Sealant - Rain just after applying sealant

[Aurel]

My natural indian stone patio was partly sealed as it started raining when the landscaper was sealing so he stops straight away. My problem is that the part that was sealed just before the rain now looks horrible as it is all flaky and white. Most of the sealant seem to have gone with the rain but what is left looks really bad: white flakes glued to the stones... Can anyone advise with what to do to fix this...? Should I try to get rid of the sealant left (if so how?) or can I re-apply another layer of sealant on what is left?
Thanks for your help.
Aurél

[msh paving]

we need more info,, sealer manufacturer to start with, Roger from R&A PRESSURE WASHING will be around soon, he is the man for this type of problem MSH

[Aurel]

Hi,

Thanks for quick response. The product is "block pave sealer gloss" from Castacrete. The tin does not give any other information so I'll have to call castacrete to know what product it is exactly.

[msh paving]

if you put block paver seal on indian sandstone you have done wrong, ask manufacture whats its based on solvent etc etc MSH

[Aurel]

Are we likely to have damaged to slabs irreversibly?

[RAPressureWashing]

Photos needed really, this is really getting stupid now, Landscapers etc using the totally wrong type of sealer for natural stone, Why did he use "Block Paving: sealer on a natural stone? This for me is like putting diesel in a petrol engined car it's going to cost to put this right. Your paving won't be damaged as it's more then likely an acrylic based sealer, but some more info would be good, I had a look a Castacrete site but couldn't see any sealers of any kind on there?

[Aurel]

I called Castacrete and they claimed that the sealer is fine for the indian stones but I don't think so reading what it says on your website. They get their product from Constructions Chemicals and when I called CC they told me it is acrylic based.
http://www.constructionchemicals.co.uk/Block-Pave-Sealer-Gloss.html
They recommended me to get xylene to brush the sealer off. Does anyone know where I can get xylene from and if this chemical will change the colour of the slabs?
Also when I get xylene, do I need to wait for the patio to dry to brush it in or can I do it on wet patio? Basically, I'd like to do this asap but the weather forecast for the next few days is rain...Do I need to pressure wash it once brushed?
Thanks for advice again.

[lutonlagerlout]

this same topic comes up time and time again

it sounds like you may be able to strip the stuff,but you never seal when there is a chance of rain, never

also it is a bad idea sealing newly installed work as this can seal moisture into the patio and cause efflorescence

good luck

LLL

[Aurel]

Well, actually in our case we are lucky that it rained as the sealer was the wrong type...

[lutonlagerlout]

I wouldnt classify the installer using the wrong sealant as "lucky" :;):
you are lucky you found this website,and would have been luckier still if you had found it before you started :;):

sadly 99/100 get left to pick up the pieces so to speak

but such is life

LLL

[RAPressureWashing]

Using Xylene will only allow the moisture to escape from the incorrect sealer that has been used, and won't resolve your problem as the sealer is not designed (and I really don't care what it says on the tin or their help desk etc says) for natural stone. You'll need to have the sealer stripped/removed and start again with the correct type of sealer an impregnator.

[Aurel]

I thought that the xylene would strip/remove the acrylic based sealer..? ???
If xylene won't strip it off, what chemicals do I need to use?

[Aurel]

Hi again, I have called the chemists that works at constructions chemicals again explaining my problem and saying that I want to strip the sealer off. He advises using "paramose" to strip it.
Or I have also heard of Weiss resiclean.
Can you tell me what would be best?
Thanks

[RAPressureWashing]

Paramose is the better one, this product
http://paramose.com/paramoseas10mult.html

Problem you might have is they might not sell it to you, as some of there products are not really for the DIYer or homeowner, as without due care you can do a bit of damage to the surface and yourself unless you use the appropriate PPE.

Re the Xylene it won't remove all the sealer, you would only really use it to release the moisture trapped under the sealer , then when that has evaporated the sealer drops back down in place, so as I said doesn't cure the problem.

[Aurel]

Once the sealer is removed, which impregnator would you recommend for a neutral finish? (not wet nor glossy finish!)