3 weeks ago I laid my patio in blue limestone from Bowland Stone and jointed with Grey Jointex. It's on a 200mm compacted sub base and 20-30mm dry mix bed.
I am looking to seal the Patio with Lithofin Stainstop Plus over this scorcher of a week.
For the jointing I followed the instructions to wet the flags before application and wash the excess off.
There are what I believe to be resin stains left over from errant grains I have missed (or a poor cleaning job?)
Before sealing should I wait for the stains to go, can they be removed (e.g. dish soap and hot water), or can I seal over them?
From other posts in the forum, it seems they'll leave me over the summer.
I like to tell myself I have followed all of the excellent advice this website has to offer
Tony McC wrote:I've not used the SmartSeal product, but Lithofin do a Resin-ex product which would probably be beneficial prior to sealing.
Hi, thank you for your reply. Unfortunately Resin-ex is acid based so not suitable for limestone. I'll try out this smartseal and let you know the results. Kicking myself for using a 1 part resin grout now, after reading more forum posts!
We've finally got dry days ahead of us again in the South West so I went ahead and used the SmartSeal. Following manufacturer's instructions I diluted 1:1 water and let it soak for 20 minutes and then used a hard bristle brush to remove the stains. The oil comes out as a yellowish emulsion which is easily washed away with with the jetwash. On more stubborn stains I did a second application undiluted.
I'll let the patio dry out for 3 days and can finally use the two tubs of Lithofin Stainstop Plus that have been sitting behind my monitor for 3 weeks! Hopefully no adverse reactions.
I think the lesson learnt is: don't use brush in resin and if not a professional seal it first before jointing.
