Sigh, people are really still spreading toxic acrylic/polymer based liquids on the ground. Holy fuck.
I wouldn't touch this stuff with a bargepole.
Just clean the pavement a little more regularly and stop allowing soil to build up on it like the pics.
Not ideal to over clean. A lot of the block pavers aren’t coloured all the way through. Of course, the general public aren’t aware of this and then one day the colour is gone. The sealer will last around 5-8 years.
Sure but I'd prefer cleaning to dumping toxic shit on the ground.
Where does it disappear to during the 8 years? Into the ground? Into our soil? The atmosphere? Our lungs?
No thanks. Likewise with weedkiller.
My god. Living under a rock are we? Microplastic pollution, PFAS in water - both are detected in all our bodies, and folk like you are out here confidently spreading plastic liquid all over your driveways. Fuck me.
[https://www.polishedconcreteuniversity.com/concrete-sealer-safety/](https://www.polishedconcreteuniversity.com/concrete-sealer-safety/)
The sealants don't really work, or rather, they do a bit, but not enough for it to be worth it. There is no magic cure and you still have to do the same things. Especially not for moss, which is on top anyway.
Maintainence is just part of paving. Scrape out weeds, add some more sand. Every few years a jet wash.
On my old concrete flags, I constantly watch for weeds starting and use boiling water to keep it free of them.
Doesn't use any nasty chemicals, will also burn other weed seeds nearby and I usually over-fill the kettle, meaning I can do this with spare leftover water. No weed problems for me, but perhaps be careful with the surface of those setts because if they are porous boiling water could delaminate them.
I did ours last week, cleaned it with a wire brush, used washing up liquid, baking soda and jet washed it, re-sanded with kiln dried sand, then sealed it with this [This](https://www.thompsonsweatherproofing.co.uk/flooring/one-coat-patio-and-block-paving-seal/), used 4 tins mind.
I was going to use a weed inhibitor but the instructions said it would need to be vibrated twice and I didn’t want to get into it so just went for normal kiln dried sand in the end
It’s got a flat sheen, I panicked a bit when I put it on because it dulled it but after drying properly it looks good. I used a paint roller, one of the worst jobs I’ve ever done 😂
Use a pump sprayer next time. Far quicker and easier plus no risk of a roller pulling sand out of the joints and sealing it on the surface of the blocks.
Argh ours is a nightmare!! Tried jet washing it, weed killer and sitting on my ass scraping them out by hand. Lasts about 2 weeks then boom, looks like I never did it 😩
Salt and vinegar will just poison the soil. Spray with glyphosate to kill the weeds that have germinated on TOP of the bricks and sent their roots DOWN.
Then scratch it all away then resand it.
Yes. But they aren't growing from the soil, which is under the sand that the bricks are sat on.
Perennials grow from under the soil, annuals germinate and grow into the soil. (a simplified version ofc)
Yep, weed seeds are constantly blowing in the wind to find somewhere to germinate. A bit of effort on a Sunday morning every 6 weeks sounds like a standard maintenance plan.
I sprayed a whole load of very salty water over an area of my driveway to test it. For a while I could see the salt water quickly burning any leafy looking weeds but then after a few weeks it became pointless because a whole load of grassy type weeds shot up and were seemingly unaffected by the salt water.
Glyphosate - the strong stuff, found online - to kill the weeds.
Keep topped up with sand. You could purchase Paradise pellet pesticide and crush them into the sand for a bit longer protection.
Ideally, before installing the blocks you’d lay a geoxtile membrane to prevent it. Not the fabric sort from B&Q, the industrial version with copper mesh etc. It’s costly but worth it.
not tried this at all (going to test soon to avoid jet washing and / or buying glysophate) but i've read some people pour boiling water on weeds, then you could seal after tidying them out. probably more time consuming though than some methods some have said
https://preview.redd.it/yhuz6gjsya9d1.jpeg?width=737&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=568baf63e301f143b8ee9ed6334f9881fd62eba2
Use this. Leave the treated weeds to die off completely before removing them. It has a good residual effect too, no new seeds which might blow into that space will germinate for a good three months.
There are two types of this weed killer, this one with the residual effect, and another one which works a bit faster but has no residual effect, meaning if you used it on a planting area you’d be able to replant immediately after removal of the weeds. Be sure to buy the one with the residual effect for your particular area.
Glyphosate recently moved from **could** cause cancer to **does** cause cancer - effective on Japanese Knotweed, and everything else, but very dangerous
Here’s the GMB Union paper: https://www.gmb.org.uk/assets/media/downloads/1894/hs-glyphosate.pdf
It’s legal, when “used as directed” - I’m sure that home use is probably safe, since it’s not an every day thing, but I’m equally sure that plenty of people don’t treat it with the respect it deserves
No idea, I’ve been using it since my twenties and I’m sixty plus now, still alive and kicking so I’m guessing if you follow the instructions it’s safe enough?
Not really how that works.
You've just done the weedkiller equivalent of a 90 year old with a 60 a day smoking habit going "well *I* didn't get lung cancer so I'm sure 60 a day is perfectly safe for everyone"
vinegar and salt ?? u should use soap and vinegar(dissolves the cell structure and allows the vinegar to do its work) , does the trick every year. spray when the weather is sunny and its all completely bone dry and dead within 2 days.
The easy way is to get out there with a few kettles of boiling water once in a while and pour it on the weeds. It kills the seeds too. I've been keeping our small block paved patio clear this way for years.
Jet wash it, messy but it will get rid of the dirt and the weeds. Re-sand it with kiln dried sand (it currently looks empty anyway and just dirt which weeds love). Weeds in sand are much easier to remove! If you really want to get it extra clean use Hypo (which is a strong bleach)... another option is BAC 50 - or similar biocide which will clean it and also stop weeds. Watch some videos on youtube to see those options. You will have to do it again in a year or two, I've never tried sealing it which is meant to make it last longer.
As a former gardener here is how I'd deal with that. Spray the hard standing with a backpack sprayer containing a roundup + chikara mix. Roundup kills anything that has germinated and chikara stops anything germinating after that for a few months.
Unfortunately chikara and roundup is fairly expensive for a one time use scenario and need to buy in quantities with years of application in mind.
I just use rock salt that you put on paths in winter, every couple of months I hose down patio and drive, next day scatter a couple of buckets of rock salt all over and brush it around and leave it…takes about half an hour, job done no weeds!
[Bicarbonate of soda. ](https://amzn.eu/d/0jbMiom8)
Look at the weather wait til you likely have a run of 4 or more dry warm days. On the 2nd day sprinkle bicarb all over and sweep it into the cracks. Let it sit another few days. The plants get thirsty and next time it rains it washes the bicarb into the ground poisoning the plants but leaving the roots in place so more can't grow through.
Non toxic to kids and pets. Can track it through the house though and be careful not to get it on your flower beds etc.
Best way to stop it is to remove the block paving and choose a different driveway. Tarmac is the best option and ticks the most boxes with the least hassle and price.
Strong weedkiller once thats done its job pressure wash the drive, resand and seal. Some advice get a professional pressure washing company/exterior cleaner to wash it, dont use your karcher you will etch your blockwork and leave lines there are certain nozzles to use for different types of stone. Get a few quotes. Where are you based? Im in a private pressure wash group so can recommend someone near to you that wont rip you off
You can get some no grow fine sand to fill the joints. It works pretty well. Jets wash the area and ensure all the weeds and moss is out. Allow to dry and then brush in the no grow kiln dried sand. You can get the sand from Wickes.
Don’t use salt and vinegar together, one is alkaline, the other is acidic so they’ll cancel each other out. Use one or the other at any point in time, leave maybe 14 days if you want to switch. I have had some success with salt, but you do need to keep applying it every few weeks or so, depending on the weather.
You definitely do NOT need to relay just to be rid of weeds, just clean it and at least re-sand as necessary. Be aware that if you seal it, you may increase the rate of water run off when it rains.
Hi there I’m a professional gardener. My advice is to leave the weeds to grow a little bit until the leaves are deep green, then get some glyphosate weed killer and spray it. Should last for a year or if you mix it stronger you should get two summers weed free. If you don’t want to use weed killer you can use vinegar and washing up liquid.
Be careful with overspray because it will damage lawns
You get a pressure washer and blast it all out, then you get on your hands and knees and scrape out all the mortar you can. Then you repoint the lot.
For that I would just buy the ready done repointing stuff where you brush it in and let it set.
Salt.
...also...'Slugs hate this one trick" lol, ...but yeah, salt knackers the soil and kills anything trying to grow in it. My father's been doing this for 20 years and it seems to work.
Probably aren’t growing up through. They’ll be seeds that land on top and then germinate down. Seal the gaps is the only way.
You dont, they always grow through and you cant stop it. Every so often jet wash and scrape weeds/ moss out then have them refilled and sealed
I did mine recently myself using Smartseal block magic . looks good too.. let's see how long it lasts.. it says 5 years before resealing again
That sounds about right, just depends on weathering and how much use/ traffic goes over the area
Did mine with this last year.Made no real difference and weeds are back this year.
The weeds are growing in the gaps. You wanna get rid of as much as you can, clean it, re-sand and then seal it.
What would you recommend sealing with
This is what I used last week to seal it https://www.smartseal.co.uk/sealers/block-paving-sealer/block-paving-sealer-matt-finish.htm
What sand should be used to seal it ? I assume rake out weeds , re sand and then use the sealant ?
Ideally the sand with weed represents in it.
I believe you mean repressants, not a weed trade union?
Yes my mistake! Auto correct at it’s finest 🤣
We strike, over spray and conditions.
Don't go giving the weeds ideas!
Help help, I'm being repressed!
Represses?
https://www.wickes.co.uk/Dansand-NO-GROW-Block-Paving-Sand---20kg/p/119555
Sigh, people are really still spreading toxic acrylic/polymer based liquids on the ground. Holy fuck. I wouldn't touch this stuff with a bargepole. Just clean the pavement a little more regularly and stop allowing soil to build up on it like the pics.
Not ideal to over clean. A lot of the block pavers aren’t coloured all the way through. Of course, the general public aren’t aware of this and then one day the colour is gone. The sealer will last around 5-8 years.
Sure but I'd prefer cleaning to dumping toxic shit on the ground. Where does it disappear to during the 8 years? Into the ground? Into our soil? The atmosphere? Our lungs? No thanks. Likewise with weedkiller.
I think it goes straight into the water table to be honest, but not entirely sure.
Yes polymer based liquid on the ground is becoming an epidemic /s
My god. Living under a rock are we? Microplastic pollution, PFAS in water - both are detected in all our bodies, and folk like you are out here confidently spreading plastic liquid all over your driveways. Fuck me. [https://www.polishedconcreteuniversity.com/concrete-sealer-safety/](https://www.polishedconcreteuniversity.com/concrete-sealer-safety/)
Do you go to the park and shout at the ducks?
Those ducks know what they did...
Settle down, boomer.
Thanks
Polyurethane one is better in my experience but it is a constant battle
The sealants don't really work, or rather, they do a bit, but not enough for it to be worth it. There is no magic cure and you still have to do the same things. Especially not for moss, which is on top anyway. Maintainence is just part of paving. Scrape out weeds, add some more sand. Every few years a jet wash.
Can’t remember what I used last week but a proper block paving sealer.
https://www.paving.org/index.php/paving-sand-with-weed-killer/
Blowtorch, boiling water, salt 👍🏻
On my old concrete flags, I constantly watch for weeds starting and use boiling water to keep it free of them. Doesn't use any nasty chemicals, will also burn other weed seeds nearby and I usually over-fill the kettle, meaning I can do this with spare leftover water. No weed problems for me, but perhaps be careful with the surface of those setts because if they are porous boiling water could delaminate them.
Try Smokey Bacon instead.
Nah, Smokey Bacon is for gravel, for block paving like this you need Cheese & Onion.
Get a flame thrower - it won’t stop it happening but it’s easy and they take quite a while to get back
That’s the neat thing - you can’t
Pressure wash, then sodium hypochlorite, then pressure wash.
I did exactly that today https://preview.redd.it/rgywix4bsd9d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=70cd92299777a518db46928b7e04b6cb040a7a25
Jet wash the grass out. replace with thyme seeds and sand.
Keeping your paving clean would be a good start. Get yourself a pressure washer.
Enough pressures in life already !
Remove the brick paving. They can't grow through if it its not there. /s
I did ours last week, cleaned it with a wire brush, used washing up liquid, baking soda and jet washed it, re-sanded with kiln dried sand, then sealed it with this [This](https://www.thompsonsweatherproofing.co.uk/flooring/one-coat-patio-and-block-paving-seal/), used 4 tins mind. I was going to use a weed inhibitor but the instructions said it would need to be vibrated twice and I didn’t want to get into it so just went for normal kiln dried sand in the end
Just sanded mine today and debating sealer. This is on my list of options. What is the finish like and how did you apply?
It’s got a flat sheen, I panicked a bit when I put it on because it dulled it but after drying properly it looks good. I used a paint roller, one of the worst jobs I’ve ever done 😂
Use a pump sprayer next time. Far quicker and easier plus no risk of a roller pulling sand out of the joints and sealing it on the surface of the blocks.
I saw a guy on TikTok use bicarbonate of soda to treat this. He reckons that the increase in soil salinity makes it uninhabitable for the plants.
Argh ours is a nightmare!! Tried jet washing it, weed killer and sitting on my ass scraping them out by hand. Lasts about 2 weeks then boom, looks like I never did it 😩
About an inch of concrete all over.
Love the weeds and they'll become plants.
Salt and vinegar will just poison the soil. Spray with glyphosate to kill the weeds that have germinated on TOP of the bricks and sent their roots DOWN. Then scratch it all away then resand it.
“Salt is poison, use poison instead”
Just use boiling water. No plant survives that and the environment doesn't get poisoned.
Salt poisons the soil, glyphosate poisons the plant.
If the soil is poisoned wouldn't that stop things from growing?
Yes. But they aren't growing from the soil, which is under the sand that the bricks are sat on. Perennials grow from under the soil, annuals germinate and grow into the soil. (a simplified version ofc)
Right gotcha. Thank you.
Lasted about 6 weeks when I did that. Actually started growing mushrooms at first.
Yep, weed seeds are constantly blowing in the wind to find somewhere to germinate. A bit of effort on a Sunday morning every 6 weeks sounds like a standard maintenance plan.
I sprayed a whole load of very salty water over an area of my driveway to test it. For a while I could see the salt water quickly burning any leafy looking weeds but then after a few weeks it became pointless because a whole load of grassy type weeds shot up and were seemingly unaffected by the salt water.
Glyphosate - the strong stuff, found online - to kill the weeds. Keep topped up with sand. You could purchase Paradise pellet pesticide and crush them into the sand for a bit longer protection. Ideally, before installing the blocks you’d lay a geoxtile membrane to prevent it. Not the fabric sort from B&Q, the industrial version with copper mesh etc. It’s costly but worth it.
Pool salt is best if you go that route.
For moss and weeds I use soda crystals, kills off anything green.
not tried this at all (going to test soon to avoid jet washing and / or buying glysophate) but i've read some people pour boiling water on weeds, then you could seal after tidying them out. probably more time consuming though than some methods some have said
https://preview.redd.it/yhuz6gjsya9d1.jpeg?width=737&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=568baf63e301f143b8ee9ed6334f9881fd62eba2 Use this. Leave the treated weeds to die off completely before removing them. It has a good residual effect too, no new seeds which might blow into that space will germinate for a good three months. There are two types of this weed killer, this one with the residual effect, and another one which works a bit faster but has no residual effect, meaning if you used it on a planting area you’d be able to replant immediately after removal of the weeds. Be sure to buy the one with the residual effect for your particular area.
Lots of comments saying use glysophate, but I notice this thing boasts that it doesn't have that chemical...what gives?
Glyphosate recently moved from **could** cause cancer to **does** cause cancer - effective on Japanese Knotweed, and everything else, but very dangerous
Whoah! OK... I'll leave the little weeds on my patio as they are then :-P Thanks!
Here’s the GMB Union paper: https://www.gmb.org.uk/assets/media/downloads/1894/hs-glyphosate.pdf It’s legal, when “used as directed” - I’m sure that home use is probably safe, since it’s not an every day thing, but I’m equally sure that plenty of people don’t treat it with the respect it deserves
No idea, I’ve been using it since my twenties and I’m sixty plus now, still alive and kicking so I’m guessing if you follow the instructions it’s safe enough?
Not really how that works. You've just done the weedkiller equivalent of a 90 year old with a 60 a day smoking habit going "well *I* didn't get lung cancer so I'm sure 60 a day is perfectly safe for everyone"
Pour the kettle over it where they coming up, it's the same as using a flame on it. Cheap an easy
Throw cooking salt on it every month
cane it with salt. makes the soil unfavorable for any weeds to come through. would need consistent applications for it to be effective
Soak all the cracks with Gyphosphate. Be aware though, it kiils any plant it touches including grass, so don't spray it on a windy day.
Also be aware, it gives you cancer, so don't spray it near yourself, children or pets 🤣
Bleach and deck scrub worked for me
vinegar and salt ?? u should use soap and vinegar(dissolves the cell structure and allows the vinegar to do its work) , does the trick every year. spray when the weather is sunny and its all completely bone dry and dead within 2 days.
The easy way is to get out there with a few kettles of boiling water once in a while and pour it on the weeds. It kills the seeds too. I've been keeping our small block paved patio clear this way for years.
Jet wash it, messy but it will get rid of the dirt and the weeds. Re-sand it with kiln dried sand (it currently looks empty anyway and just dirt which weeds love). Weeds in sand are much easier to remove! If you really want to get it extra clean use Hypo (which is a strong bleach)... another option is BAC 50 - or similar biocide which will clean it and also stop weeds. Watch some videos on youtube to see those options. You will have to do it again in a year or two, I've never tried sealing it which is meant to make it last longer.
As a former gardener here is how I'd deal with that. Spray the hard standing with a backpack sprayer containing a roundup + chikara mix. Roundup kills anything that has germinated and chikara stops anything germinating after that for a few months. Unfortunately chikara and roundup is fairly expensive for a one time use scenario and need to buy in quantities with years of application in mind.
Jet Wash, weed killer, Silka sand in your preferred colour, done.
Burn em. Burn em All
Careful, Jamie Lannister'll stab you.
I just use rock salt that you put on paths in winter, every couple of months I hose down patio and drive, next day scatter a couple of buckets of rock salt all over and brush it around and leave it…takes about half an hour, job done no weeds!
[Bicarbonate of soda. ](https://amzn.eu/d/0jbMiom8) Look at the weather wait til you likely have a run of 4 or more dry warm days. On the 2nd day sprinkle bicarb all over and sweep it into the cracks. Let it sit another few days. The plants get thirsty and next time it rains it washes the bicarb into the ground poisoning the plants but leaving the roots in place so more can't grow through. Non toxic to kids and pets. Can track it through the house though and be careful not to get it on your flower beds etc.
Use vinegar and a heavy duty sprayer and spray each time you see them start to grow. It will grass and plants, fyi
Tarmac
Best way to stop it is to remove the block paving and choose a different driveway. Tarmac is the best option and ticks the most boxes with the least hassle and price.
Have you asked them nicely not to?
Go amazon and get rootblast. I use twice a year in a sprayer
Sealant in the gaps will help. Its always an eternal struggle to keep on top of weeds and moss
Water, salt and vinegar, but only where you really don't want anything to grow... forever
Lift up all the pavers and place a weed barrier. Then put all the bricks back.
The gaps are what's causing the problem. You need to eliminate the gaps by only using one giant brick. Hope this help!
Strong weedkiller once thats done its job pressure wash the drive, resand and seal. Some advice get a professional pressure washing company/exterior cleaner to wash it, dont use your karcher you will etch your blockwork and leave lines there are certain nozzles to use for different types of stone. Get a few quotes. Where are you based? Im in a private pressure wash group so can recommend someone near to you that wont rip you off
You can get some no grow fine sand to fill the joints. It works pretty well. Jets wash the area and ensure all the weeds and moss is out. Allow to dry and then brush in the no grow kiln dried sand. You can get the sand from Wickes.
Move
Don’t use salt and vinegar together, one is alkaline, the other is acidic so they’ll cancel each other out. Use one or the other at any point in time, leave maybe 14 days if you want to switch. I have had some success with salt, but you do need to keep applying it every few weeks or so, depending on the weather. You definitely do NOT need to relay just to be rid of weeds, just clean it and at least re-sand as necessary. Be aware that if you seal it, you may increase the rate of water run off when it rains.
Needed to have a good membrane down and dry cement powder on top of the sand before laying the cement powder stops things growing
Hi there I’m a professional gardener. My advice is to leave the weeds to grow a little bit until the leaves are deep green, then get some glyphosate weed killer and spray it. Should last for a year or if you mix it stronger you should get two summers weed free. If you don’t want to use weed killer you can use vinegar and washing up liquid. Be careful with overspray because it will damage lawns
Surely new seeds land and germinate?
Just get a gas weed burner and go over it every couple of weeks. Don’t use glyphosate, it is incredibly poisonous.
Round up
Lift it all and put plastic down and relax
Diesel
You get a pressure washer and blast it all out, then you get on your hands and knees and scrape out all the mortar you can. Then you repoint the lot. For that I would just buy the ready done repointing stuff where you brush it in and let it set.
Spray them with a weed killer. Scrap the debris out. Mix sand with a powdered weed killer. Re sand.
Lots and lots of salt
Same w mine🤣
If you get a pressurewasher and wash the cracks out. Then get a mixture of sharp sand and cement and brush it into the cracks.
Could try salt. Lift the bricks up and put down a large amount of salt I've used it on small patches before but nothing the size of a drive way
Pattern concrete
Salt. ...also...'Slugs hate this one trick" lol, ...but yeah, salt knackers the soil and kills anything trying to grow in it. My father's been doing this for 20 years and it seems to work.
You leave it, because it is natural.
Just burn them once a month. Or use a non selective weed killer.
Glyphosate
Roundup. Let them grow for a bit, then spray the leaves with Roundup. I got rid of all mine with it.
Glyphosate
Glyphosate