Bringing tired block paving back

Start by looking at the levels

Before deciding anything, look along the surface from a low angle. Gentle undulation is normal. Distinct dips at wheel tracks, a hollow near a manhole, or blocks tipping into a depression mean the sub-base or laying course has moved, and no amount of cleaning fixes that. Those areas need lifting, re-levelling and relaying, which is a separate trade and worth pricing before the cosmetic work.

This guide sits under our Patios & Driveways work, covering 20-mile radius of Plymouth.

Weeds and what actually kills them

Weeds in block paving root in the organic silt that has collected in the joints, not in the sub-base. Pulling the tops off achieves a fortnight. Cleaning the joints out properly and refilling them removes the growing medium, which is why a clean plus re-sand gives far longer control than any spray on its own. A treatment before cleaning helps kill what is there so the roots come out with the silt.

The clean itself

A rotary surface cleaner gives even coverage without striping and lifts the joint material at the same time. Edges, kerbs and around manholes are finished by hand. On a heavily silted drive this produces a startling amount of waste, which needs collecting rather than washing into the road gully. Expect the blocks to look pale and open-jointed at this stage; it is not the finished result.

Re-sanding is not optional

Kiln-dried sand brushed into the joints and vibrated or worked down restores the interlock that makes block paving work as a structure. Skipping it leaves blocks free to rock and edges free to chip, and weeds return faster because there is space for silt to collect again. The sand needs to be dry to run into the joints, which is why re-sanding is normally done on a dry day after the surface has dried.

Edge restraints and spreading

If the perimeter blocks are tilting outwards or a gap has opened along the boundary, the edge restraint has failed. This is the most common structural fault on older drives and it progresses: once the edge goes, the whole field of blocks loses its containment. Rebedding the edge course is straightforward work but it must be done before the cosmetic finish, not after.

Stains, tyre marks and rust

Oil needs a degreaser and repeat applications. Tyre scuffs from turning wheels usually respond to degreaser and agitation. Rust from a metal planter or fertiliser is a different chemistry and needs a rust-specific product. Individual blocks that are permanently stained can often be lifted and swapped with ones from a hidden area such as under a car or behind a gate, which is a neat and cheap fix.

Sealing: what it does and does not do

A sealer binds the joint sand, reduces silt ingress and makes the next clean much easier. On coloured blocks it also refreshes the colour, and matt or satin finishes look more natural than high gloss. It does not stop weeds arriving on top of the surface and it does not stabilise a drive with structural problems. It needs redoing every few years and it must go onto a fully dry, fully cured surface.

Keeping it right afterwards

Sweep leaves off rather than letting them break down into the joints, top up the sand where it is visibly low after a year, and deal with a failing edge as soon as you spot it. A drive maintained on that basis needs a light clean every year or two rather than a full restoration ever again.