Walk down almost any street in Southwest Florida and you will see two kinds of paver driveways: the ones that still look new, and the ones with sunken spots, sandy gaps and weeds coming up through the joints. Most of our paver work is on driveways, screened pool decks and lanais in Lakewood Ranch and Sarasota, and the same few causes come up again and again. Here is what is happening under your pavers, how to tell when it is time to do something, and why the order of the work matters.
It starts underneath
Pavers are not glued down. Each one sits on a compacted base with a bed of sand, held in place by the pavers around it and the sand packed into the joints. Florida soil is sandy, and when water gets under the pavers, the base slowly shifts. Over time some areas settle lower than others, which is how a flat driveway ends up with dips, puddles and edges that catch a toe.
Summer rain empties the joints
Every rainy season, heavy downpours wash sand out of the joints. Once the joints are empty, the pavers can move against each other, and the gaps become an easy home for weeds and ants. On pool decks and lanais, the constant damp also brings green and black staining, which pressure washing clears before any sealing is done.
The sun takes the color
Strong sun fades unsealed pavers, so a driveway that started out a rich red or tan slowly turns flat and chalky. Sealer helps hold the color and makes the surface easier to keep clean.
Signs it is time to do something
- Pavers sitting lower than the ones around them
- Joints that have opened up or lost their sand
- Puddles that stay after the rain stops
- Weeds or ant hills coming up between the pavers
- Edges sinking or lifting at the driveway apron or the pool coping
- Water no longer beading on the surface, and color that looks flat
The right order: clean, level, sand, seal
Sealing over sunken pavers or empty joints only locks the problem in. Done properly, the surface is cleaned first. Any settled pavers are lifted, the base underneath is corrected and re-compacted, and the pavers go back flush. Only then are the joints filled with fresh sand and the sealer applied, once everything is completely dry. Skipping a step is how a sealing job ends up hazy or patchy.
You can see the results in our paver jobs in Lakewood Ranch, including screened pool decks done from start to finish, and read more about how we approach paver leveling, sanding and sealing.
What this means for your home
Neighborhoods across Southwest Florida keep a high standard for how homes look from the street, and screened pool decks and lanais are everywhere. That makes it worth catching paver problems early: a few sunken pavers are a small fix, while a driveway left alone for years can need much more work. If you are not sure whether yours needs attention yet, send us a photo or ask for a free estimate and we will tell you honestly.