PRODUCT MAINTENANCE
With proper care, your Rosetta Hardscapes products should give you a lifetime of enjoyment. Here are a few tips to keep your wall or patio looking its best!
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Maintenance
Staining
While Rosetta Hardscapes products are available in a variety of great-looking colors, you might decide that a different shade is the right look for your backyard. Any stain suitable for typical wetcast concrete can be used. Your local dealer or producer can give you some ideas. Before applying, test the stain on an inconspicuous location, sample piece, or leftover product to make sure the color is what you had in mind. Then, follow the stain manufacturer’s instructions for application.
Sealing
Sealing the surface of your Rosetta Hardscapes product will help prevent discoloration from things like dirt, fallen leaves, spills, etc. It can also protect the unit from degradation due to freeze-thaw action and other environmental agents, like deicing salts. To seal, use a penetrating sealer that is suitable for typical wetcast concrete and follow the sealer manufacturer’s instructions for application.
Note: Sealers will help protect your blocks, but won’t prevent all staining.
Cleaning
Periodic cleaning is going to help keep your hardscape products looking great throughout their years of use. Here are a few things you can do to keep your products clean:
- Avoid tracking dirt on pavers and slabs. When dirt is inevitably tracked onto your products, use a broom or leaf blower to clear the debris.
- Do not allow leaves, acorns, and other yard debris to sit on your hardscape features for long periods of time. Periodically remove the debris with a broom or leaf blower.
- If you notice stains on your hardscape products, you can gently clean with a scrub brush, clean water, and mild detergent. Avoid power washing, as this can damage the surface of the blocks.
- The type of stain may also dictate the type of cleaner you should use. For example, stubborn organic stains, like those from leaf litter and yard debris, can often be removed with an outdoor cleaner formulated specifically for organic stains.
Note: Avoid using metal brushes as it may embed small pieces into the concrete surface that can lead to future rust spots.
Chip Repair
With integral color throughout the Rosetta block, minor chips generally don’t stand out. To help cover up small chips, application of a matching stain will help it blend in with the rest of the block. When applying matching stain, it is best to lightly dab onto the chipped area rather than roller application. Some chips may be where the color blend has more than one color present, so you will get the best results if the two colors are matched. Ask your local dealer or block producer for recommendations.
Other Care Tips
As with any concrete product, deicing salts and aggressive chemicals (especially acids) can degrade Rosetta products so it is best to avoid application of deicing salts.
Additional Information
Color
We at Rosetta Hardscapes, along with our media partners, do our best to produce print and digital materials that accurately reflect the true shades and tones of our product. However, we cannot guarantee perfect color matching for project photos, color swatches, or other picture representations. Final color selection should be made from actual material which can be viewed at your local dealer location. Integral pigments are incorporated into the raw materials for all Rosetta Hardscapes products to intentionally produce subtle shades and color variations throughout each block or paver. Therefore no product seen in a photograph will be precisely duplicated. For the most natural appearance, install products from multiple pallets simultaneously. This will create a blended, natural look.
Efflorescence
Efflorescence is a naturally occurring, chalky, white residue commonly found on concrete surfaces. The presence of efflorescence in no way degrades the integrity of any product. It can usually be removed with efflorescence cleaners and often washes away over time. Rosetta Hardscapes does not cover the presence of efflorescence under warranty. Learn more about efflorescence →
Packaging
Variation in color can occur where packaging comes into contact with the product. Often, these variations will fade with time. This does not affect the integrity of the material, and it is not considered to be a defect. Color variation caused by contact with packaging materials is not covered under warranty.
Polymeric Haze
Improper installation of ancillary polymeric sand products may result in the presence of polymeric haze. This discoloration can potentially mute the vibrant colors of concrete products. Hazing is not indicative of the quality of the Rosetta Hardscapes product, and should not be considered a source of concern for the product’s durability. In general, polymeric haze can be cleaned and washes away over time.
Heavy Equipment
The broad surface dimensions of Rosetta Hardscapes’ slab products are not engineered for vehicular traffic and compaction equipment. The exception to this exclusion is the more traditionally dimensioned Mission and Amaro paver collection. Both New Mission and Amaro can be used as driveway pavers and/or finish compacted. If a compactor is used to aid in installation of New Mission or Amaro Pavers, then a urethane pad should be used with the compactor to protect the detailed surfaces of the pavers from damage.
Normal Maintenance and Care
As with any product that is continually exposed to the natural environment, cleaning and care may be desired over time to maintain the appearance of your hard scapes. Generous rinsing with water and light scrubbing with a stiff, plastic bristle brush is generally the best way to remove dirt that has accumulated over time. Cleaners and mild detergent designed to be used on concrete products may be used as well. Always follow all manufacturer instructions and test on a small area when using any cleaner. Power washers may cause damage at close range.
Winter Care
All metal snow shovels and snow blower blades have the potential to damage concrete surfaces. All snowplows, snow blowers and shovels used to clear Rosetta Hardscapes products of snow should use plastic blades or guards. De-icing salts will damage concrete and should not be used with Rosetta Hardscapes products. Rosetta Hardscapes does not cover damage done by snow removal, deicing, or improper loading under warranty. Learn more about Winter Care →
Wetcast vs Drycast Pavers
Imagine a dry cast mix as the beach sand you’d build a sandcastle with. It doesn’t have much moisture and can be heavily compacted into the mold. Wet cast, on the other hand, is more fluid, which allows the mixture to flow into the molds where it’s vibrated to increase density. Because of this process, wet cast pavers and slabs can be formed with more detailed textures and edges. Learn more about the differences between Wetcast and Drycast Pavers →