The usual reason a sealing job fails is not the product but the substrate. A sealer will not bond to a surface with grease, lime efflorescence or an old coating on it.
- Wash the paving. Lift oil stains with a degreasing cleaner - water alone, even under pressure, will not shift them.
- Remove lime efflorescence with a product made for it, not with hydrochloric acid from the builders' merchant.
- Make good the joints and let them set. Sealer applied over an empty joint runs straight into the sub-base.
- Wait until the paving is dry all the way through, not just on top. Moisture trapped under the film can bloom it white.
- Check the forecast. Rain within a day of application will wash off a fresh coat.
New paving has to season first - usually around 28 days from the date the block was made. You will find the exact time for each product in its technical data.
Before sealing the whole area, test on a patch hidden by a planter or in a corner of the patio. The same product can read differently on two batches of the same material, and on a surface with old coating left on it, it will not bond at all.