Cleaning and sealing interlock, in that order, always.

Faded, grimy, moss-streaked interlock is usually not worn out. Years of surface build-up obscure the original colour. A real clean pulls that build-up off, and the right sealer keeps the restored colour looking that way. The trap is sealing over the grime, which traps it under a film and makes the next cleaning a much harder job.

The clean

A controlled pressure wash, calibrated to lift moss, oil shadows, ground-in dirt, and the white efflorescence that hazes older pavers, without blasting the surface or displacing more joint sand than necessary. Done properly, the original colour of the stone comes through, and the change is often surprising to homeowners who assumed the stone had simply faded permanently.

Choosing the right sealer

Sealer selection depends on the result the homeowner wants and the conditions the surface faces. The main categories:

• Natural-look or matte sealers. Protect without changing the colour much. The surface looks clean and protected but not wet or shiny. A common choice for light-coloured pavers where homeowners want to preserve the as-laid appearance.
• Wet-look or gloss sealers. Deepen the paver colour significantly, similar to how wet stone looks in rain. A popular choice for two-tone driveways or patios where contrast is part of the visual. Tends to show scuff marks more on driveways with heavy vehicle traffic.
• Salt-resistant sealers. Formulated to resist the winter road salt that is common on Niagara driveways. Worth specifying for a driveway that receives direct salt contact.
• UV-stabilized sealers. Block the ultraviolet exposure that fades darker pavers over time. Particularly relevant for south-facing surfaces in full sun.

The refresh cycle

Most exterior interlock sealers in the Niagara climate have a service life of roughly three to five years before they need refreshing. A driveway that takes daily vehicle traffic and heavy road salt is at the shorter end; a shaded back patio with foot traffic only is at the longer end. The refresh is less intensive than the first seal: a light clean and a new coat, without the need for the aggressive cleaning pass.

What is published on cost

No verified Niagara or Ontario figure for what this work costs exists in any government, association, or other authoritative source, so this guide publishes none. The way to learn what your job costs is a written, itemized quote from a local contractor, and a second one itemized the same way so the two can be compared line by line.

Best value: clean and seal at the same time as a re-sand, and the whole surface is done in one mobilization. The per-square-foot total is lower than scheduling the two jobs separately. See re-leveling settled pavers if pavers have also settled: re-level first, then re-sand and seal, so the joints are not disturbed twice.