Why stripping is the honest fix
A failed sealer is a compromised plastic film bonded to your pavers, usually with moisture or efflorescence trapped inside it. Nothing applied on top of that film fixes it. New sealer over failed sealer bonds to the failure, doubles the film thickness, and hazes again, and each round makes the eventual strip slower and costlier.
Chemical stripping dissolves the failed product so it can be lifted and washed off, down to bare paver. It is patient, unglamorous work with the right stripper for the product that is on there, and it is the only path back to a surface that can be sealed properly. One customer of mine thought his driveway was totally ruined by a previous contractor's product. It was not ruined. It was stripped, re-sanded, and resealed, and it looks the way it should have looked the first time.
Stripped and redone
This is what the strip-and-redo buys: the hazed film on the left becomes the surface on the right. Chemical strip, joints washed out, real drying time, SEK ASTM-C144 re-sand, Trident reseal. The process is on the paver sealing page; the full explanation of the failure is at why pavers turn white.
A failed paver job rarely stays just a failed paver job
Loose joints let pavers shift, shifting pavers chip and open the surface to water, and the problem spreads to edges and borders. The earlier a failed seal gets dealt with, the smaller the job stays. If you are seeing haze or rubbery joints now, this is the cheap moment to fix it. Text photos to (813) 601-4524 and I will tell you honestly whether you need a strip or just a maintenance plan.
Straight answers
The questions I actually get, answered the way I answer them on the phone.
How do I know if my sealer failed or just wore out?
Worn-out sealer fades evenly and quietly; the surface just stops beading and dulls. Failure announces itself: white haze, cloudiness, blotches, peeling, or joints that went rubbery. Worn wants a maintenance coat. Failed wants a strip. A photo is usually enough for me to tell you which.
Can every failed seal be stripped?
Nearly all. Some products come off harder than others, and multiple stacked coats take more rounds, which is one more reason never to reseal over a failure. I will scope honestly after seeing the surface.
What goes back on after stripping?
The full correct process from bare pavers: joints washed out, real drying time, SEK ASTM-C144 re-sand, then Trident Cat 5 or Cyclone in the finish you choose. Details on the paver sealing page.