Opinions on rainbow sandstone - Possibly a bad purchase

[deegan1979]

Hi all I've just purchased 20 Sq meters of sawn rainbow sandstone paving 600x600 a tad thicker than I've seen online as it's 40mm thick.
It's incredibly porous and from reading on here I'm now doubting my purchase as I fear it is going to suffer badly with efflourescence and picture framing.
Some websites advise sealing all faces and sides prior to laying but others saying only the surface should be sealed, I don't want to affect the bond to the bed or the pointing so am now questioning my purchase.
Any advice / opinions most welcome

[London Stone Paving]

There is no way to dress it up. Its a bad choice of stone, extremely soft. Its used in Indian primarily for carving handicrafts because of how soft it is. You should seal only the top side otherwise you will compromise the bond.
you could paint an SBR bond bridge on the back to give it a bit more protection. Or just get a refund and buy something else

[deegan1979]

Bummer .
Thanks for you're opinion and advice.
Unfortunately I found it at a local reclamation yard although it is new I doubt I can return it.
It for a small patio leading to steps and I was planning on using it for the steps also.
looks like the wife will not be happy with me then....
got to now decide if I stick with it and make do or bite the bullet and go for something else, shame as it looks nice

[deegan1979]

Would using sbr on its own be adequate or should I make a cement slurry with it to dress the back?
Would white cement and washed sand be a better option for the bed? Thanks

[London Stone Paving]

If you like the look of it, at least thats something

Yeh your right, SBR, cement slurry. Go really careful with it though because if you get the slurry on the faces of the slabs its difficult to remove.

River washed sand and white cement wont be necessary if you are going for the bond bridge

[deegan1979]

Thanks again, this forum is very helpful indeed.
Any tips to stop picture framing when pointing on the sucker?

[deegan1979]

One other thing, being that these slabs are 40mm thick and sawn straight on the edges I'm guessing I need at least a 10 mm pointing gap to be able to get enough in there.
Would one of these pointing alternatives that u apply with a silicone gun be a better bet? Smaller gap and less chance o's staining the slab than using sand/cement?
Many thanks again

[deegan1979]

These are the offending slabs
[IMG]http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums....MG]

[lutonlagerlout]

my eyes :O
can you guess why they are in a reclaim yard?
as they are second hand be careful as you may seal moisture in
I would clean them ,store them in an airy garage to dry then preseal before laying
40mm is an unusual size for sawn
guess its because they are so soft
LLL

[mickg]

I talked a mate of mine out of using rainbow paving due to it getting on your nerves on year 2 of being laid, he appreciated my comment

how cheap were they deegan1979 ?

[deegan1979]

They went second hand they were still crated up and new but I guess the guy got a job lot cheap.
20 Sq meters £500.
As said it's just for a path leading up to steps, wanted a nice contrast with astro turf.
I like them but who knows what I'll think once they are down.
Planning to move in a few years anyway
Wish I'd found this forum last week

[lutonlagerlout]

crikey £25 a metre !
if you lay them right they may look ok for a while
but those bold variations will soon do your head in
LLL

[deegan1979]

To be fair Luton lager lout the ones pictured are the boldest the majority are quite modest with straight subtle lines so will plan my laying before so it doesn't look too busy.
Need to find a quality long lasting colour enhancing sealer,
A few are scratched so will be wet sanding them back before laying.

Dilemma, pointing, don't want anything to draw into the unsealed led sides so it's sand and cement or one of the fancier products available. More research to be done.
Help full bunch here tho, it's my first day on the forum

[deegan1979]

Would it be a bad idea to lay them as they are, point them with mortem then when set clean the algae off and when dry then seal them?
Running out of time to dry and seal them.
Cheers