Outdoor Travertine and Concrete Sealer

Outdoor Sealers 

The types of stones you use truly make your outdoor area unique and beautiful when it comes to outdoor spaces. Many people think that since the stones are made for outdoor use, they are more durable and can withstand anything. Although we wish this could be true, it most definitely is not. Travertine pavers are a natural stone and concrete/brick pavers are very porous, and these are the main types of stone used for patios and courtyards. Both concrete and Travertine are porous materials and can stain over time. AriStone Cleaning and Restoration highly recommends regular care and professional maintenance and sealing for pavers.

Due to Arizona's crazy weather outdoor pavers, tiles and even furniture takes a toll over time. With our crazy monsoon seasons, high temperatures and the beating sun our outdoor spaces take some serious abuse. We can help you know how to adequately protect your outdoor pavers and tiles. 

Today, we will discuss the different options for sealers that we recommend for the different types of pavers and ones we strongly urge you not to use. Let's start with travertine pavers.

TRAVERTINEPAVERS AND OUTDOOR TILE

Travertine pavers and tiles come in many different color options and styles of pavers. Since Travertine is a natural stone, it can be absorbent. We recommend yearly cleanings and sealings with sealers that absorb into the stone. We have two specific sealers for travertine pavers, a natural look sealer and an enhancing sealer. Both sealers are penetrating sealers that soak into the pavers and clog the pores helping prevent staining and even organic growth from seeping up.

Our natural look sealer is a hybrid solvent-based penetrating sealer. By hybrid solvent, we mean it is a combination of a water-based sealer and oil-based sealer. This sealer protects from salt, acid rain, high alkali soil, microscopic organic degradation and UV breakdown because of the deep organic bonding strength. It also only has a 24-hour curing process. We apply this sealer by spraying or rolling depending on your pavers, letting the sealer dwell and penetrate the travertine pavers. After about 10 minutes or so, we buff off the excess sealer with buffing pads to leave your pavers protected and looking beautiful. Before we seal, we will deeply clean your pavers to remove as much debris and staining that may have already occurred. We recommend sealing your pavers as soon as possible. If you have polymeric sand installed, we can come in and seal seven days after the sand was completed to give you protection from day one. When the pavers dry out, they will look like they did when the pavers were dry and the sealer will act as a barrier preventing substances from penetrating the stone.

If you are looking for more vibrancy from your travertine pavers, we offer an enhancer sealer that will make the Travertine look wet without being glossy or slippery. Our enhancer sealers are applied the same way the natural look sealer is and protects the same. The only actual difference is our enhancer sealers create a wet look. As it penetrates into the stone, it will bring out all the colors of the pavers, giving you the look you get when you hose down the pavers and then stay that way. Like the natural look sealer, the enhancer will act as a barrier preventing staining and discoloration. 

Neither one of these sealers will make the pavers slippery or change the texture.

CONCRETEAND BRICK PAVERS

Brick pavers are typically made from concrete, and the sealers we use on concrete and brick pavers are the same. Like Travertine, we have a natural look sealer for brick and concrete and a wet look.

After thoroughly cleaning the concrete pavers, the natural look sealer will penetrate into the pores and clog them, helping prevent organic growth and staining within the brick or concrete. This sealer will keep your brick pavers looking like they do when dry. The application of these sealers is to roll or spray them on, let them seep into the pavers, and then buff off any excess to ensure no stickiness or tackiness. Our natural look sealers are hybrid solvent-based giving you the best possible protection from Arizona's weather and different elements. We highly suggest cleaning and sealing concrete at least once a year, and if you can do it every six months, that is even better. Brick and concrete are very porous, so they need a little more care.

We offer two wet look sealers. One is water-based, and the other is a high solvent-based sealer. With the wet look sealer, we try the water-based first, but because of how absorbent concrete sometimes we have to use the high solids sealer to ensure you get the best protection and look out of the pavers. When we apply the wet look sealer, the pavers will look like they do when you hose them down without being glossy, shiny or slippery. The vibrancy we can get out of brick pavers is absolutely gorgeous and so worth the time.

SEALERSWE DO NOT RECOMMEND FOR OUTDOORS

Over the years, we have seen many customers apply their own sealers, which is excellent, DYI is always a good thing, but we want to make sure you are using the correct sealers. Many of the sealers you can buy from local stores say they are penetrating or impregnating, but this is not always true, so before buying, do your research. Topical sealers are typically what we see homeowners using, and these are terrible for the outdoors. Topical sealers are sealers that you apply and they create a shell-like coating. They do not absorb in they sit on the top. When first done, they look amazing and work great, but they will breakdown quickly and start to look splotchy, flaky, and awful. The only way to remove topical sealers is to strip them off, which is not always easy as the sealers will bond with the pavers and may not strip off completely. All in all, make sure you know what you are applying before you do.

Another sealer a lot of our customers ask about, especially ones with a pool, are the anti-slip coatings. These again are topical sealers, so we recommend not using them right off the bat. The other issue with these is, from our experience, they do not work and tend not to make the pavers any less slippery than they already are. They are not worth the money or stress of using them in our professional opinion. We wish they would work and when the technology gets corrected and does work, we plan to offer them, but until that happens, be very careful applying these to your outdoor spaces.

As you can see, the sealers used for your outdoor entertaining areas are critical. The more knowledge you can get before doing this yourself, the better off you will be and obviously, using a professional who has tested and worked with the products for years is the safest bet. AriStone Cleaning and Restoration is always willing to discuss all your options and give you our recommendations for the type of pavers and look you are going for. Feel free to reach out to us anytime at our office number 480-352-2987 or check out our very informational website at www.travertinecleaningaz.com. We are the type of company that is very transparent and honest with all we do.

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