Hardscaping Problems & Repairs: How to Prevent Costly Damage Your Commercial Property

The hardscape surfaces on your commercial property go through a lot out there. 

Over time, tree roots can crack concrete walkways. Moss and weeds sneak in between pavers. Poor water drainage causes pavers to sink. Freezing and thawing make small cracks bigger. 

If you don't fix cracks or sunken hardscape, it always gets worse. It looks terrible. But you also have a tripping hazard and liability worries.

What are the most common commercial hardscaping repairs? Chipped or stained pavers. Cracked concrete sidewalks. Moss or weeds in paver joints. Sinking pavers or concrete.

Let’s learn more about commercial hardscape maintenance, including: 

Chipped Or Stained Pavers

Cracked Concrete Sidewalks

Moss Or Weeds In Paver Joints

Sinking Pavers Or Concrete

Hardscape Maintenance: What Does It Need?

The Danger Of Ignoring Hardscaping Problems

Get It Right The First Time

Chipped Or Stained Pavers

Pavers are known for being sturdy, but chips and stains happen. Hardscape on commercial properties gets a lot of use.

Oil drips from vehicles can stain pavers. So can ice melt products, if they’re incorrectly applied. 

Chips can occur in pavers from the wear and tear of vehicles driving over them.

Level Green crews fix stains with a muriatic acid solution, scrubbing the stain, then hosing it down. If the stain is too severe for scrubbing, we remove the stained paver and replace it.

Chipped paver? We take it out and replace it with a new one that matches. In order to do a proper hardscape repair, crews have to temporarily remove the pavers around the damaged one, too.

Cracked Concrete Sidewalks

This is a common commercial hardscaping repair. 

Water in concrete expands when it freezes, creating pressure that can crack the concrete. Repeated cycles of freezing and thawing make it worse.
 
Tree roots are a big hardscaping problem, too. Tree roots can damage hardscape by pushing it up as they grow, often seeking moisture and nutrients in areas beneath hard surfaces like sidewalks or driveways. This can cause cracking and buckling and can quickly become a trip hazard.

Level Green crews tackle this commercial hardscape repair by removing the cracked section, replacing the gravel base and then pouring a new section of concrete.

If tree roots are the culprit, our skilled experts assess the situation and carefully prune back the offending root.

They can also help prevent this problem in the first place. Your account manager knows what shallow-rooted trees to avoid planting near hardscape — like Norway maples, ash and tulip trees. They’ll advise you to choose trees that seek water and nutrients far underground and are safer near hardscape, like white oak, ginkgo and other deep-rooted tree varieties. 

Moss Or Weeds In Paver Joints

Once dust and dirt nestle into the joints between pavers, moss and weeds can quickly move in, requiring hardscape repair. 

We spray herbicide to kill the weeds, clean 
out the dirt by hand, then replace the sand that was originally between the joints.

Then, we apply a sealer to the joints, to prevent more dust and dirt from taking over. This should keep the invaders out for about three years. Then you’ll need this commercial hardscape maintenance again. 

Sinking Pavers Or Concrete

Poor water drainage is usually the cause of sinking pavers and concrete.

If a good drainage plan isn't in place at installation, water can wash away the base beneath pavers, causing them to sink and requiring hardscape repair. 

Level Green crews remove the sunken pavers or concrete and assess the drainage situation.

We might run a drain pipe, add gravel for drainage or install a French drain to take care of the excess water.

Then, we’ll reinstall the base and replace the pavers or pour new concrete as part of commercial hardscaping repairs. 

Hardscape Maintenance: What Does It Need?

Proper installation goes a long way to keeping your commercial property hardscape looking great and staying safe for the long haul.

But routine commercial hardscape maintenance is important, too. What does your hardscape need along the way? 

Routine Cleaning

Regularly sweep away debris like leaves, dirt, and sand to prevent buildup and staining. 

Don’t Ignore Stains

Clean up any spills or stains as soon as possible to prevent them from setting in. 

Seasonal Cleaning

Do a more thorough cleaning at the end of each season, especially after winter, to remove accumulated grime. Use a pressure washer to remove stubborn dirt, mold, and mildew as part of hardscape maintenance. 

Remove Weeds Regularly

Pull weeds as soon as they appear to prevent them from spreading and damaging pavers. 

Stay on Top of Sealer

Pavers are sealed after installation to protect them from water, stains, and sun damage, but the sealer doesn’t last forever. Part of commercial hardscape maintenance is reapplying sealer every 2-4 years to extend the protection. Paver joints need the sand replaced every few years, too, to maintain stability and prevent weeds. 

Do Regular Inspections 

Inspect your hardscape for cracks, damage, or shifting to catch any problems early. 

Make Prompt Hardscape Repairs 

Take care of any damage — even the small stuff — to prevent it from getting worse and causing further damage.

Avoid Stains with Proper Ice Melt Application

Level Green crews try to avoid winter staining in the first place with proper application of ice melt products. Our crews use an engineered ice melt mixture that’s less corrosive than straight rock salt and gentler to both hardscape and the environment. 

Using the right amount —-and not too much — is important. Level Green crews get expert training about using proper amounts. We don’t apply excess — just the amount needed to melt the ice. 

Brine is another useful tool that helps avoid stained hardscape. The liquid mixture of water and salt is sprayed on roads, parking lots and walkways, usually before a snow or ice storm, to prevent ice from forming. 

But it uses one quarter of the amount of salt as traditional rock salt, which means it’s better for the environment, your hardscape and landscaping. 

The Danger Of Ignoring Hardscape Problems

Even small cracks or chips or slightly sunken concrete can turn into big problems.

These issues always get worse. Cracks spread. Chips get bigger. Sunken areas sink even further as time passes. 

Meanwhile, any cracked or uneven hardscape is a tripping hazard, creating a liability concern on your commercial property. 

If you allow weeds and moss to take over the joints between pavers, the surface becomes more slick than usual when freezing temperatures set in, as ice has more to cling to as it freezes.

Get It Right The First Time

Many of the hardscape repairs we do here at Level Green are on projects we didn't install.

Proper hardscape installation is crucial. Don’t hire crews that cut corners to offer a cheaper price. You’ll pay for it when your hardscape sinks or crumbles.

There’s more to a quality hardscape installation than lining up pretty pavers.

Experts know about the importance of proper grading and drainage. They’re skilled at installing a proper, quality base. They look at the growth habit of surrounding trees. They use quality materials. They don’t take shortcuts. 

Trust Your Hardscape To Level Green

Skilled, experienced Level Green crews install hardscape right the first time. Then, our eagle-eye account managers inspect it every time they’re on your property, checking for any chips, cracks, uneven areas or hazards. 

Many of our team members are ICPI certified, a national training and certification by the Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute.

We install quality hardscape projects every day, designed to last. 

If you’re not already a Level Green Landscaping client, we’d love to add you to our growing list of happy customers. Our focus is on commercial properties like offices, mixed-use sites, HOAs, municipalities and institutions in Maryland, Washington DC and parts of Virginia.

Contact us at 202-544-0968. You can also request a free consultation online to meet with us one-on-one.

We’d love to hear from you.