5 Stone Patio Care and Maintenance Tips
Natural stone pavers are a beautiful addition to any outdoor space, whether you’re adding pathways or creating a patio space for lounging and entertaining. Once you’ve created your restful oasis with custom landscape design, it’s time to move on to hardscaping elements that offset the flora and allow for greater enjoyment of your Rock Valley, Iowa yard.
Of course, when you decide to install a luxury element like natural stone, you want to make sure it lasts a lifetime, or at least as long as you’re in your home. This means properly caring for and maintaining your stone patio. Here are a few tips to keep your patio looking fantastic and ensure that it serves your needs for years to come.
1.) Keep it clean. Even if your stone patio is sealed against the elements, the onslaught of sun, rain, and snow can wear down the finish over time, especially when the problem is exacerbated by the buildup of abrasive dirt and grit. In order to protect your stone from damage, you need to keep it clean.
This means preventing the accumulation of dirt as much as possible. Simply hosing down your patio regularly is a good way to accomplish this, but you might also want to pressure wash it annually to deep clean. If you notice particularly stubborn grime, attack it with a scrub brush and suitable cleansing agent.
2.) Remove stains. If your patio extends to an outdoor kitchen or even if you have a grill on your patio, food stains can become an issue. Pet stains or staining from outdoor elements can also occur. What can you do to remove these stains?
It’s best to get professional advice pertaining to your type of natural stone. In some cases, bleach or acidic cleansers can work, but you might not necessarily want to tackle this task on your own and risk damaging stone further. Hiring professional cleaners annually is a good option to preserve your natural stone patio.
3.) Reseal it regularly. Sealed natural stone is protected against fading and wear from the elements and foot traffic, but the sealant can deteriorate with time and use. For this reason, you’ll want to reseal regularly. How often may depend on the type of stone, the intensity of weather conditions, and usage, but you should generally anticipate the need to reseal every 3-4 years.
4.) Eliminate weeds. Nothing can disrupt the appearance of a pristine stone patio faster than weeds growing up through the cracks. What’s worse, unchecked weed growth could actually harm your stone over time. Weed prevention efforts should start before you even install your patio if you don’t want to spend undue time pulling up weeds or spraying weed killer, but you can always spot kill after the fact if stragglers poke through.
5.) Replace broken stones. Despite your best efforts, damage can occur, and while replacing a stone paver can be a pain, depending on how your patio is installed, it’s better than allowing a broken paver to stand out like a sore thumb. With proper care and maintenance, you can preserve your natural stone patio and enjoy the time you spend outdoors in your Sioux Center, Iowa yard.