Sizwe Dhlomo’s friend shares a two-step process that brings your paving back to life without painting it
Katlego Sekhu
It is one of those things you see everywhere in South African neighbourhoods and never think twice about. Paving bricks painted red, black, or a combination of both, shining on a Saturday afternoon after a long morning of work.
But according to Sizwe’s friend, Culprit, who manufactures the bricks, it is the wrong move entirely.
Siz The World brought in a brick manufacturer and paving specialist to settle the debate once and for all.
It is not fading. It is dirt. Here is the difference.
The most common reason homeowners reach for the paint tin is that their paving appears to be losing its colour. What looks like fading is almost never fading at all.
Oxide bricks, the kind that come in charcoal, red, or other dyed finishes, are coloured using a pigment called oxide that goes all the way through the brick during manufacturing. The colour does not sit on the surface. It is in the brick itself.
What homeowners are actually seeing is a layer of dirt and debris that accumulates on the surface over time, particularly on paving that is driven over regularly.
“What people normally see is the dead on top of the paving and they assume that the oxide is fading,” the manufacturer explained. “But it is not. It is actually that layer of dirt.” A thorough pressure clean removes the surface layer and reveals the original colour beneath.
Clean it, seal it and leave it alone
Once the paving has been pressure cleaned, the recommended next step is not paint. It is a product called a colour enhancer, a clear sealant applied directly onto the brick that brings back the original colour without covering or altering it.
“It is not paint,” the manufacturer was clear. “It is a clear material that you apply on the bricks and it just enhances the original colour. Think of it as a sealant that brings back that natural colour.”
What many South Africans have been using instead is roof paint. Not paving paint, not a product designed for bricks, but the same waterproof paint used on corrugated iron roofs.
It is sold in hardware stores and has unofficially taken on a life of its own as a paving solution, but manufacturers are clear: it was never designed for this purpose and it should not be used on bricks.
Beyond the aesthetic argument, there are practical consequences.
Painting paving with a waterproof product seals the surface entirely, which means water can no longer drain through the way it is supposed to. Without proper drainage, puddles form. The texture of the brick also changes, becoming smoother and significantly more slippery when wet. And once you start painting, you commit to repainting every few years as the coat begins to wear.
The manufacturer summed it up plainly: it is your house, your money and your bricks. Nobody is stopping you. But painting is not how the product was designed to be maintained.
Listen to the podcast for the full discussion.
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The post Stop painting your paving: A brick manufacturer explains what to do instead appeared first on KAYA 959.
