By Gabriela Venegas • September 28, 2026 • 6 min read
One of the best things about pavers is how little they ask of you. A few simple habits keep a Valley patio, driveway or pool deck looking new for decades, and any single damaged paver is an easy fix, not a demolition project. Here is the whole maintenance picture.
Sealing is optional but recommended in Southern California. A good sealer locks the joint sand in place, resists oil and stains, deepens the color, and makes cleaning easier. Most homeowners reseal every 3 to 5 years. Around pools and driveways, where staining risk is higher, sealing pays off the most. If you prefer a completely natural look and low fuss, a well-built paver surface is still fine unsealed, it just shows stains more easily.
For routine care, sweep and rinse with a hose. For ground-in dirt, mild soap and water with a stiff brush handles most of it. Pressure washing works, but use a wide tip and moderate pressure, and re-sand the joints afterward, because a narrow high-pressure tip blasts the joint sand out. Treat oil spots promptly with a degreaser.
The sand between your pavers is doing real structural work. It locks the units together so they share load and stay put. Over years, some sand works out. Topping it up with polymeric sand keeps the field tight, blocks weeds, and prevents shifting. It is the single highest-value thing you can do, and it takes minutes.
If a whole area is settling or heaving, that is a base problem worth a professional look, and it is why the original install matters so much. See how long pavers last.
Whether it is a single sunken paver or a full reseal, we can help, even if we did not build the original. Call Mi Casa Exteriors at (818) 213-3661 for a look.
Sealing is optional but recommended in Southern California. It locks in joint sand, resists stains, and deepens color. Most homeowners reseal every 3 to 5 years, and it matters most on driveways and around pools.
Sweep and rinse for routine care, and use mild soap and water with a stiff brush for ground-in dirt. If you pressure wash, use a wide tip and moderate pressure, then top up the joint sand afterward.
Lift the affected paver, correct and re-compact the base beneath it, reset the paver, and refill the joints with sand. Loose pavers usually just need joint sand or edge-restraint repair.
Yes, and that is a key advantage of pavers. A stained or chipped unit can be lifted and swapped for a match with an invisible repair, unlike a cracked concrete slab.
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