Does patio furniture need to be moved for paver sealing?

ICPI's application step reads: “Sealer should be spread and allowed to stand in the chamfers, soaking into the joints.” Anything left on the pavers sits in the way of that step.

A table leg, a planter base or a folded rug covers the chamfers and joints beneath it, so the sealer spread around it never stands and soaks in there. When the piece is lifted later, that patch is the part of the floor that did not get the coat.

SEK-Surebond's site-preparation bulletin, TB.6, opens by inspecting the surface and site, and recommends a leaf blower to remove dust and particles before a stabilizing sealer goes on. Both steps need a floor that can be seen and blown clear from end to end. What else has to be true of the surface first is set out under a sealer maker's numbered preparation steps, and cars on a driveway are answered under moving cars for paver sealing.

Moving a piece off the pavers takes it out of the sealer's path, but not necessarily out of reach of the spray.

ICPI Tech Spec 5 says: “Cover and protect all surfaces and vegetation around the area to be sealed.” Seal 'n Lock's guide for its Super-Wet-Look tells the applicator to “avoid overspray on adjacent surfaces, rinse any overspray with water,” and ICPI's cleaning section adds that low tree branches, shrubs and vegetation next to the pavement are tied back or covered against overspray of cleaning solutions or sealers. A cushion, a grill or a planter stacked beside the patio is one of those surrounding surfaces, so it is covered or moved further off.

Plants in the ground and the timing of a planting project are their own question, answered under sealing pavers before or after new landscaping. A patio under a roof adds air movement and drying to the list, taken up under sealing pavers under a lanai.

ASCC's decorative concrete guide explains why the wait before furniture returns runs past the wait to walk on a sealed surface.

The ASCC guide says: “Although most sealers can be walked on within hours of application, full curing can take 72 hours or more. Mats, carpets, patio furniture, etc., should remain off the surface as long as possible after it has been sealed.” For carpets, mats or weather stripping stuck to a sealed surface, ASCC's troubleshooting table gives the probable cause as “Sealer was not allowed to fully cure prior to being covered.” ASCC writes about decorative concrete sealers; for a paver sealer, the cure time and traffic lines on the product's own label set when a piece goes back.

Pavers that feel sticky after sealing are a separate complaint, answered under why pavers are sticky after sealing, and odor during a sealing has its own answer under paver sealer smell.