Block paving sealers

Products for concrete block drives, patios and paths: sealers that lower water uptake, and cleaners that prepare the surface for them. Every product carries the manufacturer's own technical data.

This view contains only the products assigned to this surface.

Finish
Invisible leaves the colour alone. Wet look deepens it permanently. A colour sealer gives a new shade and covers uneven fading.
Base
Water-based is easier to work with and smells less. Solvent-based penetrates dense, low-absorbency material more deeply, but needs a dry substrate and ventilation.
State of the paving
Efflorescence and oil stains have to go before sealing - a sealer fixes whatever it finds.

28 products

Concrete block paving is porous. Water enters it along with whatever it carries: road salt in winter, oil from under a car, tannins from fallen leaves. Sealing lowers that uptake, so soiling stays on the surface and washes off instead of working into the concrete.

That is the whole promise, and it is worth knowing it precisely. A sealer will not bind loose blocks, will not rebuild a washed-out joint and will not remove efflorescence already there. Repair and cleaning come before sealing, not after.

When to seal

  • New paving - once seasoned, which manufacturers usually give as 28 days from the date the block was made.
  • Existing paving - after washing and drying completely, ideally in spring or early autumn.
  • Never on wet paving, and never with rain forecast within a day of application.

Choosing the finish

An invisible product is the choice when the colour of the paving is right and is to stay that way. A wet look deepens the colour as rain does - except that the effect stays; it is an aesthetic decision and not reversible without stripping the coat. A colour sealer lays a new shade and is the answer to paving that has faded unevenly.

Every product in this category has a "Technical data" tab with coverage, number of coats, working temperature and drying time, exactly as the manufacturer publishes them. Where a manufacturer publishes nothing, the field stays empty rather than filling with an estimate.

Questions before you choose

How much sealer do I need for a drive?

Every product with a published coverage figure has a calculator: you give the area and the absorbency of the substrate and it converts that into pack sizes. On older, thirstier paving, work to the lower end of the manufacturer's range.

How often should sealing be repeated?

The sign is how water behaves. While it beads on the surface, the treatment is working. When it starts soaking in and dark patches return after rain, the protection has worn out. We do not quote a number of years, because it depends on traffic, sun and whether the drive is salted.

Will sealing make the paving slippery?

Penetrating products form no film on the surface. Where a manufacturer says something about slipperiness, we quote it in the technical data. If the surface is already slippery, the right product is an anti-slip treatment, not a sealer.

What is the difference between water-based and solvent-based?

The carrier and the way you work. Water-based smells less, the tools wash out in water, and the substrate may be slightly damp. Solvent-based penetrates dense concrete more deeply but needs a dry substrate, ventilation and care near naked flame.