Why Pavers Need Penetrating Sealer
Pavers in the Southeast face unique challenges that homeowners up north simply don’t encounter. Intense UV exposure fades colors within months. Heavy afternoon thunderstorms wash out polymeric sand and create perfect conditions for weed growth. Salt air near the coast accelerates deterioration. And the constant battle against ant hills and weed sprouts feels never-ending.
Even Belgard, one of the largest paver producers in the country, advises that all concrete pavers should be sealed.
Traditional film-forming sealers promise to solve these problems, but they create new ones. That glossy coating traps moisture beneath the surface, leading to a cloudy white appearance called “blushing.” Within 2-3 years, the film begins peeling at the edges, requiring complete stripping before re-application. It’s an expensive, frustrating cycle.
DuraSeal uses a penetrating sealant that absorbs into the paver material itself. This approach seals from the inside-out, so low areas and shady spots dry out quickly, limiting fungal growth. No shiny coating to wear away. Our sealant does not get slippery when wet.
The result: pavers that stay cleaner naturally, are permanently protected and backed by a 25 year warranty.
Built for Harsh Conditions
Our penetrating sealant is specifically formulated for the southeast’s intense sun, heavy rainfall, and coastal salt exposure.
25-YEAR WARRANTY
Our promise in plain English:
If our sealant fails to protect your surface the way we said it would, we come back and fix it at no charge — for up to 25 years. And if you sell your home, the warranty transfers to the new owner.
Most people come out ahead in 2-3 years compared to re-staining.
Warranty covers product performance, not pre-existing conditions or normal cleaning. Full terms provided at installation.
Professional Paver Sealing Across the Southeast
We offer professional paver sealing services throughout Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
Why we are not a $1.50 a square foot wash-and-seal
There is a whole category of contractors who will pressure wash your pavers and roll on a cheap acrylic the same afternoon for a rock-bottom square-foot price. The number looks great. What you are actually buying is a film: a thin plastic layer sitting on top of the pavers that starts breaking down almost immediately in Southeast sun and rain.
Two or three years later that film is peeling at the edges, hazed white where moisture got trapped underneath, and slick every time it rains. It cannot simply be topped up. It has to be stripped, which costs more than the original job, and then you are back at the start. Pay a low price often enough and it stops being a low price.
Wet-look film vs penetrating sealer
A wet-look sealer is a surface coating. It gives the dramatic glossy magazine look the day it is applied, and it hides a lot. But it sits on top, so it can peel, blush white, yellow in UV, and get slippery under water. It also traps moisture inside the paver, which in shaded, damp areas is exactly how you grow mildew under a plastic sheet.
A penetrating sealer like DuraSeal soaks into the paver and cures inside the pore structure. You get a richer, truer, more even color rather than a shine, and the surface still breathes, so moisture can leave the paver instead of being sealed in. Nothing can peel because nothing is on top.
If a glass-like shine is your only goal, a film will give it to you for a couple of years. If you want the pavers protected and looking right for decades without a recoat cycle, penetrating is the honest answer.
Slip resistance matters more than shine
Pavers get used around pools, on pool decks, on walkways and on sloped driveways, usually by people in bare feet or flip-flops. Any coating that sits on the surface changes how much grip that surface has when it is wet. Because our sealer cures inside the paver, the texture underfoot is the texture the paver came with. Wet or dry, the traction is essentially unchanged, and we do not have to sell you an anti-slip additive to fix a problem the sealer created.
Weeds, ants and joint sand
Most of what homeowners hate about pavers is not the pavers, it is the joints. Southeast downpours flush polymeric sand out of the joints, and every void that opens up becomes a seed bed for weeds and a door for ants. Our application stabilizes the sand in the joints so it stops washing out. Fewer voids means dramatically fewer weeds and far fewer ant hills, and you are not topping up sand every spring.
25 years vs a two to three year recoat cycle
The real comparison is not one invoice against another, it is one invoice against a lifetime of invoices. A film-forming seal job typically needs redoing every two to three years, and eventually needs stripping first. Over 25 years that is a lot of visits, a lot of disruption, and a deck or driveway that spends part of every cycle looking tired.
DuraSeal is applied once and carries a 25-year transferable warranty. If it does not protect your pavers the way we said it would, we come back and make it right at no charge. Sell the house and the coverage goes to the new owner, which is a genuine selling point at closing. We do not publish a square-foot price for paver work because condition, joint sand, access and existing coatings change the job. Quotes are free, on-site and written.
Our paver sealing process
- Free on-site quote. We look at the surface, the joints and any existing coating, then price it in writing. InstaQuote online or 888-660-0260.
- Deep clean. Cleaning at correct pressure plus treatment for algae, rust and organic staining. Penetrating sealer needs clean, open pores.
- Joint sand and repairs. Wash-out is topped up and loose pavers reset where practical.
- Dry down. The pavers must be dry to absorb the sealer properly, so we schedule around weather.
- Application to saturation. Into the paver, not onto it. No film, no gloss coat.
- Walkthrough and warranty registration.
Paver sealing by area
We seal pavers across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida with local crews, not one remote office. Area pages: Jacksonville paver sealing, Savannah paver sealing, Fort Myers and Naples paver sealing, Florida paver sealing, and paver sealing pricing.
Paver sealing FAQ
How is this different from a wash-and-seal for a dollar or two a square foot?
Those jobs put an acrylic film on top of your pavers. Ours goes into the paver and is warranted for 25 years. The cheap job usually needs redoing in two to three years, and stripping before it can be redone.
Will my pavers look wet and shiny?
No. Colors come back deeper and more even, but there is no plastic gloss. That is deliberate: gloss is the part that peels and gets slippery.
Is it slippery when wet?
No. Nothing sits on the surface, so grip is essentially unchanged. That matters on pool decks and sloped driveways.
Does it really stop weeds and ants?
It greatly reduces them by stabilizing the joint sand so storms stop washing it out. Nothing outdoors is literally weed-proof, but the difference is dramatic.
Can new pavers be sealed right away?
Yes, once the joint sand has set, typically a day or two after installation. Sealing early is the best time to do it, before staining and fading start.
My pavers already have a sealer that is peeling. Can you fix it?
Usually. The failed film has to be stripped first so ours can penetrate, and we price that separately at the quote. We will not seal on top of a failing coating.
What does it cost?
We do not publish a square-foot rate for pavers because condition, joints, access and any existing coating change the work. The on-site quote is free and the number is in writing before we start.
Do I ever have to reseal?
Not on a recoat cycle. The warranty runs 25 years and transfers with the home. Normal washing is still normal maintenance.
Get a free paver sealing quote
Call 888-660-0260, use InstaQuote for a fast ballpark, or request a free on-site quote. 4.9 stars across 450+ Google reviews, serving NC, SC, GA and FL.