What does it cost to clean and seal block paving?
6 min read Block Paving Revive
The cheapest quote is frequently the most expensive thing you can buy, because a wash without re-sanding leaves the drive worse than it started.
Block paving is the one surface where the cheap quote genuinely costs you money. A drive that is pressure washed and left, year after year, ends up in worse condition than one that was never touched — because the wash removes the joint sand that holds the whole thing together. So it is worth understanding what you are actually paying for.
What moves the price
Whether re-sanding is included
The single most important line on the quote. Cleaning strips joint sand out; re-sanding puts it back and restores the interlock that stops blocks rocking and edges spreading. A quote without it is not a cheaper version of the same job — it is a different, worse job.
Kiln-dried sand or polymeric
Kiln-dried is standard and effective. Polymeric compound sets firm, resists weeds and does not wash out, and costs more. On a drive that has fought weeds for years it usually pays for itself.
How bad the weeds and moss are
Light growth lifts with the clean. Established moss with years of root, and joints packed with soil, need treatment and considerably more time.
Area and access
Bigger drives cost less per square metre. Steps, tight gates, and nowhere to set up all add time.
Whether anything needs lifting and relaying
Sunken areas, rocking blocks and failed edge restraint are repairs, not cleaning. They need the blocks lifting, the base correcting and the blocks going back down. Worth doing before sealing rather than after.
Sealing, if you want it
Optional. On a sound, freshly re-sanded drive it stabilises the joints, resists staining and lifts the colour. On a drive with a base problem it is money in the wrong order.
Why the cheapest quote is a false economy
The pattern we see constantly: a drive washed every spring by whoever is cheapest, never re-sanded. Year one it looks great for a month. Year three the weeds are heavier because empty joints fill with dirt faster than they ever held sand. Year five blocks are rocking. Year seven the edges have started to spread and it is a relay.
The same drive, cleaned properly and re-sanded every three to five years, is still sound. That is the actual comparison, and it is not close.
Questions worth asking
- Is re-sanding included, and with what? If the answer is vague, keep looking.
- Is there a treatment for moss and weeds, or just the wash? Rinsing removes what you can see and leaves the spores.
- Have you checked the edge restraint? It is the thing that quietly ruins block paving and almost nobody mentions it.
- Do you recommend sealing on this drive? A straight "not yet" is a good sign.
When we would say don't bother yet
If the drive is newly laid, the blocks need to weather first — commonly around three months — so efflorescence can clear before anything is sealed. If the base needs work, that comes first. If the blocks are spalled and broken across the whole drive, cleaning is lipstick and we will say so.
Assessments are free and carry no obligation. We would rather tell you a drive needs its edges rebuilding than take money for a seal that fails.
Common questions
- Why is re-sanding so important?
- Joint sand is structural. It holds each block in interlock with its neighbours. Cleaning without re-sanding leaves blocks unrestrained, which causes rocking, spreading edges and heavier weeds.
- Is sealing block paving worth paying for?
- On a sound, freshly re-sanded drive, yes — mostly because it stabilises the joints rather than for the look. On a drive with a base problem it is money spent in the wrong order.
- How often does block paving need doing?
- Cleaned and re-sanded properly, most drives go three to five years. Washed without re-sanding, expect to be doing it every spring and getting worse results each time.
