Paving can be the perfect way to increase kerb appeal outside your home, extend the use of your garden, or to just create an attractive edge around your existing lawn. Here at Sansums, we stock a huge range of patio slabs including Council Slab, Challice Slab, Chaucer Buff Slab, Stamford Buff Slab and a huge range of extra accessories to help you create your dream garden space!

Most importantly, when laying a patio space, you should know how to preserve and keep it in excellent condition. Below we have put together our five top tips to help you maintain and keep your garden paving looking attractive – even through the winter months!

Regular Brushing

Regular brushing clears off dirt and debris and also helps to break up small weeds that may be growing through your patio which will help stop them from spreading further. A good brush and some soapy water should be enough to work well and produce good results.

Pressure Washing

Even if you regularly brush your patio, giving it a more thorough clean every so often will do it good. In a similar manner as the brush and soapy water method, work your way over the surface of the patio with the pressure washer, removing as much surface grime as possible.

Frequent Weeding

It’s important to ensure that you weed your patio regularly to prevent overgrowth. Always try and remove the weeds at their roots to prevent them from growing back. If pulling weeds does not seem to be controlling the problem, the next option is to use a chemical weed killer.

Removing Algae and Moss Build Up

Most patio owners will find that somewhere on it, will be a green patch of growth. In most cases, this will be either Algae or Moss. Almost all patios or paved surfaces will feature a degree of algae and moss growth but it can be more extensive in wetter climates as the algae and moss itself thrives off moisture, particularly rainwater.

To rid your surface of this growth, one of the best and most effective cleaners is ordinary household bleach.

Get yourself a bucket or watering can and create a mix of bleach and water at about 50%. Next, sprinkle the mixture over your garden paving and leave it for a few minutes work away. Over larger surfaces use a yard brush to spread it around evenly.

Once it has had a chance to work on the algae for a few minutes, you will need to rinse it off using clean water. Where there’s a lot of moss and algae growth, you may need to repeat this process several times until it lifts the algae from the surface.

Though, remember this situation is not a “be-all and end-all solution”, you will need to do this every few months to ensure no significant re-growth.

Fill Joints

Paving joints play an important function by linking the concrete or stones together and providing structure to the whole patio. Sometimes, cleaning them can be tricky, as this is the most vulnerable area of the patio. In addition to keeping joint areas weeded, you’ll sometimes need to patch and repair areas of your patio.

When pulling weeds out from in between the stones you can remove sand and leave gaps for more weeds to grow between. If the mortar shows signs of cracking or flaking, it’s best to make repairs sooner rather than later.

Sealing Paving Stones

Patio sealant can be a great way to prevent moisture and frost from seeping in and damaging concrete or stone pavements. There is a wide variety of products but do take care to read the label as the wrong products can sometimes damage the surface of your garden paving. You will still need to clean your patio regularly if it is sealed, and you will need to reapply the sealant every few years, based on the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Patio and garden paving maintenance isn’t difficult but does require an ongoing commitment to keep surfaces clean and in top condition.

A little regular work, especially during the oncoming winter will keep problems from developing and will keep your garden stones looking great!