Vet a Paver Contractor Before the Sprayer Comes Out
Ten minutes of checking before work starts protects your pavers, your landscaping and your pool. Run this list past anyone you are thinking of hiring.
Which papers should a paver contractor show you?
Sealing and washing put chemicals, runoff and overspray right beside your house, your plants and sometimes your pool. A contractor who does this for a living has the papers ready and is glad to hand them over. Stuck on any of them? Call (904) 274-8546.
A current insurance certificate
Ask the contractor's insurance agent to send proof of general liability coverage. If a sprayer mishap stains stucco or a wash hose cracks a window, that policy answers for it instead of you.
The license that fits the job
A wash and seal is not the same work as lifting and relaying pavers. Ask which Florida license, if any, covers the exact work in your quote.
A county business tax receipt
St. Johns County says every business needs a business tax receipt from the County Tax Collector, and a business inside St. Augustine or St. Augustine Beach gets the city receipt first. Ask to see it.
A price on paper
The quote should list the square footage, the sealer, the joint sand and what happens to any loose pavers. Get it in writing before the first hose comes out.
How do you check a Florida contractor's license?
Start with the state's own database. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation runs a free license search that takes a name or a license number. If the contractor says no license applies to cleaning and sealing, ask them to explain why, and ask again if the job grows to include repairs. To see what a job might run, ask for a free estimate.
Insurance takes a phone call. Have the contractor's agent send the certificate straight to you, because a printout handed over in the driveway is easy to get wrong. A contractor who hesitates on either request has told you something. Questions before you decide? Call (904) 274-8546.
What do good paver contractors do on a coastal job?
They watch the sky
Unilock asks for 24 to 48 hours of clear weather around sealing, and island afternoons bring storms. A careful contractor calls early when a date has to slide.
They protect the plants
Dune grass and garden beds sit close to many island driveways. Ask how the contractor will keep wash water and overspray off them.
They test before they commit
Unilock suggests trying sealer on a small area first. Ask to see a patch before the whole driveway gets the same coat.
They say what a fix looks like
If a section dries cloudy or starts to flake, what happens next? A plain answer before the job is worth having.
Where do requests for pavers go?
Wondering who might call you back? Read the sample contractor profiles to see the kinds of companies that take this work.
Ask for a Free Paver Estimate
Describe your pavers and a company that works on the island and across the bridge will be in touch.
Free, no obligation