Short answer: yes, it can. A plow is the fastest way to clear a driveway, and on asphalt that's usually fine. Interlock is different. It's hundreds of individual pavers sitting on a bed of sand and gravel, and a steel blade running across them at speed doesn't care which ones have moved.
How a plow damages interlock
- Caught edges. Freeze-thaw lifts pavers a few millimetres every winter. A blade set low enough to scrape the surface clean catches those raised edges and can crack or pop them out.
- Chipped borders. The soldier course along the edge of the driveway and any decorative border take the hardest hits, especially where the plow turns or stacks snow.
- Surface scuffing. Grit trapped under the blade acts like sandpaper, dulling the finish and scratching coloured or tumbled pavers.
- Lawn and garden damage. When the driveway edge is buried, a plow can run straight past it and tear up sod or garden beds.
What it costs to fix
A few cracked pavers can be lifted and replaced, but matching an older, faded colour is hard, and a damaged border often means relaying a whole section. Small repairs add up quickly compared to the price of careful clearing.
How to clear interlock without a plow blade
Commercial snowblowers lift the snow off the surface and throw it clear, and a shovel finishes the edges, steps, and walkway. Nothing hard runs across your pavers at speed. Marking the driveway edges before the first snowfall keeps everyone off your lawn, and a gentle ice melt used sparingly avoids the slower damage salt causes; more on that in will road salt damage my interlock driveway.
No method can promise zero wear on a driveway that already has loose or heaved pavers, so we note those on the first visit and work around them.
How Home Bros clears interlock
We clear interlock, paver, and stamped concrete driveways with snowblowers and shovels, never a plow blade, and send a photo after every visit. See interlock driveway snow removal, or compare snowblower versus plow side by side.