Already know what you need? Go straight to pressure washing.
What pressure washing does
A proper clean lifts algae, mildew, general grime and the gray film that hides the real color of the paver. On a surface that has never been cleaned, the difference is dramatic and immediate.
What it does not do is change anything about how the paver behaves tomorrow. An unsealed paver is porous. The moment it is clean, it starts absorbing again.
What sealing does
Sealing closes the surface. Dirt sits on top instead of soaking in, UV has a harder time bleaching the pigment, and the polymeric sand in the joints sets firm rather than washing out with every storm.
The practical result is that the next clean is far easier and comes around much less often.
Side by side
| Pressure washing | Sealing | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Removes dirt, algae and grime sitting on the surface | Closes the surface so dirt cannot soak back in |
| How long it holds | A season or two before regrowth | Two to four years |
| Joint sand | Strips out whatever was loose | Hardens and locks the sand in place |
| Color | Reveals the color that is still there | Holds the color against UV |
| Weeds and ants | Clears what has grown | Removes the open joint they need |
| Relative cost | Lower | Higher |
| Order | Always first | Only ever after cleaning |
Why you cannot skip the cleaning step
Sealer is transparent and it is effectively permanent. Whatever is on the paver when it goes down stays visible underneath: dirt, mildew shadows, tire marks, all of it locked in and no longer reachable.
This is the single most common failure we get called out to fix. Someone sealed over a surface that was not properly cleaned, and now the only route back is stripping the sealer off.
When cleaning alone is the right call
Cleaning on its own is a perfectly sensible choice when:
- The pavers were sealed recently and just need freshening up
- You are preparing to sell and want the fastest visible improvement
- The surface is new enough that the factory finish is still working
- Budget means doing it in two stages: clean now, seal next season
When you want both
If the pavers have never been sealed, or water soaks straight in, or the joints are dropping, cleaning alone puts you back in the same position within a season or two. That is the point at which paying twice for cleaning costs more than sealing once.
Still not sure? Send us the surface, the city and a rough size. We will tell you whether cleaning, sealing, re-sanding or restoration is the right next step, including when the answer is that you do not need us yet.
Get a free estimate