Paver sealingin Parkland, FL.

Heron Bay was built from 1996 into the early 2000s, and a lot of its drives are original pavers that have been through twenty-plus rainy seasons. Some were sealed years ago with a film that has since gone patchy or white. A film sealer that has failed has to come off before anything new goes on, and that stripping step is a day of its own.

The motor court is also where the cars turn, so the joints nearest the garage lose sand fastest and the faces carry the most tire marks. Those joints are blown out, refilled with polymeric sand and set before the sealer goes down. Done in that order, the court stops shedding sand into the gutter every July.

Watercrest went up between 2013 and 2015 and MiraLago in 2014, so many of those drives and walks have never been sealed at all. New concrete pavers push a white efflorescence haze to the surface in their early months. On pavers that are a decade old that has long finished, which makes them good candidates for a first seal.

A first seal on pavers that have never had one is the simplest version of the job: no old film to strip, just a thorough clean, fresh joint sand where it has washed low, and a penetrating sealer. If the association has rules about finish or color, check them before choosing a wet look. Sealing a young paver while its color is still strong locks that color in, instead of trying to bring it back later.

On lake lots in Parkland Isles and Parkland Golf & Country Club, travertine around the pool is common, and it is softer and more porous than a concrete paver. It stains from a wet planter, a leaf or a spilled drink, and its edges chip if a joint is blown out too hard. It also heats up in the afternoon sun, and a sealer that leaves a shiny film makes it hotter to look at and slicker underfoot.

Travertine gets a sealer made for natural stone and extra care at the joints. If the pool runs on a salt system, splash-out leaves salt in the stone, and a sealed deck keeps more of it near the surface where a rinse reaches it. Most people pick natural rather than wet look, so the deck stays cooler to look at and less slick when wet.