Good evening! Welcome to the first official post of February. We hope you enjoyed our blog post yesterday about gardening tips. This month we are going to kick off with winter hardscape care tips. The rest of the month we’ll cover some more topics that we believe you’ll find useful as we enjoy the winter weather.
The bitter cold and the ice and snow that we can get during the winter can often be very unforgiving to many things, and that includes your hardscape. So here are some ways that you can help protect it.
Winter Hardscape Care Tip 1 – Avoid Using Metal Shovels
One thing that we know in Massachusetts is that we can get a lot of snow. So when it falls, don’t use any metal shovels when you are shoveling your walkway or any other hardscape surfaces. It’s better to use rubber-edged or plastic shovels. Using a metal shovel can chip or scratch your hardscape’s surface.
Winter Hardscape Care Tip 1 2 – Avoid Using Harsh Chemicals
Yes, you want to de-ice your surfaces to keep things safe for you and for other people. But stick to using rock salt and products that are calcium-based. Some types of chemicals can cause damage to the surfaces of pavers and bricks. Therefore, natural rock salt’s a much better choice. But you shouldn’t use it on concrete. Sand or sodium-free products are better to use on concrete.
Winter Hardscape Care Tip 3 – Seal Cracks
The volume of water will expand around 9% when it’s frozen. When water gets into the cracks, it can freeze and then expand, which will make the crack worse. You want to seal any cracks before the winter sets in so that the cracks don’t become worse. It’s also a good idea to make sure that you are removing weeds that are between your pavers since they can cause cracks and separation.
Winter Hardscape Care Tip 4 – Clear Your Drains
Cleaning your drains during the winter can help with ensuring that snow, ice, and other kinds of debris don’t accumulate on the hardscape and lead to damage. You also should watch for any water runoff, making sure that there aren’t any areas where the water can become trapped and then freeze on the hardscape.
These are four winter hardscape care tips that you can use to help ensure that your hardscape makes it through the harsh winter weather for which Massachusetts is known.
Once spring is here, if you find that your hardscape needs a bit of help, we offer hardscaping services. We also offer snow removal services. if you are interested in either of these services, simply contact us for a quote. You can also connect with us on Facebook.
