Slippery Brick Solutions
What can you do about slippery bricks? I have a brick patio so I know how unsafe they can be. Typically this occurs on patios that are in the shade. They can't dry out completely. Not only are they slippery but turn very dark and dirty looking.
Bricks are porous which adds to the problem, creating a perfect home for moss. In other situations moss can be charming...but not on brick!
Another cause of this problem might be your patio remaining wet due to improper grading. If your hardscape is not pitched properly, water collects there and has nowhere to go creating a damp condition.
NOTE:
- This is more likely to happen on old brick than new brick.
- Old brick is more porous.
- Brick of today from such companies as Pine Hall Brick and others produce a more solid, stronger product.
I have old brick on my patio which was there when I purchased my home.
Here is what I have found works very well. It will have to be done periodically. How often depends on your situation. I tackle my patio once or twice a season.
The first time I took care of my brick problem due to moss (and there might have been some algae there too) I used Tilex specifically for the outdoors. It came in a large container with a sprayer that you had to pump. It took some time and was not fun, but as I used it along bricks I could practically see them lighten up, killing the undesirable growth and turning back to the pretty lighter brick color.
One day my neighbor was over. It was around the time that the brick needed to be cleaned again. He offered to power wash it for me. It worked great!
He did it again the next year, but at this time the bricks were very bad and it didn't work as well as the first time. So the next time he did it he added some bleach to the mixture and presto...perfecto!!
Using either of these methods will clean the brick, remove the moss or algea and renew the brick color.
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