Short answer
Charge break-even ÷ (1 − margin). Break-even = crew hours for both visits (clean day and seal day, drive included) × loaded rate, plus overhead, sealer, polymeric sand and chemicals. Example: 1,000 sq ft, two people, 10 hours over two visits, $500 of materials, 35% margin = $1,923.08, or $1.923 per sq ft.
- Sealer gallons = area ÷ coverage per gallon × coats. At an assumed 125 sq ft per gallon, 1,000 sq ft needs 8 gallons.
- A clean and seal is two visits; the second drive and setup add 4 crew hours in the example.
- On the same 1,000 sq ft, clean only is $607.69 and clean, sand and seal is $1,923.08.
- Pricing on markup instead of margin loses $235.58 on the example job.
- Every figure here is an assumption for one example. Replace each one with your own.
On this page
- How much should you charge for paver sealing? The formula
- Paver sealing price per square foot calculator (try it)
- How do you work out sealer and polymeric sand cost for a job?
- What should clean only, clean and seal, and a reseal each cost?
- What is the minimum charge for a paver sealing job?
- Why does paver sealing cost so much more than a wash?
- The common mistakes: a forum per-sq-ft number, one visit, and markup
- Excel formulas for a paver sealing price sheet
- Paver sealing calculator, app or spreadsheet: which should you use?
- What to put on your paver sealing price sheet
- Step-by-step
- FAQ
How much should you charge for paver sealing? The formula
Charge your break-even divided by one minus your target margin, where break-even covers both visits: the clean day and the seal day. The price per square foot is an output you check at the end, not an input you copy.
I'm not a contractor - I build the pricing math. So this page does not tell you what other companies charge. It shows how to turn your own crew hours, sealer, sand and overhead into a price, with every figure worked out where you can check it. Every input below is an assumption you replace with your own number.
- Hours = clean-day hours + seal-day hours, each including the drive, setup and pack-up.
- Labour = hours × people × loaded rate, where loaded rate = wage × (1 + burden %).
- Materials = sealer (gallons × price) + polymeric sand (bags × price) + cleaning chemicals.
- Overhead = crew hours × overhead per sellable hour (a year of overhead ÷ the hours you can sell).
- Break-even = labour + materials + overhead. Price = break-even ÷ (1 − margin).
The cleaning half of the job is priced the same way as any flatwork wash, which the guide to pricing pressure washing jobs covers in full. This page adds what is different about pavers: a second visit, sealer by the gallon and sand by the bag.
Paver sealing price per square foot calculator (try it)
For the example below, a 1,000 sq ft paver driveway cleaned, re-sanded and sealed by two people over two visits prices at $1,923.08, which is $1.923 per sq ft. Change any input to see your own number.
The calculator asks for a production rate in square feet per hour. Sealing is not one continuous task, so the rate here is an effective rate over the whole job: 1,000 sq ft ÷ 10 hours on the clock = 100 sq ft an hour. It is not a spraying speed. The 10 hours are assumptions laid out like this; time your own visits and replace them.
| Visit | Task | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Clean day | Drive there and back | 1.0 |
| 1. Clean day | Setup and stain pre-treatment | 0.5 |
| 1. Clean day | Surface cleaning and rinse | 3.0 |
| 1. Clean day | Pack-up | 0.5 |
| 2. Seal day | Drive there and back | 1.0 |
| 2. Seal day | Setup and blow-off | 0.5 |
| 2. Seal day | Polymeric sand: sweep, compact, clear the surface per the label | 2.0 |
| 2. Seal day | Apply sealer per the label | 1.0 |
| 2. Seal day | Pack-up | 0.5 |
| Total on the clock | 10.0 | |
Worked example: Paver driveway clean + polymeric sand + seal: 1,000 sq ft, two people, 10 hours over two visits, $500 of materials (all inputs are assumptions)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Workers (input) | 2 |
| Hourly wage paid (input) | $25.00 |
| Labour burden % (input) | 30% |
| Materials (input) | $500.00 |
| Overhead for the year (input) | $17,600.00 |
| People in the field (input) | 2 |
| Billable days a year (input) | 220 |
| Target margin % (input) | 35% |
| Jobs a week (input) | 3 |
| Area (sq ft) (input) | 1,000 |
| Production rate (sq ft per hour) (input) | 100 |
| Loaded labour rate (per hour) | $32.50 |
| Crew-hours | 20 |
| Labour cost | $650.00 |
| Overhead per sellable hour | $5.00 |
| Overhead share | $100.00 |
| Break-even cost | $1,250.00 |
| Price to quote | $1,923.08 |
| Profit on the job | $673.08 |
| Price if you MARK UP instead | $1,687.50 |
| Margin you actually keep with markup | 25.93% |
| Lost per job by marking up | $235.58 |
| Lost per year by marking up | $36,750.00 |
| Hours on the job | 10 |
| Price per sq ft | $1.923 |
| Break-even per sq ft | $1.250 |
Computed with the same formulas as the free calculators on this site. Change any input in the calculator above to see your own numbers.
Two people for 10 hours is 20 crew hours. At a loaded $32.50 an hour ($25 wage plus 30% burden) that is $650.00 of labour. Overhead of $17,600 a year over 2 people × 220 days × 8 hours = 3,520 sellable hours is $5.00 an hour, so $100.00 on this job. Add $500.00 of materials and break-even is $1,250.00. Divided by 0.65, the price is $1,923.08.
How do you work out sealer and polymeric sand cost for a job?
Sealer gallons = area ÷ coverage per gallon × coats. Multiply by what you pay per gallon, then add the sand bags and the cleaning chemicals for this job.
Coverage is the easiest number to guess wrong. Use the coverage printed on your sealer's label or technical data sheet, then correct it with what you actually used on your last few jobs. The example assumes 125 sq ft per gallon, one coat, $45 a gallon, four bags of polymeric sand at $30 and $20 of cleaning chemicals. Every one of those is an assumption.
| Line | Working | Cost | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sealer | 1,000 ÷ 125 × 1 coat = 8 gal × $45 | $360 | $0.36 |
| Polymeric sand | 4 bags × $30 | $120 | $0.12 |
| Cleaning chemicals | SH, surfactant, degreaser used on this job | $20 | $0.02 |
| Materials | Sum | $500 | $0.50 |
The same formula answers the five-gallon question. A 5-gallon pail at an assumed 125 sq ft per gallon covers 5 × 125 = 625 sq ft per coat; a second coat halves that.
In the pressure washing estimate template, sealer and sand have no line of their own. They go in the "other consumables" line on the Job Pricer, next to the SH and surfactant lines, so they still land in your break-even before you quote.
Pressure Washing Pricing Calculator
The spreadsheet version of this guide for Excel & Google Sheets: type your numbers into the highlighted cells and the formulas do the rest. One-time $39, no subscription, instant download.
See the pressure washing estimate template →Buy now — $39Instant access by email after checkout via Payhip. Want to try the maths first? Use the free pressure washing pricing calculator — no signup.
What should clean only, clean and seal, and a reseal each cost?
Price each job type from its own hours and materials. Using the same assumed crew and overhead, the 1,000 sq ft driveway comes to $607.69 for a clean only, $1,507.69 for a reseal and $1,923.08 for a full clean, sand and seal.
| Job type | Visits | Hours | Materials | Break-even | Price at 35% | Per sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean only | 1 | 5 | $20.00 | $395.00 | $607.69 | $0.608 |
| Reseal (clean + seal, joints sound) | 2 | 8 | $380.00 | $980.00 | $1,507.69 | $1.508 |
| Clean + sand + seal | 2 | 10 | $500.00 | $1,250.00 | $1,923.08 | $1.923 |
Clean only
One visit: the five clean-day hours from the table above and $20 of chemicals.
Worked example: Clean only, same 1,000 sq ft driveway: one visit of 5 hours, $20 of chemicals (assumed)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Workers (input) | 2 |
| Hourly wage paid (input) | $25.00 |
| Labour burden % (input) | 30% |
| Materials (input) | $20.00 |
| Overhead for the year (input) | $17,600.00 |
| People in the field (input) | 2 |
| Billable days a year (input) | 220 |
| Target margin % (input) | 35% |
| Jobs a week (input) | 3 |
| Area (sq ft) (input) | 1,000 |
| Production rate (sq ft per hour) (input) | 200 |
| Loaded labour rate (per hour) | $32.50 |
| Crew-hours | 10 |
| Labour cost | $325.00 |
| Overhead per sellable hour | $5.00 |
| Overhead share | $50.00 |
| Break-even cost | $395.00 |
| Price to quote | $607.69 |
| Profit on the job | $212.69 |
| Price if you MARK UP instead | $533.25 |
| Margin you actually keep with markup | 25.93% |
| Lost per job by marking up | $74.44 |
| Lost per year by marking up | $11,613.00 |
| Hours on the job | 5 |
| Price per sq ft | $0.608 |
| Break-even per sq ft | $0.395 |
Computed with the same formulas as the free calculators on this site. Change any input in the calculator above to see your own numbers.
Reseal
A reseal assumes the joints are still full, so it skips the two-hour sand step and the sand bags. It still needs a clean first and a second visit to seal: 5 + 3 = 8 hours and $360 of sealer plus $20 of chemicals.
Worked example: Reseal, joints sound: clean visit 5 hours + seal visit 3 hours, $380 of sealer and chemicals (assumed)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Workers (input) | 2 |
| Hourly wage paid (input) | $25.00 |
| Labour burden % (input) | 30% |
| Materials (input) | $380.00 |
| Overhead for the year (input) | $17,600.00 |
| People in the field (input) | 2 |
| Billable days a year (input) | 220 |
| Target margin % (input) | 35% |
| Jobs a week (input) | 3 |
| Area (sq ft) (input) | 1,000 |
| Production rate (sq ft per hour) (input) | 125 |
| Loaded labour rate (per hour) | $32.50 |
| Crew-hours | 16 |
| Labour cost | $520.00 |
| Overhead per sellable hour | $5.00 |
| Overhead share | $80.00 |
| Break-even cost | $980.00 |
| Price to quote | $1,507.69 |
| Profit on the job | $527.69 |
| Price if you MARK UP instead | $1,323.00 |
| Margin you actually keep with markup | 25.93% |
| Lost per job by marking up | $184.69 |
| Lost per year by marking up | $28,812.00 |
| Hours on the job | 8 |
| Price per sq ft | $1.508 |
| Break-even per sq ft | $0.980 |
Computed with the same formulas as the free calculators on this site. Change any input in the calculator above to see your own numbers.
Look at the per-sq-ft column. The clean-only job is under a third of the full job per square foot, even though the area is identical. That is why one per-sq-ft figure for "paver sealing" is not useful: it hides which of the three jobs was priced.
What is the minimum charge for a paver sealing job?
Your minimum is the full cost-up price of the smallest clean and seal you would still do. A 300 sq ft patio still takes two trips; with two people for 6 hours and $150 of materials (assumed), it is $923.08.
The patio materials work the same way as the driveway: 300 ÷ 125 = 2.4 gallons × $45 = $108 of sealer, one bag of sand at $30 and $12 of chemicals, so $150. The hours are two visits of 3 hours each, and most of each visit is the drive, setup and pack-up that do not shrink with the area.
Worked example: Minimum charge: 300 sq ft patio clean + sand + seal, two visits of 3 hours, $150 of materials (assumed)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Workers (input) | 2 |
| Hourly wage paid (input) | $25.00 |
| Labour burden % (input) | 30% |
| Materials (input) | $150.00 |
| Overhead for the year (input) | $17,600.00 |
| People in the field (input) | 2 |
| Billable days a year (input) | 220 |
| Target margin % (input) | 35% |
| Jobs a week (input) | 3 |
| Hours on the job (input) | 6 |
| Loaded labour rate (per hour) | $32.50 |
| Crew-hours | 12 |
| Labour cost | $390.00 |
| Overhead per sellable hour | $5.00 |
| Overhead share | $60.00 |
| Break-even cost | $600.00 |
| Price to quote | $923.08 |
| Profit on the job | $323.08 |
| Price if you MARK UP instead | $810.00 |
| Margin you actually keep with markup | 25.93% |
| Lost per job by marking up | $113.08 |
| Lost per year by marking up | $17,640.00 |
Computed with the same formulas as the free calculators on this site. Change any input in the calculator above to see your own numbers.
An hourly view shows why. Two people cost 2 × $32.50 = $65 an hour in labour and 2 × $5.00 = $10 in overhead, so a crew hour costs $75 before materials. At a 35% margin that is $75 ÷ 0.65 = $115.38 per crew hour. Every drive you leave off the quote is $115.38 you do not bill.
One caution if you use the template: its minimum job price defaults to $150, which suits a small wash. For a two-visit sealing job, change it to your own computed minimum, or the floor will not protect you.
Why does paver sealing cost so much more than a wash?
Because the job is two visits plus materials a wash does not use. In the example, the full job is $1,923.08 against $607.69 for cleaning the same driveway, and the difference is time and product, not a premium.
- The second trip. The seal day repeats the drive, setup and pack-up: 2 crew members × 2 hours = 4 extra crew hours that a wash never has.
- Sealer and sand. Materials go from $20 to $500. In the example they are 40% of the $1,250.00 break-even.
- Drying. The surface has to be dry before sand and sealer go down, which is what forces the second visit in the first place. Follow the product labels for drying and cure times.
The common mistakes: a forum per-sq-ft number, one visit, and markup
Three errors underprice a sealing quote: copying a per-square-foot rate from someone else's job, pricing the work as one visit, and adding margin as a markup.
- A per-sq-ft number from another job. A rate posted on a forum came from someone else's crew, sealer, drive and job size. Even your own rate does not travel: the driveway's $1.923 applied to the 300 sq ft patio is 300 × 1.923 = $576.90, which is $23.10 below that patio's $600.00 break-even. Quote the higher of the cost-up price and your minimum.
- Forgetting the second visit. Drop the seal day's drive, setup and pack-up (1.5 hours for two people) and the driveway prices at $1,750.00 instead of $1,923.08. That is $173.08 given away on one job.
- Markup instead of margin. Adding 35% to the $1,250.00 break-even gives $1,687.50 and keeps only 25.93%. Dividing by 0.65 gives $1,923.08. The gap is $235.58 a job, or $36,750.00 a year at three jobs a week.
The markup vs margin guide has the full conversion chart from any markup to the margin it really produces.
Excel formulas for a paver sealing price sheet
A spreadsheet version needs about fifteen inputs. The formulas use this layout: B2 = area, B3 = sealer coverage (sq ft per gallon), B4 = coats, B5 = sealer price per gallon, B6 = sand bags, B7 = price per bag, B8 = cleaning chemicals, B9 = total hours for both visits, B10 = people, B11 = wage, B12 = burden %, B13 = yearly overhead, B14 = billable days, B15 = target margin %, B16 = minimum charge.
Sealer gallons
=B2/B3*B4Area ÷ coverage per gallon × coats. 1,000 ÷ 125 × 1 returns 8.
Materials
=B2/B3*B4*B5+B6*B7+B8Sealer cost + sand bags × price per bag + cleaning chemicals.
Break-even
=B9*B10*(B11*(1+B12)+B13/(B10*B14*8))+B2/B3*B4*B5+B6*B7+B8Crew hours × (loaded rate + overhead per sellable hour) + materials. B12 as a percent (30%). Overhead is divided over the people in the field.
Price to quote, with minimum
=MAX((B9*B10*(B11*(1+B12)+B13/(B10*B14*8))+B2/B3*B4*B5+B6*B7+B8)/(1-B15),B16)Break-even ÷ (1 − margin), never below the two-visit minimum in B16.
Price per sq ft (check only)
=B18/B2Put the price formula in B18. Use the result to compare jobs, not to quote.
If you would rather not build and test it, the pressure washing estimate template ($39 one-time, Excel and Google Sheets) has separate on-site and drive hours, miles, SH and surfactant, an "other consumables" line for sealer and sand, overhead, break-even and the price at your margin. Its market band check uses published per-sq-ft bands for driveways and house washes, so it checks a washing price, not a sealing price. On a sealing job, rely on the cost-up number.
Paver sealing calculator, app or spreadsheet: which should you use?
Use whichever tool makes you enter both visits, your materials and your overhead before it shows a price.
| Option | Cost | Suits | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| A per-sq-ft figure from a forum or price list | Free | A rough sanity check | It hides crew size, visits and which job type was priced |
| Free pressure washing pricing calculator | Free, no signup | One quote at a time | Enter total hours for both visits and put sealer and sand in materials |
| Field-service app | Monthly subscription | Scheduling, invoicing, crews | Price lines are only as good as the rates you enter |
| Spreadsheet template | $39 one-time | Owner-operators who want to see the math | Keep your sealer price and coverage current |
What to put on your paver sealing price sheet
A paver price sheet is a short table of your own numbers that turns a measured area and a job type into a price in a few minutes.
- Hours per visit by job type: clean only, reseal, and clean + sand + seal, drive included.
- Sealer coverage and coats from your product's data sheet, corrected by your own usage.
- Sealer price per gallon and sand bags per 1,000 sq ft.
- Loaded labour rate and overhead per sellable hour.
- Target margin, applied by division.
- Two-visit minimum, calculated like the $923.08 patio, not rounded down.
- Add-ons such as oil stain treatment, each as minutes plus product.
If you are still setting up, the pressure washing startup costs guide shows how to build the yearly overhead figure that drives the overhead line. Reprice the sheet whenever sealer, fuel or wages move.
Step-by-step: How Much to Charge for Paver Sealing: Price It From Your Costs
- Measure the area. Measure the paver area in square feet and note which job it is: clean only, reseal, or clean, sand and seal.
- Estimate hours for each visit. Add clean-day and seal-day hours, each including the drive there and back, setup and pack-up.
- Cost the materials. Sealer gallons = area ÷ coverage × coats, times your price per gallon. Add sand bags and cleaning chemicals.
- Cost labour for the whole crew. Multiply hours × people × wage × (1 + burden %). Two people at a $25 wage and 30% burden cost $65 an hour.
- Add overhead for break-even. Add crew hours × overhead per sellable hour. Labour + materials + overhead is your break-even.
- Divide by one minus margin. Price = break-even ÷ (1 − margin). Quote the higher of that price and your two-visit minimum.
Skip the setup: Pressure Washing Pricing Calculator
The spreadsheet version of this guide for Excel & Google Sheets: type your numbers into the highlighted cells and the formulas do the rest. One-time $39, no subscription, instant download.
See the Pressure Washing Pricing Calculator →Buy now — $39Instant access by email after checkout via Payhip. Want to try the maths first? Use the free calculator — no signup.
Frequently asked questions
How much should I charge for paver sealing?
Charge break-even divided by one minus your margin. Add crew hours for both the clean day and the seal day, sealer, polymeric sand, chemicals and an overhead share. In this page's example, a 1,000 sq ft driveway cleaned, sanded and sealed by two people comes to $1,923.08 at a 35% margin, using assumed inputs.
How much would it cost to seal a 1,000 square foot driveway?
It depends on your hours, crew and materials, not the area alone. With assumed inputs of two people, 10 hours over two visits and $500 of sealer, sand and chemicals, the example prices at $1,923.08 for a full clean and seal, $1,507.69 for a reseal and $607.69 for a clean only.
How many square feet does 1 gallon of paver sealer cover?
It depends on the product, the paver's porosity and the number of coats, so read the coverage on your sealer's label or technical data sheet. Then check it against what you actually used on recent jobs. This page assumes 125 sq ft per gallon for one coat purely as an example input.
How much does a 5 gallon bucket of paver sealer cover?
Five times the coverage per gallon, divided by the number of coats. At an assumed 125 sq ft per gallon, a 5-gallon pail covers 625 sq ft with one coat or about 312 sq ft with two. Use your product's published coverage instead of the example figure.
Should paver sealing be priced per square foot or per job?
Quote a price per job and use price per square foot as a check. The job price comes from both visits, materials and overhead. A per-sq-ft rate from a large driveway undercharges small patios: in the example, it would price a 300 sq ft patio below its break-even.
Do you charge separately for polymeric sand?
You can show it as a line or fold it into the job price, but it must be costed either way. Count the bags used per 1,000 sq ft on your own jobs, multiply by your bag price, and add the sweeping and compacting time to the seal-day hours.
How do I price a paver reseal?
Price a reseal as its own job type. If the joints are still full, drop the sand bags and the sanding time, but keep the clean visit and the second trip to seal. In the example that cuts the 1,000 sq ft price from $1,923.08 to $1,507.69 with assumed inputs.
I'm not a contractor, landlord or accountant. I build the pricing maths, and every number on this page shows its working so you can check it instead of trusting it. Watch the breakdowns on YouTube →