Paver & travertine sealing FAQ

​Gorilla is committed to providing the best customer service in the industry. We are one of the only companies in the Florida and the country that specialize 100% in paver, travertine and concrete sealing.  We provide the following FAQ to make sure homeowners and property managers have honest factual information.  You may also want to read our article on dealing with cloudy pavers at http://ezinearticles.com  "Restoring Cloudy Pavers".

 

Why do I need to seal?

Whether you have chosen to beautify your property by having hardscape installed or it came your home purchase, there is typically a higher cost in doing so.  You have spent time and effort in deciding what style, colors, brand and choosing a professional installer.  Not to mention the financial cost of your investment. Hardscapes which are not sealed, especially pavers and travertine, will fade due to weather and they will stain due to normal foot and car traffic.  Sealing insures your hardscape remain as beautiful in the future as they were when they were new.  Sealing offers a verity of benefits including enhancing the color of your pavers, protecting them from the weather, reducing the harm from staining and allowing for easier maintenance. Sealing enhances the beauty of your home regardless if you live in Tampa, Lakeland or Orlando.

Why do I need a Professional to Seal my Pavers?

As with any service, professionals have the experience and expertise to provide the level of expectation.  Most residential and commercial customers do not have the special equipment necessary to achieve the results that can be provided by our team at Gorilla ECS LLC.  You have chosen to commit your hard earned financial resources to having pavers installed, now allow our team to keep your pavers looking they way you imagined for many years to come.  As with all professions it is advisable to check trade and client references.  Gorilla ECS is both proud and privileged to provide references for both commercial and residential customers.

Please do not allow other companies to fool you and please do your research. Just because someone claims to have been sealing, doesn't mean they have been. To date, Gorilla is the oldest sealing company based out of Central Florida. Most companies started with "cleaning" or pressure washing parts of buildings and it wasn't until around 2015 when the market was saturated with "sealing" companies!

What type of Sealer does Gorilla ECS use?

As a company whose mission statement is to provide the very highest quality we use in our option the very best sealers on the market.  These products provide us the assurance and faith that the end result will exceed our customers’ expectations and that the final look is both beautiful and long lasting.  We always us the best sealer for each customers specific situation; since 2014 Gorilla has specifically used and switched to sealers produced by ICT which is manufactured in Lakeland, FL! We still "test" out new water-based sealers which come on the market and even dabble with our blends on personal properties to ensure we're always using the top rated sealers on the market.

I had my pavers sealed previously but they now look cloudy white?

Unfortunately this is an all too common occurrence when either the application of the sealer or the type of sealer used was not applied correctly.  In most cases the whitening, cloudiness or cracking is due to moisture being trapped under the existing sealer OR application error! This is a huge issue in Florida, but especially in higher moisture areas along the coasts such as Sarasota, St. Petersburg, Melbourne and so forth. Once this process has begun there are only two real options to solve the problem. The first is to have the pavers replaced.  This option is very expensive and in most cases simply not feasible.  The second option is to have the pavers “stripped” and have the paver resealed using the Gorilla ECS designated product.  The process of stripping and restoring the pavers is one that very few professional sealers will even attempt and even fewer have the knowledge and expertise to perform.  At Gorilla ECS we specialize in Paver Restoration and can achieve a final result that will exceed our customers’ expectations.
If another company states, they put down one coat of stripper and get "most" of the sealer off and it's okay to seal over it...Please do NOT do this! It will be a temporary fix. Even with restorations we cannot guarantee the sealer within the pores will be removed which could come to the surface over time requiring another restoration. Now, in our 16+ years of business, we've only see this happen less than a dozen times, but it can happen. If they are not removing ALL sealer from the surface and cracks, it's only a matter of time before you have the same issue all over again!

What finish options are available? 

There are technically four different options available, but only three for travertine!
Natural Finish - will not enhance the hardscapes natural color and will produce absolutely NO shine

Matte (aka mid-gloss) - will enhance the hardscapes natural colors (like a color booster) and product a low sheen/shine to the surface

Gloss (aka either semi-gloss or "wet look") - will enhance the hardscapes natural colors (like a color booster) and produce a nice sheen/shine to the surface (the darker the colors the more it will shine)

High-gloss is only offered on concrete pavers - will enhance the pavers natural colors (color boost) and produce a very high shine almost like glass to the surface. If you have light colored pavers, do not expect it to shine as a darker color would!