Is there a horrible oil stain on your beautiful paver driveway or patio? Well, that’s a common problem. It might have been a leaking car or even a cooking oil leak, but that’s not important anymore. You need to get it out – and luckily, it is possible! But how to remove oil stains on pavers without compromising the project?
Today, we will talk about how to remove oil stains from pavers so that you can get rid of those eye-catching abominations.
You may also like: How to re-sand pavers and make your patio look new again
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How to Remove Oil Stains On Pavers
Stains happen! They are the result of leftover liquid penetrating the porous surface of your pavers. That’s why we always recommend sealing.
Selecting the right technique for getting them out is actually a matter of how deep inside your pavers the oil stains are. Superficial stains will come out with a good scrub. While others might require a specific degreaser or even a poultice.
To try to get those oil stains out from your pavers, you need to start with cleaning and simple techniques and move on to specific products for persistent stains.
Follow our guide and there’s a good chance you will get rid of your stains sooner rather than later.
However, if you’re one of those who like to think about the worst-case scenario. Don’t fret! Luckily you chose pavers, so replacing a few stained units is cheap. Imagine if you had to remove a whole concrete slab – even if the worst comes to happen, you will be able to make your pavers look great again.
Let us teach you how to remove oil stains on pavers:
1: Clean The Stain Area Appropriately
People would be surprised to find out how many stains come out just by cleaning the right way, so that’s where we start.
If there’s oil on your pavers right now, don’t scrub it just yet. It will only spread the liquid and help it penetrate deeper. You need to try to soak up as much as possible with paper towels.
Another material that can help you with that is kitty litter. Spread it over the stain and push it against it.
After soaking the stain, use a scrub brush, dish soap, and water to give the stained area a good scrub.
Once your scrubbing is done, rinse thoroughly the area with a garden hose or a home pressure washer to get it completely free of soap. This will also help remove the stain.
Is your stain still there? Is it smaller? If this method is working, you should try scrubbing and rinsing again. If not, move on to the next step.
2: Use A Degreaser To Remove Oil Stains From Pavers
If you’re dealing with a stubborn stain that hasn’t penetrated very deep, a paver-specific degrease will do the trick. You can check your go-to hardware store or Amazon.
Before applying the degreaser to the stains, you must select a not-so-visible area of your paved area to try the product and make sure it doesn’t discolor your pavers.
Also, you should make sure to protect people, vehicles, and plants from residues and splashes of the product.
The steps for applying the degreaser to remove oil stains on pavers are similar to those described earlier. Apply the solution, let it there for a while, scrub, and then rinse.
Nevertheless, you MUST read the manufacturer’s recommendations and instructions to make sure that’s what you’re going to do! It is not optional.
Is the stain fading? Is it still the same? If the method is working, you can try it again for better results.
However, if you’re not there yet. That means you’ve got a deep stain in your hands – so move on to the next technique.
3: Use A Stain Remover Poultice To Remove Oils Stains From Your Paver
A poultice is a paste-like chemical that’s able to literally suck the stain out as it dries in the sun. You will need to acquire a material-specific oil stain remover poultice.
For instance, a stone stain remover poultice is not the same as a concrete stain remover poultice.
Once you do that, just follow the manufacturer’s instructions to apply it. It normally goes like this: apply the poultice, let it dry, check the results, and reapply if needed.
Now that should do the trick. But even if it doesn’t, the battle is not over yet.
There’s more that can be done such as applying high pressure and stronger chemicals, but you shouldn’t do that on your own! You’re risking permanently damaging your pavers.
If all else fails, you should call in the pros.
Professional Help to Remove Oil Stains On Pavers
Pros will be able to remove your stains, or even replace a few paver units for you in no time. Plus, after your pavers look great again, they will seal them to make sure they continue that way.
Say you do manage to remove that horrible stain that’s tainting the perfection of your beautiful pavers. You don’t want that happening again right? Then sealing is absolutely necessary.
With that in mind, we believe it’s always in your best interest to employ professional help from day one.
At JS Brick, if you hire our sealing services, we will also pressure wash everything and make your pavers look as good as the day they were first installed.
That’s right, we can take care of your stains if you hire us for cleaning and sealing.
If you live in Sarasota or any of our surrounding Counties, you should call us right now for a free estimate.
FAQ
Yes. To apply it, sprinkle a good amount on the stain and dampen it a little. After that, brush it using a circular motion.
In some cases, yes. WD-40 is a water displacer, it can penetrate and remove grease from hard places. Apply WD-40 on the stain and leave it acting for about 20 minutes.
Never use vinegar of any kind in pavers, they WILL damage it. With the great amount of options for cleaning products we have today, there’s no reason for it.
Powdered laundry detergent might help with that. Spread it on the spill and apply a small amount of warm water, enough to form a paste. Scrub the stain around the spot and leave it acting for 15 minutes before rinsing it away.
One of the best things you can do to restore color to pavers is to hire a professional cleaning service to perform a deep and thorough cleaning. After that, the right kind of sealing can help bring the colors of your pavers back to life.
