When a gravel base for pavers is installed correctly, weeds cannot grow UP between the individual stones. There is no way that the seeds can germinate and push their way through a compacted gravel. Instead they are most likely blowing or drifting into the cracks on the wind. They will sometimes germinate in the joint sand.

There are 2 main ways to prevent this from happening. One is to keep the paver surface clean . Sweep or blow the pavers off occasionally to prevent the seeds from getting rooted in. You can also use a granular pre-emergent pesticide (like Preen). Gently sweep it into the joints, making sure to not leave any on the surface of the pavers as it may stain them.

The other way is to have polymer sand installed during the installation process. Polymer sand is a granular sand that has an additive in it that acts as a binder to the grains when it's activated. When it's dry, it is hard to the touch and seeds can not root into it.

Moss requires 2 things to grow: moisture and shade. Making sure an area has time to dry out, will go a long way preventing moss. Thinning out a tree canopy to allow more sunlight through will also help.

We have found that a simple solution of household vinegar can work well on getting rid of moss. Simply spray it on. The vinegar usually kills the moss and the spores. Make sure you test it on a sample area first to make sure it doesn't damage your pavers. Once the moss is dead it can be blown out of the paver joints with a hose. Resweep new sand into the joints when finished to keep the pavers from shifting out of alignment. NOTE: Vinegar will deactivate polymer sand and make it ineffective.

Other moss pesticides may be available - see your local garden center for available products and always read the product labels for application instructions and test it on your pavers to make sure it doesn't stain.

This is usually due to frost in the ground, and there is mostly likely an issue in how the gravel base was installed. Pavers are designed to flex with the ground as it freezes and thaws. A proper compaction and installation of the base is what keeps the movement to a minimum. Click here for more information on installing pavers in Connecticut.

Most likely crumbling steps indicate a concrete pour or concrete product that is pourous and can absorb water (and thus freeze) or it has had rock salt or other ice melt product applied. If the concrete can absorb water, freezing that water can bust the concrete apart. If a rock salt has been used on it or nearby, it will chemically eat away at some concrete products. Even if the rock salt was used on the road or driveway - if you walk through it and then use the steps, you have now moved a high concentration of it from your shoes to your concrete. Unfortunately, there is no way to reverse either situation. The steps need to be replaced.

Yes, actually it is. The sand is a very important part of the installation. It is what locks the individual stones together and makes them interlock - giving the pavement the name "interlocking concrete pavers". If there is no sand present in the joints, the pattern can shift and move.

We recommend that the sand be topped off and reswept into the joints every 2 to 3 years - or when the sand level gets below ½" from the chamfered edge of the paver.

A milky white substance on the surface of the pavers is most likely efflorescense. It is a natural by-product of concrete and often comes to the surface of new pavers. Some manufacturer's pavers are less likely to have it than others. It is temporary and will fade with time.

There are cleaners available that can speed up the process, if necessary.