While some consumers prefer to keep their driveway looking as natural as possible, others prefer the appearance of a freshly coloured surface. Driveway sealants offer the best of both worlds; protect your driveway with a translucent product that retains the original colour of the surface or choose a coloured product to refresh or completely alter the driveway appearance.
Whether you want to protect your driveway or freshen up its appearance, this page contains everything you need to know.
On this page you’ll discover:
An old tired driveway can ruin the appearance of any home but cleaning and sealing the surface is a quick and affordable way to rejuvenate it and for many is an alternative to a costly new driveway.
This page explains the options available for driveway block sealing, the process involved and how much it typically costs. We’ll also discuss options for other types of surfaces.
Key Benefits
Here are the key benefits of cleaning and sealing block driveways:
- Cleaning will lift the original colour to the surface.
- Sealing will protect the blocks from oil spills and pollution.
- The surface will look brand new and will clean up easily in the future.
- Prevents weed growth by sealing gaps between joints.
- Prevents insect infestation between the blocks (ants).
- Reduces overall maintenance.
Step by Step Instructions
Below you’ll find step by step instructions explaining how to professionally clean and seal a driveway.
While different companies may use different methods or materials, most will include the following steps:
- Power clean the blocks.
- Remove oil stains with a specialist cleaning fluid.
- Apply a weedkiller and moss/mould treatment to the surface (optional but recommended).
- Allow the surface to fully dry.
- Brush in kiln dried sand to joints and brush/blow off any excess sand from the surface.
- Apply two coats of sealant.
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How Long Does it Take to Seal a Driveway?
It’s absolutely essential that the driveway is allowed to fully dry before any sealer is applied.
So, during the spring or Autumn, you may need to wait a few days between jet washing and applying the sealant.
In the summer, during warm sunny days, the blocks should dry out much quicker.
We do not recommend the application of driveway sealants during the winter, even on dry days the ground can remain damp and any moisture still present can prevent the sealant from adhering correctly.
For an average-sized driveway expect the jet washing and application of weed killer/fungicides to take a few hours, certainly no more than a morning’s work.
Brushing in kiln dried sand will be done once the driveway is dry and takes about an hour or so.
The first coat of sealant takes about two hours and after it’s dried a second coat is applied, this usually takes less time, so expect it to take around an hour.
Is Driveway Sealing Popular?
Sealants are often used in areas with high levels of foot traffic, places such as town footpaths and walkways that are frequently cleaned can benefit from a sealer being applied to the surface.
The benefits for domestic driveways with light traffic is debatable but for most driveways, the key benefits are moss, weed and oil spill prevention.
If however, the driveway is old or is looking tired and needs a clean, the logical next step would be to apply a sealer.
Most homeowners don’t bother sealing a brand new driveway but do so a few years down the line when it starts to look tired. There are also some technical reasons why you shouldn’t seal a brand new driveway:
Efflorescence is a process whereby salts gradually make their way to the surface of certain types of materials, this is commonly seen in newly laid bricks and other materials such as blocks and paving slabs. You should allow the salt to fully migrate out of the material before any sealants are applied, hence why it’s best not to seal a new driveway.
This process can take weeks and sometimes many months.
Is a Weedkiller/Moss Treatment Really Necessary?
No, it’s optional but depends on the condition of the driveway prior to jet washing.
If some areas are prone to moss growth, perhaps due to lack of sunlight, then applying a moss killing fungicide is recommended as it will soak into the blocks and the sand between the joints. The same applies to weed-killing chemicals, should there be any plant life growing.
Obviously, a thorough jet wash will remove any moss, mould and plant life above ground, but to prevent anything between the joints from growing through, a weedkiller/moss treatment should be applied.
These chemicals are cheap to buy, especially if purchased in bulk as most professionals do. Expect the chemicals needed to cover a standard driveway to cost no more than £20.
What Sealant is Best?
We prefer Resiblock as their products are of excellent quality they have two versions that cover most types of blocks:
Resiblock Matt Finish (see reviews on Amazon)- this has a reduced shine so protects the driveway without significantly altering its appearance.
Resiblock Superior (see reviews on Amazon)- this product leaves the driveway with a permanently “wet” looking surface, the product has a distinctive bright sheen.
There are cheaper alternatives on the market, but our experience tells us that many of these fail early and need to be reapplied much sooner.
Resiblock is the industry leader although you’ll pay a premium for it.
Cost to Seal a Driveway With Resiblock
The price guide displayed below assumes the driveway is around 35 square metres, which is enough for two cars:
| Item: | Price: |
|---|---|
| Clean driveway, apply weed and moss treatment, fill with sand and apply Resiblock sealer | £700 |
| Get a Custom Price: | Fill in This Online Form |
(These prices were updated in 2022)
How to Save Money
Below are three ways you can save money and reduce your costs:
- As you can see from our guide price above, the cost of Resiblock isn’t cheap so if you’re on a tight budget you could choose an alternative product at the lower or mid-price range. This product is considerably more affordable (per litre).
- Also, we have included VAT in our price guide. Obviously, if you instructed a smaller business, perhaps a “one-man” type trader to do the work, then you’ll pay less. Many of these businesses are trading below the VAT registration threshold (what’s this?) and plenty of traders only charge enough to cover wages and overheads.
- Do the work yourself – it’s not that difficult and there are plenty of helpful guides on the web and YouTube.
Want to Try DIY?
This is how much the materials cost, including Resiblock and an alternative with per square metre pricing too:
| Item: | Price: |
|---|---|
| Oil stain remover | £10 |
| Fungicide and weed killer | £25 |
| Kiln dried sand for gap filling | £25 |
| Resiblock | £275 (25 litres) |
| Adseal alternative sealer | £75 (20 litres) |
The Best Resource for Driveway Sealing
We are huge fans of the Paving Expert website by AJ McCormack.
This has become the “go-to” resource for both tradespeople and DIYers as it contains a treasure trove of information and advice.
If you haven’t done so already, check out their informative website here.
Get a Driveway Sealing Quote
Tap the link below to compare prices for driveway sealing.
More:
For tarmac try a sealer such as BlackJack or Newtar
For patio slabs, Resiblock offer this product.
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This guide was written by Danny Woodley and was last updated in April 2022.
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