What Determines the Cost of Paver Sealing and Stripping?
Paver Area Size
The size of your paver area is always the starting point for every estimate. Larger areas need more cleaning solution, more sealer or stripping chemical, and more labor. A 300 square foot patio takes far less time and product than a 1,200 square foot driveway.
Paver Type
Brick and concrete pavers follow our standard process for both sealing and stripping. Travertine and natural stone are more delicate. They need a specialty sealer and a gentler stripping chemical applied with more care to avoid surface damage. Because of that, natural stone jobs cost more than standard brick or concrete.
Paver Condition or Existing Sealer
Pavers that have been professionally maintained in the past are the most straightforward jobs. When pavers have gone several years without sealing, the joint sand erodes, weeds push through, and heavy staining builds up. That means more prep time and more product before we can apply anything new. For stripping jobs, the worse the sealer failure, the more dwell time and labor the strip requires.
Type of Sealer Being Removed
This applies to stripping jobs. Water based sealers that are peeling or flaking are the most straightforward to remove. Solvent based sealers are thick, plastic-looking products that bond deeply into the paver and require a stronger stripping agent, longer dwell time, and more pressure cleaning to fully pull off. Solvent based sealer removal adds $250 or more to your total.
Sealer Finish
For sealing jobs, you can choose between a natural matte finish or a wet look gloss finish. Matte sealer protects your pavers without changing their appearance. Wet look gloss deepens color and gives pavers a rich, freshly wet look. Both use our 2-coat commercial flood seal system with SEK bonding sand. The wet look gloss upgrade adds a flat $75 to your total.
Pour a small amount of water on your pavers. If it soaks in right away, the sealer is gone and you need a fresh seal. If the surface looks white, blotchy, or hazy, the old sealer is failing. In that case, we need to strip the old coat before we can apply anything new. Sealing over a failing coat always makes the problem worse.
For most homeowners who need stripping, we recommend bundling the strip and reseal together in the same visit. Our team strips the old sealer, pressure cleans the surface, replaces the joint sand with SEK bonding sand, and applies our full 2-coat commercial flood seal all in one visit. Bundling saves you money compared to scheduling two separate jobs, and it gives your pavers the best possible result because the surface gets sealed the moment it is fully prepped.
The sand between your pavers does more than fill the gaps. It holds your pavers in place, keeps weeds from pushing through, and gives the sealer something solid to bond to. So the type of sand we use matters a lot more than most homeowners realize.
What Is SEK Bonding Sand?
SEK bonding sand is a professional grade joint sand that is specifically designed to work with a flood coat sealer system. When our team applies the sealer over the top, it soaks down into the SEK bonding sand and causes it to harden inside the joint. The result is a firm, stable joint that holds your pavers in place and resists weeds, ants, and erosion far better than standard sand products.
Why We Do Not Use Polymeric Sand
Polymeric sand is one of the most commonly used joint materials in the paver industry. But in Jacksonville it is almost always the wrong choice when paired with a topical sealer. Florida’s humidity, heavy rain cycles, and intense UV exposure prevent polymeric sand from curing the way it should. Over time it becomes brittle, cracks, and crumbles out of the joints much faster than it should. That leaves your pavers open to weeds, shifting, and ant colonies all over again.
We stopped using polymeric sand because we kept seeing it fail on Jacksonville properties. SEK bonding sand is specifically built for Florida’s climate and it works with our two coat flood seal system the way it is supposed to. That is why we use it on every single job we do.
Why We Do Not Use Play Sand or Big Box Store Sand
Some contractors cut costs by using white play sand or whatever bag of joint sand they can grab off a hardware store shelf. Play sand has no binding properties at all. It washes out with the first hard rain and gives weeds and ants easy access back into your joints almost immediately after the job is done. It also does not harden when sealer is applied over it, which means your joints stay soft and unstable no matter how good the sealer on top looks.
At Hydro Wash 360 we only use SEK bonding sand because it is the right product for Jacksonville’s conditions. It comes in multiple colors so we can match it to your pavers. And because it hardens inside the joint when the sealer soaks in, your pavers stay tighter, more stable, and better protected for years after the job is complete.
Every paver sealing and stripping job we complete in Jacksonville is backed by our 2-year limited workmanship warranty. If the sealer peels or fails because of how we prepared or applied it, we come back and fix it at no charge to you.
What the Warranty Covers
Our warranty covers sealer failure caused by improper preparation or application on our end. That means if the sealer peels, flakes, or lifts within two years of the job and it is because of something we did or did not do during the process, we make it right. For strip and reseal jobs, this includes the strip preparation, the joint sand installation, and both coats of the flood seal system. No runaround. No excuses. We show up and we fix it.
What the Warranty Does Not Cover
There are a few things that fall outside of our warranty coverage. Normal wear in high traffic areas like driveways is expected over time and is not covered. Tire marks, rust stains, oil stains, and chemical spills are also not covered because those come from outside sources that sealer alone cannot fully prevent. Efflorescence, flooding, drainage problems, paver movement, and settling are outside of our warranty because they are related to the ground and structure underneath the pavers rather than the sealer itself. For stripping jobs, pavers with deeply embedded sealer residue locked inside the pores from a previous bad seal job may occasionally show residue working back up over time. We remove everything we can access from the surface, but residue trapped deep inside the paver falls outside of what our warranty covers because it is a result of the previous contractor’s work and not ours.
How to Keep Your Warranty Valid
Jacksonville pavers need to be cleaned and inspected on a regular schedule to stay in good shape and keep your warranty active. We recommend an annual cleaning and inspection to catch any issues early and keep the sealer performing the way it should. Skipping maintenance for several years and then expecting full warranty coverage is not something we can honor. But for homeowners who stay on a regular schedule, our warranty gives you real peace of mind that the job was done right.
Why Our Warranty Matters in Jacksonville
A lot of paver sealing and stripping companies in Jacksonville offer no warranty at all. Others offer a short 90-day window that expires before most problems even show up. We back our work for two full years because we use the right stripping chemical for your specific paver type, fully remove the old product before anything new goes down, and apply our commercial grade 2-coat flood seal system the way it was designed to be applied. We are confident enough in that process to put it in writing and stand behind it.
How do I know if my pavers need sealing or stripping?
Pour water on the surface. If it soaks in, the sealer is gone and you just need a fresh coat. If the surface looks white, hazy, or blotchy, the old sealer is failing and needs to be fully stripped before we can reseal.
Can you seal over a failing coat instead of stripping it?
No. Sealing over a failing coat traps the problem underneath and causes the new sealer to fail much faster. The only proper fix is to fully strip the old product and start fresh.
Why did my pavers turn white after they were sealed?
White or hazy pavers almost always mean a solvent based sealer was applied incorrectly or over damp pavers. The moisture in Jacksonville’s ground gets trapped under the sealer and creates the white haze. The fix is to fully strip the old sealer and reseal using a commercial grade water based product applied the right way.
How long does paver sealing or stripping take?
Most residential jobs take one full day. Larger areas, severe sealer failure, or combined strip and reseal jobs may take two visits. We give you a time estimate when we confirm your quote.
How long does paver sealing last in Jacksonville?
Our 2-coat commercial flood seal system lasts 3 to 5 years depending on foot traffic, sun exposure, and weather. Driveways and high traffic areas typically need resealing closer to the 3-year mark.
Will the stripping chemical damage my landscaping or pool?
We protect landscaping, pool equipment, and surrounding surfaces before we start. We never use bleach. Our products are professional grade and safe for your property when applied correctly.
Do I need to move vehicles and furniture before the crew arrives?
Yes. Please clear the paver area before we arrive. Vehicles should be out of driveways and portable furniture moved off patios and pool decks so we can access the full surface.
How long do I need to stay off my pavers after sealing?
We recommend staying off sealed pavers for 24 to 48 hours. Vehicles should stay off driveways for at least 72 hours after a seal job to allow the sealer to fully cure.
Is stripping worth it or should I just replace my pavers?
Stripping and resealing is almost always the better value. Replacing pavers is significantly more expensive and usually unnecessary unless there is structural damage, settling, or cracking underneath. A proper strip and reseal restores your pavers to like-new condition for a fraction of the cost of replacement.
