I might have damaged my drive - please advice

[geek84]

Hi Folks

I decided to wash the front of my drive the other day with a pressure washer. My drive is not tarmaced but instead it is tiled - the same colour as bricks (sorry I don't know the official name for them).

After I finished washing all the drive, a guy who lives a few doors down my street came out and said it wasn't a good idea to wash the drive!! He said the water would have got underneath the tiles via the joints and into the sand. He went on to say that over the next few years, the sand would start moving underneath and the tiles would become disjointed, and I would have to replace the sand by having all the tiles removed first and that this could cost a few hundred pounds. He said it is far better to leave the drive as it is for a few years, and when it gets really dirty, just to have a new drive put down instead!!

Can you please advice on this of how much truth is in that?

Thank You.

 

[JohnKay]

Hi geek84

How much truth - not much !

I take it your drive is block paving, very popular these days. Laid on a bed of sharp sand, and then compacted. A very fine sand is then brushed into the joints. finally compacted again to fill the joints.

The fine sand acts using friction to bind all the blocks together, preventing individual movement.

So by washing you have simply removed some of the fine sand from the joints. You will not have damaged the bedding. It would be a good idea to obtain some more sand, and brush into the open joints - It is a special sand for that purpose.

A lot of people do frequently use a pressure washer on this type of paving, it may not be ideal, but as long as the sand is replaced, all will be OK.

As far as replacing the drive when it gets dirty - that's a load of ********

 

[geek84]

Good Morning Folks

JohnKay - many thanks for your advice.

Does anyone know the type of sand that I need to buy?

How much would I need to put in the joints? i.e. fill it all the way to the top?

 

[JohnKay]

Hi

Block Paving Sand. If you have a Wickes near you, it's catalog # 220201
All you need do is tip it on and go over with a broom to fill the joints, remove excess, - job done, drive like new !