Note: These Steps will work on Failed Brick Paver, Stamped Concrete, and Decorative Concrete Sealers.

spraysealerBrick Paver Sealers are different than regular concrete sealers in that they:

  • Darken the appearance by giving a "wet" look.
  • Can give a gloss appearance that ranges between satin to high gloss.
  • Helps solidify joint sand.
  • Film on the surface somewhat instead of penetrating completely into the concrete.

Unfortunately, Brick Paver and Decorative Concrete Sealers sometimes fail by discoloring and turning milky white or yellow in color. Typically this happens for one of these reasons:

  • Moisture was trapped under sealer.
  • Efflorescence (white salt deposits) was not removed prior to sealer application.
  • Sealer used was low grade causing the acrylic in the sealer to blush white from the sun. Please stay away from sealers sold at Big Box Stores!
  • A buildup of too many coats through the years or excessive over application.
  • Use of a polymeric sand. This is actually the fault of these types of sand. If you do not remove all the sand from the surface of the pavers, the sand can turn white under the paver sealer.

In many cases applying a solvent to the pavers will "reset" the sealer, making the white haze disappear. This usually works for trapped moisture and if you have sealer buildup. Unfortunately, if the white haze is from something else then you will need to strip off all of the old sealer and start over. This is not a fun process but it is better than replacing everything!

Please follow these steps to ensure success:

  1. You will need to buy a brick paver sealer stripper. They typically cover 100-200 square feet per gallon.
  2. Cover all delicate shrubs, vegetation, furniture, etc. with plastic sheeting. Tape plastic sheeting to home if near area to be cleaned.
  3. Use protective clothing, gloves, and eyewear. The use of a charcoal filter respirator is suggested.
  4. Using a paint try and paint roller, apply the paver sealer stripper in a section of about 100 square feet. This stripper is very thick and applies like a paste. *If you apply too much stripper at one time you will run the risk of it drying before you get a chance to pressure wash.
  5. Wait about 10 minutes after applying the stripper then pressure wash off the old sealer. This can be messy as the sealer "peels" off in white pieces. Best to push this into the grass or dirt areas.
  6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until completed.
  7. If needed spot strip any areas that did not come clean after the first attempt. If old sealer is excessively thick, you may need to repeat the entire process.

If you plan on resealing the pavers it is best to remove as much as possible of the old sealer. If you do not there is a strong chance that the "white haze" will come back in those areas.

The Brick Paver Sealers we sell are not prone to discoloring when used on concrete that is free of any old sealers. Main reason is that they are all "breathable" sealers which greatly reduces any chance of the dreaded "white haze".

If you have any questions please ask below.

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  • We will reply to your comment shortly
    Leo · 12/26/2021
    I have stone pavers on my pool deck and driveway. The pool deck was initially sealed with a water base sealer. Then hired a independent guy that convinced me to lay solvent sealer instead. The deck got all haze up, so we stripped it all and applied Ure Seal H2O sealer.. Now my pool deck is all haze up worse than before however, the driveway has barely few spots.. A company want a charge me almost $5,000 just to do my pool deck.. I want to it myself... What kinda advice can you give me.
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    AB · 11/04/2021
    Will the SureStrip stripper work for water based sealer removal? Thanks!
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    Janice · 07/20/2021
    Have cement pavers on my lanai & sealer got on my lanai drain channel ... how may I remove the sealer from the metal channel.
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    Wade · 06/02/2021
    If you want to "reset" the sealer with solvent, how do you apply it? Do you apply it and let it evaporate or rinse it after a certain amount of time?
    • We will reply to your comment shortly
      The Sealer Store · 06/02/2021
      Just apply it with a pump sprayer to a clean and dry surface and then let it dry for an hour or two.
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    Lana · 05/29/2021
    This is the picture 
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      The Sealer Store · 05/30/2021
      No idea. We do not use their products as they have poor results. 
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    Lana · 05/29/2021
    This is after I used bio strip from seal n lock. Does anyone know why it looks blotchy?
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    Kyzor · 05/22/2021
    Pictures
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    Kyzor · 05/22/2021
    Another picture
  • We will reply to your comment shortly
    Kyzor · 05/22/2021
    These are some pictures 
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    Kyzor · 05/22/2021
     The people doing my pavers applied a stripper then pressure clean pavers with lots of sealer buildup.. for the most part it was good but in our entrance lots of pavers have a lot of white haze which they did not have before.. what can I do?? Thanks!!!
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    Stacey A · 04/14/2021
    How can i remove sealer to an interior exposed brick wall.  Used Behr wet look recommended by my brother.  Alot of the brick dried a lighter peach color.  When they were wet when i cleaned them they were a beautiful brick red.  My brother said the Behr should have made it look like it did when wet, a darker brick color.  I want to see if there is a way to remove the sealer and try a differnt one.  Can i sand it off with a wire disk attachment or sanding disk?  I saw the comments about the stripper then power washing.  But how when the wall is inside?
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      The Sealer Store · 04/14/2021
      Only way to remove is to apply the stripper and pressure wash off. Nothing else will work.
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    Simon · 11/20/2020
    I had this happen to some lawn edging blocks when I applied block sealer when wet some blocks look very dark blocks could the geofix patio joining compound have got under the paving sealer on the bricks ? Is it fixable I should add looks normal when dry
    • We will reply to your comment shortly
      The Sealer Store · 11/20/2020
      You would have to strip off the sealer.
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        Simon · 11/20/2020
        Thanks can you buy a product to strip this off in the UK
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    Rochelle · 11/08/2020
    I applied the Behr Wet Seal to my pavers and they look like nothing happened. I applied 3 coats and I noticed at night there is a tiny shine but during the day it looks the same or worse than before (lighter or more pale). Can I just apply another sealant that has a higher gloss to get the look I am looking for?
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    michael collins · 10/27/2020
    i sealed my brick on a deck with behr wet look water base sealer and the next day white blotches appeared
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      The Sealer Store · 10/27/2020
      You will need to strip as the above article explains. The Behr sealer is a very poor brand, BTW.
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    Scott · 08/17/2020
    Here are the pics
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    Scott · 08/17/2020
    Here are the pics
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    Scott · 08/17/2020
    I have a seven year old paving stone patio that had polymeric sand added and then sealed. It rained within two hours of applying a sealer. Now we have what looks to be sand deposits on the stones. Can’t tell if solvent or stripping is necessary. Can you help.
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      The Sealer Store · 08/18/2020
      You will need to strip it all off and then use a cleaner after to remove the poly sand haze/dust.
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    Shane · 07/13/2020
    We just sealed white/grey brick pavers with white grout with a concrete sealer, and as the sealer was drying it turned the the pavers and grout yellow in some spots! Is there anything we can do about this? If we try to remove the sealer will the yellow come off of the grout or are our bricks permanently damaged? Help
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    Mike · 06/27/2020
    After sealing over Unilock and Polymeric sand, a candle wax like build up has formed over some of the sand lines. What is this and how can it be fixed?
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    Joanne Cockburn · 06/13/2020
    Hi this is our new patio I’ve just sealed it and this has happened can you recommend anything to remove it please ?