Protect the curb appeal of your new driveway pavers

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You finally made the decision to remove your old, worn out, cracked, weed-infested asphalt driveway and replace it with beautiful and durable hardscape pavers. You're not alone.

According to home improvement trends, a home's curb appeal from outdoor spaces, such as patios, paths, decks, and driveways continues to be just as important to overall market value as luxury bathrooms and gourmet kitchens. In fact, landscaping and "hardscaping" can increase a home's value by as much as 15 percent estimates Smart Money magazine.

Hardscape materials such as concrete, natural stone, clay brick, and other choices are rapidly growing in popularity to form the foundation for inviting new outdoor spaces. Many of these time-tested options are being used in new ways with the rise of decorative paving and ongoing innovations in veneer products.

However, once installed, these decorative materials are exposed to weather and staining from use which over time can lead to fading, discoloration and deterioration. Driveway pavers especially are subjected to harsh conditions and are not impervious to stains from motor oil, barbeque grease, fertilizer, tire marks, and paint spills. This is why hardscape experts highly recommend the application of a sealant to protect and enhance the aesthetic qualities of your paving projects.

While sealant technology continues to evolve, sealants can be broken down into a few key categories:

* Film-forming versus non film-forming

* Color enhancing (wet look) versus non color enhancing (dry look)

* Solvent-based versus water-based

* All are stain-resistant

According to Rick DeMarchi, director of marketing for Techniseal, the leading manufacturer of polymeric sand and treatment products for the concrete paver industry, it's important to understand this framework when choosing a product because each category brings its own features and benefits with regard to aesthetics, protective qualities and application procedures.

"There's a different sealant, for example, that is applied to a pool deck than the one required for a driveway," he explained. "The pool deck is a candidate for a non film-forming sealant that has no impact on slip and skid resistance for safety considerations." On the driveway, DeMarchi recommends an oil resistant protective sealant making clean up of messy engine oil drippings easy. In both cases, the sealant can be color enhancing, enriching the colors of your pavers, or invisible.

"Whatever the application, an appropriate sealant can help decorative hardscape materials look their best and keep them looking great for years," DeMarchi added. More information on sealant technology can be found at www.techniseal.com.