White stains - Stains on slabs

Itsmeimhere · Post: # 105191Post **Itsmeimhere** Thu Jul 23, 2015 7:10 pm

Hi. Hope there is someone out there to help.

I'm a DIYer and have recently laid some black bradstone limestone slabs and jointed them with Wickes Buff Jointing Compound which came up really good, until I used Thomsons Paving sealer on it. I now have horrible white stains over the edges of my slabs. First question is this a normal occurrence, second question how can I remove it and third question what can I do to seal the slabs without the white stains.

Thanks for your time.

London Stone Paving · Thu Jul 23, 2015 8:12 pm

Ouch

Topical sealants (these are sealants that sit on the surface of the stone, unlike impregnators that absorb into the stone) really aren't suitable for stone because they trap in moisture and efflorescence.

How soon did you seal after laying and joining?

Steve

Itsmeimhere · Thu Jul 23, 2015 10:05 pm

It had about 6 weeks after laying til it had the jointing and about 2 weeks after jointing til it had a jet wash and about another week til it was sealed.

RAPressureWashing · Thu Jul 23, 2015 11:13 pm

You have used the totally wrong sealer for Limestone, Thompsons is a pile of shite. It will need to be stripped off surface cleaned and honed then once thoroughly dry re-sealed with a proper impregnating colour enhancing sealer. The crap sealer removal is not really a job for a DIYer sorry.

London Stone Paving · Fri Jul 24, 2015 8:36 am

Its going to be an expensive process to get this done properly as the chemicals and equipment required are very specialist. Can you post some pictures on the site so we can see the extent of the damage?

Steve

Post: # 105209Post **Tony McC** Fri Jul 24, 2015 9:54 am

Thompsons' Patio Ruiner is fast becoming the GeoFux of the sealants world.

RAPressureWashing · Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:00 am

Tony McC wrote:Thompsons' Patio Ruiner is fast becoming the GeoFux of the sealants world.

Tell me about it Tony, most of our Limestone work is from people using this shite, average time of it staying on the surface before it all goes wrong seems to be around 4 weeks totally the wrong product. How do they get away with selling it as a natural stone sealer?

Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:40 am

I did my mates patio a couple of years ago
he proudly told me in the pub he had sealed it with this stuff
now he is not so happy with the cheap price tag

LLL

Post: # 105215Post **higgness** Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:50 am

Does anybody think that Thompson's would look at what is going on and fix their product?
I looked at a tin of there limestone sealer, instructions went on to talk about concrete pavers and sandstone, even though there was a sandstone sealer next to it.
What is their attitude to problems? anyone know?

Itsmeimhere · Fri Jul 24, 2015 10:59 am

I will take to pics and post them, im going to speak to Thomson as its ruined the patio what makes it worse is that its a black limestone and the white marks are about 2inch wide!!! What's a rough per metre cost to repair it and reseal it???

RAPressureWashing · Fri Jul 24, 2015 11:10 am

Itsmeimhere wrote:I will take to pics and post them, im going to speak to Thomson as its ruined the patio what makes it worse is that its a black limestone and the white marks are about 2inch wide!!! What's a rough per metre cost to repair it and reseal it???

Ballpark figure for us to do this sort of work is Â£25.00 per square metre plus Vat

Itsmeimhere · Sat Jul 25, 2015 11:38 am

Dropbox link for the photos;

https://www.dropbox.com/sh....Ma?dl=0

Let me know your thoughts.

Thx

RAPressureWashing · Sat Jul 25, 2015 12:35 pm

Itsmeimhere wrote:Dropbox link for the photos;

https://www.dropbox.com/sh....Ma?dl=0

Let me know your thoughts.

Thx

Complete mess, but that is a typical finish of the Thompson's rubbish that we have repaired for people. It also looks like there might have been moisture in the paving or pointing when it was sealed, has an acid been near this also?
I'll post a couple of photos later of one we repaired last year.

RAPressureWashing · Sat Jul 25, 2015 12:46 pm

Here is a before & after of part of a patio we restored last year after home owner had used that rubbish.

Failed sealer removed, re-cleaned & surface re-honed, allowed to dry completely then re-sealed with Aqua-Mix Enrich & Seal.

Itsmeimhere · Mon Jul 27, 2015 10:37 am

I'm pretty sure it was dry before sealing, or atleast the surface was dry!! I don't think a acid was used. I used a premix Karcher patio cleaner solution so I'm not sure if that had anything in it. Do you think it can defiantly be fixed or is it buggered?? Do you think Thomsons will accept any liability.