Paver Sealing & Sanding
WildBlue

Pavers can fade noticeably in their first few years of strong sun. Sealing early helps keep the color you chose instead of restoring it later.

New installations can settle and lose joint sand in the first seasons. Polymeric sand fills the joints and hardens so pavers don’t start to shift.

Lake and preserve lots also drop leaves and pollen onto drives and pool decks. Sealed pavers keep those stains on the surface where a rinse removes them.

3,500 acres between Naples and Fort Myers. WildBlue is a gated community of about 3,500 acres in Estero, ZIP 33913 in Lee County, roughly midway between Naples and Fort Myers. More than 800 acres of that is freshwater lake, which is why so many homes look out over a mile of water. Big open water means steady breezes, but also humid mornings and pavers on the lake side that stay damp until midday.

Lennar’s community, several builders. Lennar developed WildBlue with builder partners Stock, WCI and Pulte, and the plan called for around 1,100 single-family homes for all ages. Recent listings from 2019 and 2023 show tile roofs and newly built hardscape. Different builders used different paver lines and colors, so we check what is on your drive before suggesting a finish; a sealer that looks great on one blend can darken another more than you expect.

Lot sizes and what they mean for pricing. Stock homesites are 85 feet wide, with homes of about 2,500 to 3,400-plus square feet, and Peninsula homesites are 102 and 140 feet. A standard two- or three-car drive on an 85-foot lot usually falls in our standard driveway tier. The wider Peninsula lots often carry side-load garages and longer approaches, which move into the large driveway tier. Pool decks are measured and priced separately.

The first-season haze. Fresh concrete pavers often bloom white in their early months as minerals work out of the paver. Techniseal notes that film-forming sealers carry a small risk of trapping that efflorescence, so on young drives we inspect for it, clean it off if present, and sometimes recommend waiting for it to settle before the first coat. It is the main reason we look at the drive before quoting a date.

Docks, ramps and paddle boards. The largest lake has a marina with a boat ramp, and lakefront owners can build a private dock. Kayaks, paddle boards and boat gear get carried over the back patio wet and sandy. Once polymeric sand has cured, Alliance Gator says it handles foot and vehicle traffic after 24 hours, and the hardened joints shed that grit instead of absorbing it. On lake-edge patios we rinse runoff toward the lawn rather than the water.

Sanding a new drive properly. Even a young drive has usually lost some sand. Alliance Gator’s method is to sweep polymeric sand onto a completely dry surface, finish about an eighth of an inch below the chamfer, compact, sweep and compact again, then wet it in sections with a shower-setting hose so no area dries partway through. Its G2 sands need only one watering and can take rain after about 15 minutes on a free-draining base.

Picking a sealer, and the wait. SEK’s SB-6000 wet look needs at least 24 hours after cleaning, sanding or rain, goes on at roughly 40 to 95 degrees on a surface under 120, and fully cures in about seven days. Techniseal’s WA wet look asks for 30 days after polymeric sand. If you prefer a natural look, a penetrating, breathable silane/siloxane like SEK’s SB-4000 repels water without a film. We go over these choices before booking.

The clubhouse on WildBlue Lake. With the resort pool, the David Humphrey-designed clubhouse on WildBlue Lake, the fitness center, tennis, pickleball, bocce and the hiking and biking trails, owners are often out during the visit. Southwest Florida International Airport, Gulf Coast Town Center and Miromar Outlets are all close by, which makes it easy to schedule around travel or errands.

Ants and weeds at the preserve line. Homes that back onto wooded preserve see seeds, leaf litter and ants drift into joints that have settled. Mutual Materials, the distributor of SEK Surebond, says joint-stabilizing acrylic sealers such as SB-1300 and SB-7700 help hold the sand in place and deter weed germination and ants. On those lots we blow out the debris, treat any green film in the shaded corners, and wait for a dry surface before sanding, so the new joints start clean rather than sealing organic material in underneath.

Keeping it consistent. A new community with a uniform architectural look shows uneven drives quickly. Booking neighbors on the same street together keeps the finish matched, and each owner still receives a separate invoice and a written service record.

Pool decks inside the cage. Every pool deck gets degreased, rinsed and dried, then a slip-resistant sealer in one coat; Techniseal cautions that a second coat on dense pavers can become slick underfoot.