of removing them, but you will need to make sure you take preventative measures to keep the weeds from growing back again. With that being said, you can use a weed removal spray found in the gardening department of the store. They are usually quite affordable and work really well. You can also pour boiling hot water on the weeds that are there; or that can’t be seen through the cracks.
Chlorine
The use of pool chlorine can also be quite effective in removing the weeds that you may find in the cracks of your pavement. It is available in a variety of sizes, so you can purchase it depending on how much of it you think that you will be using.
To use this method you will need to dampen the surface that you plan to remove the weeds from. Make sure you use gloves during this process so that you can sprinkle the chlorine on the area that you need it on. The gloves should be worn in order to keep your skin safe since it is pretty concentrated. You’ll want to avoid any possible irritation that the chlorine can give you.
So the chlorine should sit for at least an hour and you’ll want to keep yourself, your kids and any pets away from the area because it will have a strong chlorine smell. Once the hour is over, you can rinse the chlorine off of your pavement. For a while you shouldn’t have to worry about any weeks trying to pop up through the cracks.