With around 95% of all new patio surface installs now being pointed and finished in modern resins we thought we would write a blog post dedicated to looking into how these should be maintained  and cared for to protect the integrity of the resin and help keep the solid & strong for many years after installation.

We are going to assume here that as spoken about in our other posts you have been sensible and had a quality product installed by a reputable company and now its time to think about maintaining your surface investments.

Patio surface vs jointing compound

Its important to remember that the actual stone surface of the patio and the resin jointing compound are two totally separate ingredients of the same surface that make up the total area of your patio. Where the  stone itself could be neglected a little longer the actual resin joints need a regular care programme to give longevity although obviously the cleaning is done as a whole in one go.

Permeability

Resin compounds are great in that they are permeable allowing the water to drain away off your surfaces quickly after rainfall  the downside to the permeability is that the jointing can soon soak up any dirt and debris off the patio area and into the joints.

Let it breathe

Resin to remain strong needs to be able to breathe so if debris is regularly left to build up  the jointing can stop the resin from being able to breathe and if left can quickly attract over time a build up of moss which is the no1 enemy of resin compounds and it has been known that in just a few months if left unchecked moss can fully embed itself into the resin and start to rot the compound away.

Sweeping & Blowing

Like all things in life keeping a regular routine to surface maintenance is key and regular sweeping of your surfaces as part of your garden maintenance programme really helps to look after those patio joints.

Cleaning

Resin best responds to a little and often cleaning programme so if you are able then going out into the garden twice a year to clean is better than once a year. This has many benefits…

• Your surfaces always look good and never look neglected
• Regular cleaning allows you to use less pressure to get great results & uses less water
• Regular cleaning allows you to get away with not needing any chemicals and if you do use some you can use a lot less.
• Less moss build up will mean you don’t have to hold pressure on the resin too much
• Try to avoid karcher type jet washers these are designed to clean the car not your patio and definitely not to maintain resin
• If you do use a traditional jetwasher hold it at an angle cutting across rather than blasting straight down onto the joint
• Some Diy pressure washers now come with circular rotary cleaning heads and these have angled blades like mini versions of our professional surface kit we use so use that if it comes with it.
• Regular cleaning allows you to move tables and pots etc and allows you to get to those hard to reach spots that may be hiding debris over the resin.

Weeds & Products

Weeds will dig in everywherein order to survive and they will root into resin compound no problem if you allow them too and grass seeds from the lawn will also seed into the compound easily so from time to time it is advisable to spray the joints with a Strong weedkiller to kill off any root systems that could damage the joints. You could also use a mosskiller product if you’re in area with trees and shade and suffer with constant battles against moss build up.

Conclusion

A good resin compound install will last many years but ONLY if you look after it with a good regular maintenance programme. You wouldn’t only hoover your indoor carpets once a year so your outdoor surfaces also deserve some love.

Patio restorations done right aren’t cheap so its best to try and look after our surfaces on a little and often basis like all good home & garden maintenance schedules and avoid having to call us!

If you would rather use a professional company to take care of everything for you then one of our team will happily help set up a programme to suit your surfaces needssew

Thanks for reading and enjoy your gardens this spring and summer

Patrick

Founder of Paveclean Pro Ltd