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What patio sealer to use

tuffnelljohntuffnelljohn Posts: 284
in Tools and techniques
Hi all,

Not sure if this is a relevant question for this forum, but perhaps someone has experience/knowledge on this:

2 weeks ago I had some Indian paving laid (natural stone). Some effluence has started to come out.

The layers suggest I seal the patio. Is this needed? (its not a driveway). If so, are there any sealers which you can recommend, and any gotchas I should watch out for?

Thanks



Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    We had our patio paved in a Cotswold colour slabs, when they were first laid I didn’t like them, all clean and pristine,  I didn’t want to seal them but rather let them weather, they look much better now,(I think)   we just Karcher them with a patio head once a year.
    There  are various sealers if you really want to do that, I just preferred the weathered look.
    I would give it some thought John before you rush into it.

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • tuffnelljohntuffnelljohn Posts: 284
    Thanks Lyn.
    I like the weathered-look too, but dont want it getting stained. Ive been reading various articles and it seems you can do more damage than good when sealing a patio. (such as sealing in damp or salts which then cause a milky complexion). That is worst case scenario I suppose.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    edited April 2021
    I'd suggest giving these people a call.
    I had quite a bit of paving laid over the last few years and was given their name by the contractors.
    I did call them once with a question and I was surprised at how helpful they were and one of the directors sent me a helpful email.

    T: 01962 732 325

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    edited April 2021
    The efflorescence you are seeing is the natural salts from within the sandstone being expelled. You can simply wash them away with water, but this process may continue for some time. If you seal, use several coats of a penetrating sealer which will protect the stone without trapping the salts in, not a surface sealant, which will. Make sure you use one suitable for alkaline stone, same with any cleaners you may use in future. Acid cleaners or over-enthusiastic power washing will cause pitting/roughening to the surface, in turn causing dirt to be attracted to the rough surface and creating a destructive cycle of yet more cleaning.

    Edited to say - Lithofin is one of the best sealant brands and often recommended in the trade.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • tuffnelljohntuffnelljohn Posts: 284
    Just reigniting this thread.

    I really need to seal this patio. These are rust marks left by a wheel barrow! Annoyingly its in the most prominent part of the patio:



    Perhaps I could sandpaper it off?

    Im looking at a few stone sealers for indian sandstone.
    This one is £100 for 5l https://stonedoctors.co.uk/product/stontex-indian-sandstone-sealer-5l/ compared to this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sandstone-...-Azpects/dp/B01GVKZPL6/ref=asc_df_B01GVKZPL6/ which is half that! And yet they both seem to do the same thing?
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