Breezeway, Garage Front & Pool Deck Care
St. Croix at Pelican Marsh

With seasonal and annual rentals, units change hands often and breezeways get busy. Sprinkler rust, gum and dark traffic paths build up on stairs and walks.

Valet trash pickup several days a week leaves drips and spots on the walks near unit doors, and a routine wash clears them. Garage fronts and the concrete aprons in front of them take oil drips, tire marks and rust.

The heated pool deck, spa area, cabana and clubhouse walks are association items and see daily use. Sunscreen and algae make the deck slick in the shade.

Hot-water surface cleaning lifts all of it without bleach, and sealing paver areas afterward slows the return of stains.

A 360-unit condominium from 1999. St. Croix is a condominium of 360 units within Pelican Marsh, built in the late 1990s, with listing data giving 1999. Hardscape poured or laid at construction is now more than twenty-five years old. Paver joints along entries and walks have usually lost much of their original sand, and any earlier sealer has worn thin in the busiest paths. We note those spots for the board so they can be phased into the budget.

Smaller units, more residents per building. Two-bedroom units run about 900 square feet, with listings from roughly 942 to 1,045, and three-bedroom units about 1,196 to 1,314 square feet. Compact floor plans mean more doors per breezeway and more people on each walk and stair. That is why the paths between parking, stairs and doors wear faster here than at a larger-home community, and why they are a priority when re-sanding and sealing.

On a large lake. The complex sits on a large lake with lake and landscape views. Walks and the pool deck on the lake side stay damp longer after rain and morning dew, and that is where algae takes hold first. We work those stretches later in the day, after the sun has dried them, and keep rinse water on the lawn rather than letting it run toward the shoreline.

Northeast corner of Pelican Marsh. St. Croix is on Saint Croix Lane in the northeast corner of Pelican Marsh, near Immokalee Road and Livingston Road in North Naples. Residents also use the master community’s tennis, basketball and jogging and walking path, and Pelican Marsh golf membership is offered separately. Busy residents and frequent move-ins mean the walks rarely sit empty, so we plan around peak hours.

Heated pool, spa and cabana. The heated outdoor pool, spa, cabana, clubhouse and fitness center are shared by every owner, and lawn maintenance is included. The pool deck sees sunscreen, splash and wet feet all day. We degrease it before sanding, apply a slip-resistant sealer in one coat, and coordinate the closure with the manager so it falls on a quieter day.

Garages and aprons. Some buildings have attached one-car garages, and the aprons in front of them collect oil, tire marks and rust from bikes and tools. Oil stops sealer from bonding, so it is pre-treated and hot-water cleaned first. Very old stains may lighten rather than disappear, and we say so before we start.

Pets and walkways. Owners may keep up to two pets, with a 40-pound limit. Pet traffic along the walks leaves marks and odors in the joints, especially where sand has washed out. Refilling joints with polymeric sand and sealing the surface makes those areas much easier to rinse clean between visits.

Choosing a sealer for shared walks. On walks that stay damp near the lake or under stair landings, a breathable penetrating sealer lets moisture escape and does not leave a film that can whiten. Where the board wants more color on entries, an enhancing sealer can be used in sunnier spots. On any surface people walk on wet, we stick to slip-resistant products and avoid building up a second heavy coat.

Move-in days. Seasonal and annual rentals mean frequent move-ins, with dollies and furniture crossing fresh surfaces. If the manager shares the move calendar, we schedule sealing around it so no one has to roll a couch across a wet walk.

How we sand the walks. Polymeric sand is applied only when the walk is fully dry, in short sections so residents always have a route. The sand is swept to about an eighth of an inch under the top of each paver, compacted, swept and compacted a second time, then wet with a gentle shower until evenly soaked. Joints where the sand has broken down are cleared at least an inch and a half deep, as Alliance Gator advises, before new sand goes in.

Rain and the sealing schedule. Some polymeric sands can take rain within about 15 minutes on a well-drained base, while others need a day, so we book against the forecast. The gap before sealing ranges from about a day to as long as a month depending on the sealer. Sand cure before sealing follows the label, and the manager gets the dates in writing so notices can go out. Residents can use each sealed section again after about 24 hours, per the product label.