Sawn sandstone neutral sealant - Best product for the job - adseal?

[rev7]

Hi,

I had 100sqm of sawn sandstone laid a few years back. I wanted to let some time pass to decide whether it needed sealing or not. I've jet washed and applied an algae cleaner over the past few weeks. The patio looks a lot cleaner but the dreaded black lichen are quite dominant on one part of the patio. I've order some sodium hypo to remove the lichen and some fast point to fill in/top up the joints.

I've been through all the data/test results on the sealants and Adseal seems to come out on top in terms of keeping the stone sealed at a good price point. I've priced it at £161, versus £500+ for Lithofin MN Stainstop/Stainstop Plus.

I want to keep the paving quite natural in colour/shade but I'm unsure whether Adseal Stone & Slate or Heavy Duty would change the shade noticeably.

Does anyone have any experience of using these products and could offer any advice? or even suggest alternative products?

Many Thanks

[RAPressureWashing]

You'll get what you pay for with sealers,
My choice if you want a natural but not a colour intensified sealer would be either Lithofin Stain Stop or Miracle they do a couple of variations. Just make sure you use an impregnating sealer and not a surface sealer
Some sealers are well worth steering clear of…...

For the Miracle products
http://www.tilinglogistics.co.uk/Tile-Stone-Concrete-Sealers?page=1

And for the Lithofin
https://www.extensive.co.uk/

[rev7]

Thanks for the advice, which of of the miracle sealants do you recommend?

I've priced up the Lithofin Stain Stop at £470 - if the patio area is used occasionally how long could I expect the sealant to last before I have to re-seal?

[lutonlagerlout]

I have used lithofin MN stainstop on my own patio and it lasts around 2-3 years
it doesnt stop algae build up though
this needs washing every year
LLL

[RAPressureWashing]

As LLL states Lithofin is a good choice, and you can get a couple of years out of it, for the Miracle products if you don't want colour enhancing then maybe the anti-slip one, but if you want a bit of depth of colour then 511 enhance & seal, you can get about 18 months out of it. But really if you give the paving a good clean once or twice a year, then not real need to seal

[rev7]

Thanks for the replies...I've decided not to seal, I'll stick to the brush & bleach. Sealing just doesn't seem worth the time, hassle, and money to get a temporary fix.

[blacklimestoneproblem]

For lawns, iron sulphate is used to kill moss & lichens.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=414#section-4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron(II)_sulfate#Other_uses

You can pick up a 1kg of iron sulphate for a few quid and may have better results, but test a small area first as this may introduce an orange stain depending on dilution.

[RAPressureWashing]

For lawns, iron sulphate is used to kill moss & lichens.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=414#section-4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron(II)_sulfate#Other_uses

You can pick up a 1kg of iron sulphate for a few quid and may have better results, but test a small area first as this may introduce an orange stain depending on dilution.

How to ruin a patio in one go FFS

[Bill Bailey]

Are you seriously saying use iron sulphate on the patio

[Tony McC]

I'm not sure why Iron Sulphate was suggested - momentary lapse of reason, perhaps?

Whatever you do, do NOT let iron sulphate or mosskiller come into contact with *any* paving, whether that's stone or concrete, clay or porcelain. It's a nightmare and can be impossible to clean in some cases.