Paver Sealant: Standing the Test of Time

Interlocking concrete pavers are beautiful and dynamic. Well designed outdoor spaces with good color and pattern selection can be absolutely stunning. This home, right, is a great example. Paving stones also endure the elements better than almost any other paving material applied today. They simply last.

However, there is one aspect of pavers that can change with time. As dust, routine traffic, and hard water work on the pavers the original colors can fade and tarnish. A quick power-washing often revitalizes the paving stones by removing embedded dust. What happens when the pavers are stained with oil or rubber? How do you keep dirt from the pavers in the first place?

Enter paver sealant.

A powerful product, solvent based sealant was used for years to protect driveways and patios. The coating enhances the color of the pavers, protects the stones from erosion, and also seals the stones from stains. Oil and rubber marks can simply be wiped away from sealed concrete stone. For years Genesis used this solvent based sealer with stunning results. Paved surfaces were left with a high gloss sheen that have stood the test of time.

However, recent EPA regulations have limited solvent based solutions in California. The VOC, volatile organic compound, rating for the solvent sealer was well above the new environmental standard. The only remaining product is a highly limited water-based sealant.  The penetration of this water-based product is far less than the solvent-based sealer, with visibly inferior results. This caused Genesis to shy away from stone sealant altogether.

Developments in recent years, however, have allowed Genesis to offer stone sealant once again, this time water based. This new eco-friendly product reduces VOC, volatile organic compounds, in the air and penetrates deeply enough to bond well and protect the pavers.

Summary of benefits: