Installing approx 30m2 of yellow mint sawn sandstone next week.
Stuff is incredibly porous. To the degree that a lot of places don't stock it as it get stained to easily in storage. Been advised to seal it until it will accept no more sealant, on all 6 edges. That could be A LOT of sealant.
So, questions are.. can you get Lithofin stain stop+ in 5 litre cans?
Can I get away with SBRing the bottom side of each flag prior to installation and forgo the Lithofin on this side?
The suggestion to seal all six sides until the stone was saturated: was that from a sealant supplier, by any chance?
Mint is a poor quality stone and generally best avoided, but, for mosrt applications, sealing to face and the edges, and then using a good quality proprietary slurry primer on the bed face should minimise any risk from accidental staining, reflective staining (via the bed face) and picture framing (via the edges).
Some sealants (and I can't be 100% sure about StainStop) prevent or impede good adhesion between the flags and the bedding by effectively rendering the stone impermeable and thereby presenting the same installation problems that come with porcelain. Consequently, you could seall all six sides, spend a bloody fortune on sealant, and *still* need to use a slurry primer!
Tony McC wrote:The suggestion to seal all six sides until the stone was saturated: was that from a sealant supplier, by any chance?
Mint is a poor quality stone and generally best avoided, but, for mosrt applications, sealing to face and the edges, and then using a good quality proprietary slurry primer on the bed face should minimise any risk from accidental staining, reflective staining (via the bed face) and picture framing (via the edges).
Some sealants (and I can't be 100% sure about StainStop) prevent or impede good adhesion between the flags and the bedding by effectively rendering the stone impermeable and thereby presenting the same installation problems that come with porcelain. Consequently, you could seall all six sides, spend a bloody fortune on sealant, and *still* need to use a slurry primer!
Thank you very much Tony.
I actually think it was the stone provider that recommended this method, not the sealant supplier.
Anyhow, we commenced the sealing and I opted to seal the face and edges with stain stop+.
We will be SBRing the backs upon placement.
Why is mint poor quality. I have to say that, aside from the odd slab with a stain on it straight out of the pallet, the stuff looks lovely to the eye.
Well then, beauty really must be in the eye of the beholder!
The "reservations" I have about Mint are due to its petrology - the nature of the rock from which it hails. It's a relatively soft and poorly cemented sandstone, where the grains easilty separate from the body. It's too easily marked/scratched by, say, patio furniture, and it's highly porous, allowing moisture to reside for longer than is ideal, which, in turn, encourages the growth of algae and lichens.
I understand that it's pale, bright colouring has appeal to those in the lower portions of these islands, but it's a bit too "fluorescent" for many in the north, but that's all down to personal taste, I suppose.
I have laid a fair bit of mint in its many guises and it is by far the easiest stone to cut,the stihl wizzes through it as opposed to kandla grey which is very hard
Mint for this reason is high maintenance, I would avoid it on my own house but cavaet emptor!
