# paver "wet look " ?



## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

i am sure this has been aasked before.

my pavers(cast cement ?) are beige. they look a lot better when they are wet.

is there something that i could put on them to darken em ?

i would love to replace them. but that would be another $1000


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

You might try some concrete sealer, I have no proof of it's performance though. 

I would buy the smallest bottle/ can sold at the box store, try it on a spare paver, or in a place that is generally hidden first. 

See how it looks . 

ED


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## Indepspirit (Apr 30, 2014)

It seems there are almost as many different types of paving sealants as there are types of paving and it can be totally confusing to decide which is the most suitable for any particular type of paver. Sealants can have a dramatic effect on the appearance of a pavement, and that effect may well be permanent and irreversible. That's why all sealants should be tried out in a discreet corner or on surplus paving before applying it to a wider area. Looking beyond the chemistry involved in each class of sealant, all of them can be assigned as either Coatings or Impregnators. Coatings, also known as Surface Sealants, are those products which merely sit on top of the substrate, acting as a barrier between the paving material itself and the real world. These coatings are, generally, removable. Once applied they can be stripped using a product similar (if not identical) to paint-stripper. Impregnators, these sealants actually penetrate the substrate itself, soaking into the microscopic interstices or capillaries which exist between the individual grains of a sedimentary stone or concrete, or adhering to the surface of mineral grains in other rock types.

Since you are looking for a "wet" look I would recommend looking into a Color Enhancer. Some sealants have no discernible effect on the appearance of the substrate following successful treatment. They do sell a wet-look sealant that does it all in one application. However, by separating the color-enhancing function from the sealing- function, you have much greater control over the finished appearance. You can apply as much or as little of the enhancing treatment as is required to achieve a desired look, and then apply the seal coat to complete the procedure, whereas relying solely on a wet-look sealant gives no fine control over the finished looks - it's wet-look, and that's it. If, after treating the paving with a wet-look sealant, you feel that the effect is too dramatic, or not as bold as you'd hoped, then you're stuck: there's nothing further you can do and additional coats of sealant will merely serve to darken the substrate, and not enhance the color, whereas a color enhancer can be built up, a bit at a time, until the required depth of contrast and color enhancement is just as required.

There is no one sealant that can be recommended for any job, there are several factors that impact on choosing the "best" sealant for each job. However, I can give you a 'shortlist' of the sealants I've found most suitable for a range of substrates. 

For concrete block paving and pressed concrete flags


 ◦ Resiblock 22 (matt)
 ◦ Resiblock Superior (wet look)
 ◦ K-Seal Total (damp look)
 ◦ Pavseel (low sheen)
 ◦ USP (neutral)
 For clay pavers


 ◦ Resiblock 22 (matt)
 ◦ Pavseel (low sheen)
 ◦ USP (neutral)
 For cast concrete flags (patio flags)


 ◦ Covergard (neutral)
 ◦ Romex Seal (low sheen)
 For porous natural stone


 ◦ Dry Treat (neutral)
 ◦ Weiss StainProtect Profi (neutral)
 ◦ Lithofin MN StainStop (matt/ barely damp look)
 ◦ ProtectGuard WL (wet look)
 For crystalline natural stone


 ◦ Sio-Seal from RR Stone (neutral)
 ◦ Weiss StainProtect Profi (neutral)
 ◦ Lithofin MN StainStop (matt/ barely damp look)
 ◦ Wet Seal by Delta (wet look)


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## wkearney99 (Apr 8, 2009)

We went with a wet-look sealer, with some sort of darkening agent, for our stamped concrete driveway. But I don't know how well it'd work on a paver as those tend to have a rougher surface texture.


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## High Gear (Nov 30, 2009)

http://www.techniseal.com/web/new_niveau2A.php?pl=1&type=h&sr=us_en/&surfaceid=5&surface=paver

I used the WL4 when I made our cement block patio , really brought out the color.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

looking at that link. i think i want the color enhancer. i don't want the patio to look wet. i want it to look darker. i said "wet look" because when it rains the blocks are darker.


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## wkearney99 (Apr 8, 2009)

It doesn't look "wet", per se. More like a bit of a polish. But, again, this is on stamped concrete, which may have a much smoother surface texture than a paver.


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