Patios and concrete driveways increase the value and appeal of your property and make your outdoors enjoyable. However, depending on the design of your concrete patio, weeds can easily pop up, affecting the aesthetics of your home. An easy and fast go-to solution for most homeowners is herbicides, but this turns out to be a short-term solution, and the problems reoccur in the future. Although a power wash or spraying weed killers will deal with the situation now, what happens when the weeds come back tomorrow? The professional concrete contractors at Concrete Xperts recommend using Polymeric sand to enhance your curb appeal by sealing the joints where weeds grow.
Start by Killing the Weeds
An effective way of killing weeds involves mixing a teaspoon of dish soap with white vinegar in a spray bottle. The solution enhances the adhesive capabilities of vinegar, making it stick on the weeds longer than ordinary weed killers and eventually kills them. It is essential to spray the weeds during the prime hours of the day when there’s intense heat, forcing them to absorb the vinegar. Once this is done, please wait for all the weeds to dry up or wither before removing them.
The solution usually takes about a day to kill all the weeds completely so that removal can begin the following day. You can use a flathead screwdriver or pull them out with your hands to remove the dead weeds, depending on the size of the joints in your concrete. Ensure that all the weeds are removed before sealing the joints to ensure the weeds do not grow back.
Seal the Joints with Sand
Polymeric sand is commonly used to seal the concrete joints where weeds usually spring from and maintain the appeal and aesthetics of your patio. You can use a cup to pour the sand into the joints and crevices and then sweep the remaining sand to fill small spots that can’t be easily accessed. Since sand left in the open can send up staining your concrete, a leaf blower comes in handy in getting rid of excess sand.
Mist the Polymeric Sand
After all the extra sand is blown away, and the only remaining is in the joints, you can mist the sand using a garden sprayer. Misting requires putting 3 to 4 applicants of water, and as you do this, there are things you must consider. As you mist the polymeric sand, remember to apply the applicants at an interval of three minutes each, and do not puddle. It is advisable to deal with small sections so that the sand does not sit for too long. After the misting exercise, you need to let your patio or driveway sit for 24 hours without any disturbance.
Misting polymeric sand in concrete joints found on your driveway or patio is an effective solution to mitigating future weed flare-ups. However, weeds are not pleasing to have around your concrete and can deteriorate the value of your property. At Concrete Xperts, we have a team of experts ready to help you overcome the problem of dealing with weeds on your concrete. Contact us today and access to-notch concrete services.
