Yes, we will clean them without sealing them
Cleaning is the single thing customers mention most in our reviews after installation, and a good number of people only ever wanted the clean. So here is the straight version, including the part that is against our own interest.
What a clean actually does
Pressure washing a paver surface removes what is sitting on it: algae, mould, black mildew streaks, road grime, leaf tannin staining, and the general grey film that makes a surface look old from the street. On a shaded pool deck or a north-facing walkway the difference is dramatic, and it is entirely down to the wash. The before and after on this page is exactly that — one screened pool deck, dirty on one side and washed on the other, no sealer involved.
It does not put color back. If the paver has been bleached by fifteen years of sun, the pigment is genuinely gone from the top of the stone, and washing it cannot return what is not there. That needs a sealer, or a tinted one. Anyone who tells you a wash will restore a faded driveway is selling you a disappointment.
Re-sanding is not optional, and it is not an upsell
A proper pressure wash strips joint sand out. That is expected and unavoidable — the water goes where the dirt is, and the dirt is in the joints.
So a wash that ends when the washing ends leaves you with a clean surface and empty joints, which is a worse structural position than before we arrived. Empty joints are where weeds start, where ants get in, and where pavers begin to rock and grind their edges against each other.
Every clean we do includes re-sanding. If another quote is cheaper, this is the line item worth asking about, and the sand color is worth choosing while you are at it — we have matched Oxford grey to a customer’s color scheme rather than defaulting to a grey that fights the paver. There is a whole guide to joint sand if you want the detail.
The honest part: how long a clean lasts on its own
In this climate, a washed-and-unsealed paver surface starts greening again within about a year, and faster than that where it is shaded, damp or under a screen cage. The wash removed the growth; it did not leave anything behind to slow the next lot down.
A sealed surface stays clean far longer, because the sealer is what stops water, spores and oil getting into the paver in the first place. That is the actual argument for sealing, and it is a better one than the way it looks.
So when is cleaning alone the right call?
Genuinely, in four cases:
- You are selling. A wash before listing is the highest-return exterior money there is, and you will not be there to care about year two.
- You are testing us. Some people want to see how we work before committing to the bigger job. That is completely reasonable and we would rather you did.
- The surface is not ready to seal. New pavers need to weather before sealing, and anything still moving needs resetting first. Cleaning now and sealing later is the correct order, not a compromise.
- It is a surface you do not want sealed at all. Some materials and some looks are better left unsealed, and we will say so on the walkthrough.
If none of those is you, we will tell you honestly that the clean is the smaller half of the job and that you will be looking at the same problem next year.
Construction and mortar cleanup
A specific version of this that new builds need: mortar, grout haze and construction residue left on pavers by whoever laid them. We have taken a Cape Harbour driveway in Cape Coral back from a mortar mess to its proper color. It is a cleaning job rather than a sealing one, and it takes different products than algae does, so mention it when you call rather than booking a standard wash.
What you get from us
Free estimates, usually same-day. Licensed and insured, with documents we send straight to an HOA that asks. We walk the property before quoting, and if a clean is all you need, a clean is all we will quote.
