We are shortly going to be laying a new patio and had decided on a black limestone (Natural Paving Classicstone Carbon Black). However I have since come across a lot of information online which says that black limestone is a nightmare as stains easily, fades and doesn’t look great once laid.
I’m a bit gutted as really wanted to go with this choice. Does anyone have any positive experience of working with black limestone or am
I better off forgetting about it and going with something else?
Not sure if it makes a difference but the brochure says the slabs have been treated with Pavetuf Satin Sealer. I assume this would help prevent staining etc
We can advise on this as we sell the product via our website.
Firstly, it doesn't come presealed - the reference to this will just mean that the product shown in the image has been sealed using the Pavetuf sealer which can often give the appearance of it having a slight sheen when in fact, limestone naturally has quite a matt finish. It is a very popular product, but left unsealed, the colour will gradually lift as it weathers and you will be left with a mix of mid grey tones rather than a matt-black colour. This in itself is not unattractive, but the stone can involve regular treating / colour enhancing if you are specifically looking to keep the very dark colour tones. The other point to be aware of is that you need to be extremely careful when laying the stone to avoid leaving mortar on the surface as it most definitely cannot be cleaned with an acid cleaner which will remove the colour from the limestone. Again, any chemical cleaners can also have the same effect, so you will need to always test on an inconspicuous area first.
If you are specifically looking for a dark coloured stone that is easy to care for, then in my opinion, you cannot beat a good porcelain as this is consistent in colour and texture and requires very little maintenance. It costs more up front, but then the aftercare is minimal, so will pay off over time. We're happy to help guide you on this depending upon the look you are after and can always send samples if this would help at all. Here's a link to dark charcoal coloured porcelain options if you would like to take a look: https://www.pavingsuperstore.co.uk/by-mate....er=5653
Thanks for the information George.
Do you think a Granite might be easier to care for with less risk of fading/staining?
I do love the look of the porcelain but it’s more of a budget issue. I will take another look at your site though. Thanks
Suzie no disrespect to any of the suppliers here but i wouldnt touch black limestone with a bargepole
Tony McC will back me up but I would guess 80% of problems we see relate to "Black Limestone" and fading issues,
to my mind if you have to keep spending £££ every year keeping it black then what is the point?
its fine to use if your expectations are not too high in terms of what colour it will be in a years time
This is really what I've explained - i.e. to keep it black is quite a bit of effort, so you need to question whether an alternative type of stone is better 'if' you are looking for a black stone that stays black. IMO, if you put down black limestone knowing that it will lift in colour, and then leave it to weather, it becomes a mix of mid greys which isn't unsightly, but just different to how it started. The work is really in trying to keep it black.
A granite would be easier to look after yes. Possibly a blue grey if you are after a mid grey colour or a black basalt if you are looking for a darker tone (although the latter would be comparably priced to porcelain). Granite / basalt tends to give a more contemporary appearance than limestone, so if you are after more of a traditional look, you could also consider slate. Again, some of the lower cost porcelains would be similar in price to this, so it's worth weighing up the pros and cons of each.
HI
I've read your reviews on black limestone colour enhances. The Weiss FX and Romex are comparable however are they colourants and sealents or just colourants?
hello.. This is my first post here. Sadly i wasn't aware of this blog three and a half years ago when my builder put down black limestone paving slabs. I sealed them two years ago but they are a real let down
I don't want to dig them up and start again as there's quite alot of them. I've read about black/charcoal paint. Does that work or is there another way of restoring the black/charcoal colour to these limestone paving slabs?
Thanks in advance
Susan
We've had really good results using Azpects Back to Black Limestone restorer, a 1 ltr bottle does around 40 sq/mtr's. But not sure what the result will be if you have already sealed the stone, you would need to test an area first, what did you use to seal the limestone?
