People who live in colder climates often use salt and other products to de-ice surfaces to help them remove snow and ice, and to prevent people from slipping once the snow has been removed. While these products are great, they can also cause damage to brick pavers if they’re not used properly or if the brick pavers themselves aren’t properly maintained.
If you have brick pavers in a driveway, walkway or other surface that experiences foot traffic, then it’s important to understand the potential damage that salt can do to them over time, and different ways that you can protect the surfaces.
Below, we’ll provide winterization tips, including potential damage that salt can cause to brick pavers, as well as some ways that you can protect your brick pavers by using sealers.
Understanding Salt Damage to Brick Pavers
De-icing products actually don’t cause damage directly to brick pavers. However, the chemical reaction that happens when they come in contact with ice, snow and water ultimately can cause damage over time.
The way that de-icing salts work is that lower the natural freezing point of ice and snow, which then accelerates how quickly they melt. This is great, of course, but there is a byproduct of this process.
When the ice and snow melts, what it leaves behind is a residual liquid that has a high concentration of sodium. And, since this liquid now has a freezing point that’s lower than water, it freezes and thaws more frequently.
If your surface isn’t sealed properly during the brick paver walkway installation process — or at some point afterward — it can be more susceptible to this residual liquid penetrating into its pores.
Once the liquid has penetrated into the brick pavers, it will expand and contract when the temperature drops and climbs, respectively. This can cause the brick pavers to crumble and chafe.
This saltwater that is now inside the brick pavers will accelerate the pavers’ aging process, since they are exposed to sodium runoff.
Choosing the Right Sealer for Brick Pavers
All of this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use de-icing salt products. It just means that you need to ensure that your brick pavers are properly sealed to protect the salt from seeping into the pores.
There are two main types of sealers, water-based and solvent-based, each of which has its benefits and drawbacks.
Most of the time, it’s ideal to use a water-based sealer. This type of sealer requires less clean up, lower VOCs and odors as well. In addition, it gives your brick pavers a matte finish that’s more natural.
Solvent-based sealers, meanwhile, will provide a glossier finish, if that’s something you’re looking for. In addition, this type of sealer will provide additional protection from grease and oil stains, which could be important if it’s located around an outdoor cooking area or where you might work on cars.
There are two important things to keep in mind regardless of which sealer you choose.
First, it’s preferable to avoid wet sealers. This is because it creates additional necessary maintenance. After all, since concrete pavers are porous, they will soak in some of the wet sealers. This moisture can then get trapped inside of the pavers, which could ultimately shrink the lifespan of the pavers themselves.
Second, stick with whatever type of sealer you choose permanently. There are risks of switching back and forth between a water-based and solvent-based sealer, as it can completely destroy the pavers and leave them with a white milky appearance that is very hard to remove.
Specialized Products for Salt Defense
There are some specialized products that will help to improve salt defense of your surface while also protecting the brick pavers themselves.
SealGreen Paver Concrete Sealer with Salt Defense Technology, for instance, is a water-based siloxane that penetrates most concrete and masonry pores up to a quarter-inch or more. It forms a strong, permanent bond beneath the surface and creates a zone that prevents all water molecules from penetrating the surface.
In addition to providing a long-term repellent to water, it also prevents any salt and/or de-icer from penetrating into the pavers themselves.
Sealers such as this are designed to resist salt penetration, which protects against potential chemical damage that pavers can sustain when using de-icing products.
Application Tips for Salt Defense Products
When you apply a salt defense product, it’s important to follow certain application tips.
First, you need to prepare your brick pavers. They need to be completely free of any debris and dry. You can blow away any dirt and debris with a blower, and ensure that it hasn’t rained in a few days. You can even do a moisture test to ensure that the pavers are dry enough
Once you’ve chosen your sealer, you should follow the directions on the packaging on how to apply it. Different types of sealers are best applied in different ways, so always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
In most cases, sealers will need to cure for at least 24 hours. Some may be what is called “rain-ready” in 90 minutes after application. Even still, it’s a good idea to plan your application when no rain is in the forecast for at least a day.
Maintenance and Reapplication
Applying a sealer is a great way to ensure your brick pavers resist water and are protected from potential salt damage. It’s important to scheduled regular maintenance checks, too, so that you can assess the integrity of the pavers over time.
In addition to re-applying the sealer at set intervals, you want to routinely check the pavers for cracks and any other signs of damage. Imperfections in the pavers could make them extra susceptible to soaking in water and being damaged by salt.
Alternative Protection Methods
Salt-based products aren’t the only way to prevent ice from forming and to melt snow and ice on brick pavers.
You can use other protective measures such as spreading sand. Not only does sand accomplish the same thing in different ways, it’s also not harmful to brick pavers. The sand won’t soak into the pavers themselves, and it doesn’t have corrosive properties like salt-based solutions do.
So, if you’d rather not worry about the potential damage that salt products can cause, you might want to opt for sand or some other alternative protection method for your brick pavers.
