My Patio Stones Are Faded, Stained and Green With Moss
Grey where it used to be charcoal, rust rings from the furniture legs, a green film in the shade and black in the joints. Nearly always sound underneath. A deep wash, new sand and a sealer bring the colour back. Lumen Landscaping washes, re-sands and seals faded patios across Hamilton: call (905) 906-0671 or send the form for a free written quote.
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The problem
What you are seeing
The patio that was charcoal and tan when it went in is now one flat grey. There are rust rings where the table legs stand, a dark shadow where the barbecue lives, and a tide line of green along the shady side by the fence. The joints are black with dirt, there is moss in the corners that never see sun, and on a wet day the whole thing is slick. It looks ten winters older than it is.
Here is the good news, and it is the same thing we tell everyone who calls about this: a patio that looks like that is nearly always sound underneath. The colour is in the paver, under a layer of dirt, algae and worn surface. The stains are on top of it. The moss is living in the joints, not in the base. None of it means the patio has to come up.
What it does mean is that three things need doing in the right order: a wash that gets into the joints, not just across the surface, new sand that hardens, and a sealer that brings the colour up and keeps the stains off. Done in the wrong order, or with the wrong tools, the patio looks good for a month.
Our Work
Patios we have washed, re-sanded and sealed
Why pavers fade, stain and grow moss
Most of this is weather doing what weather does, with a little help from the furniture.
- Sun on the surface: The colour in a concrete paver is strongest at the surface, and years of sun wear it down. A faded patio often has its colour intact just under the top skin, which is why it comes back when it is wet.
- Shade and damp: Moss and algae grow where the patio stays wet: the north side of the house, under a tree, beside a fence, or anywhere the pavers have dipped and water sits. The green film is a drainage map.
- Dirt in the joints: Joint sand that has washed out fills with dirt, leaf litter and seeds. The joints go black, moss takes hold in them, and weeds follow. Clean sand is what keeps the lines crisp.
- Rust, leaves and planters: Metal furniture legs leave rust rings. Wet leaves left on the pavers leave brown tannin marks. A planter with no saucer leaves a circle. All of them sit on top of the paver and most wash out.
- Winter salt: Salt and de-icers leave a chalky haze and are hard on the surface of a paver over the years. A chalky white haze on newer pavers is also just salts in the concrete working their way out, and it fades with weather and washing.
- The wrong kind of wash: A pressure washer with a surface cleaner skims the top and leaves the joints dirty, and a wand held too close etches the surface. Both make the next wash harder.
Google reviews
What our customers say
“We had a gravel walkway around our pool and equipment that had become overgrown with weeds, and grasses. The crew removed all the existing weeds etc., stone, and fabric. … We are very pleased with their work. They delivered as promised.”
“My front walk and back patio needed maintenance due to misaligned stones and weeds. … I am very happy with the result and greatly appreciate the owner's planting suggestions for the low maintenance gardens I require.”
“They returned my call the same day I phoned. He arranged a visit and gave me a few options to repair my stone stairs. He did the work within 2 weeks and did a great job. I highly recommend him.”
The fix
How we bring a faded patio back
The order matters: wash, sand, seal. We pressure wash the full area with a 4,000 PSI washer and a nozzle attachment instead of a surface cleaner, because the nozzle gets deep between the pavers and cleans the joints to the bottom, where the dirt and the moss roots are. We rinse the surrounding surfaces and collect the waste for disposal. Once the pavers are dry we apply premium polymeric sand, compact it into the joints with a rubber plate tamper, and apply a second layer to refill and strengthen the joints. Then, when the sand has set, the sealer goes on. It deepens the colour, helps the pavers resist stains, oil and salt, and keeps the joints tighter for longer. That is our patio restoration service, and it is the same for a patio, a driveway, a walkway or steps.
Honesty about what a wash cannot do. It will not put colour back into a paver whose top layer has worn through, it will not fix a chipped or cracked paver, and it will not stop moss coming back in a dip that holds water. For those we swap the odd damaged paver for a matching one, and we lift and reset any pavers that have sunk before the sanding, so the water that fed the moss drains away. If the low spots are more than a few pavers, read our page on a sinking interlock patio, because that is the bigger job and it comes first.
We do this work from Hamilton out to Burlington and Oakville, where the lakeshore patios take more salt spray and more shade from mature trees, and the moss is worse for it. It all comes off the same way.
Check this yourself first
A hose and a kneeling pad will tell you how much of your patio is coming back.
- Wet a section: Hose down a square metre and look at it wet. If the colour you remember shows up, it is still in the paver and a sealer will bring it back. If it stays grey wet, the surface is worn and a wash will clean it but not recolour it.
- Map the moss: Note where the green and black are worst. Shade you cannot change. Water sitting in a dip you can, by having those pavers re-levelled before the sanding.
- Rock a few pavers: Step on the pavers near the moss and the edges. A paver that tips has lost its bedding, and it should be reset before anything is washed or sanded, or the repair is done twice.
- Scrape a joint: Dig a screwdriver into a few joints. Hard sand means polymeric sand is still doing its job. Black dirt and roots mean the joints have to be washed out to the bottom before new sand goes in.
- When to call: A patio you no longer want to sit on, moss that makes it slippery, or stains that have been there more than a season is worth bringing back this year. Call (905) 906-0671 and we will take a look.
Planning
What a lasting restoration includes, and what changes the price
A lasting restoration always includes
- A deep wash with a nozzle, to the bottom of every joint
- Pavers that have sunk or tipped lifted and reset first
- Dry pavers before any sand goes in
- Polymeric sand compacted in with a plate tamper, then a second application
- Sealer applied once the sand has set, over a clean, dry surface
What affects the price
- The size of the area, and whether the driveway and walkways are done at the same time
- How much moss and dirt is in the joints, which sets the washing time
- Pavers that have to be re-levelled or replaced before sanding
- Sealing: a natural finish or a wet look, and the size of the area
- Stain treatment for rust or oil that a wash alone does not lift
- Access for the washer and for the collected waste
A typical job, in plain words. Picture a backyard patio that has gone grey, with moss along the fence side and a few pavers by the step that rock. We reset the pavers by the step on the first visit, wash the whole patio and let it dry. On the second visit we sand and compact the joints, and once the sand has cured we seal it. The colour comes up darker than the owner remembered, the lines are crisp again, and the moss has nowhere to live. A Burlington driveway gets the same treatment with more time spent on the salt haze and the tire marks.
Every quote is written and free, and materials are billed at what they cost us with no markup.
Related
Related pages
Service: patio restoration. Related problems: weeds and ants in pavers and a pool patio sinking or shifting. Areas: Hamilton and Burlington. More answers on our FAQ page, and more problems we fix.
FAQs
Faded and stained patio questions
If it shows when the pavers are wet, yes. The colour is still in the paver under a layer of dirt and worn surface, and a deep wash followed by a sealer brings it up and keeps it there. If the pavers stay grey when wet, the top layer has worn through, and a wash cleans them but does not recolour them.
Most rust rings and leaf marks come out in the wash. Deep rust and oil that has soaked in may need a stain treatment before sealing, and we tell you honestly which stains will lift and which will fade rather than vanish.
You can. The two things that go wrong are using a surface cleaner, which skims the top and leaves the joints dirty, and skipping the sand afterwards, so the clean joints fill with dirt again and the moss is back by fall. Wash, sand, then seal is the order that lasts.
No, but it is the step that keeps the patio looking restored. Sealing deepens the colour, helps the pavers resist stains, oil and salt, and keeps the joints tighter for longer. Ask us to add it to your quote and we will show you a natural and a wet look finish.
Not in the joints, once they are filled with polymeric sand that has hardened. It can still grow on the surface in deep shade where the patio stays wet, which is why we re-level any dips first so water drains, and why a sealed surface is easier to keep clean.
Usually two or three visits spaced around the weather: a wash, then sanding once the pavers are dry, then sealing once the sand has set. Your written quote gives the timeline, and the patio is usable between visits.
How it works
Getting started is easy
- 1
Call or send the form
Tell us what you have in mind. We reply fast, usually within the hour.
- 2
Get your free quote
We look at your project and send you a clear, written quote quickly.
- 3
We build it
We start quickly and back our craftsmanship with a 1-year warranty.
Get Free Quote
Get a Free Quote to Bring Your Patio Back
Tell us how big the patio is and send a photo of it wet and dry if you can. We will tell you how much of the colour is coming back and get back to you fast with a free written quote.