Sealant for paving slab - Value for money impregnating sealant

[velcro]

The recommended sealants for cast concrete flags are CoverGard from Nufins (an impregnator) & Romex Seal (which is described as low-sheen, so I'm guessing this is a coating).

I'm looking for an impregnator, because I really don't want the sealant to be at all apparent.

CoverGard works out at about £340 for 25l, and since I'm looking for at least 55 litres (for a combination of paving slabs, concreted patio & rendered wall), it works out on the pricey side.

I've found Thompson's One Coat Water Seal Ultra from doing a web trawl, and this appears to be an impregnator, and is claimed by the manufacturer to "last for years" (Nufins suggest re-application every 5-10 years).

Since I can get the Thompson's product from B&Q at £17 for 5l (so £85 for 25l) it will work out considerably cheaper.

Does anyone out there have experience of the Thompson's product, and if so, how will it compare in practice to the CoverGard ... is CoverGard REALLY worth the extra ?

[msh paving]

You cant compare the tomsons stuf with a top class product like nuffins, thompsons water seal has no benifit on paving slabs

i know cost is a big thing but thompsons is not the stuff, check some other posting on the forum about it MSH

[worldofpaving]

MSH is absolutely right however before you part with your cash and as this whole question is an interesting one and often comes up on the forum, would you post back and say exactly what you would like (expect) the sealer to do for the money?

Also, what do you understand exactly by an impregnator?

many thanks,
Best,
WOP

[Tony McC]

If you want an invisible impregnator, then one of the mono-fluoro-ethanes is the ticket, but as with any other quality item, they ain't cheap. When it comes to sealants, you gets what you pays for, which is why the product you mention is so bloody cheap.

Have a look at Profi from Weiss/SteinTec - it's wonderful on natural stone, but I'm not sure about cast concrete. However, I can't see any real problem: it's a quality item!

[velcro]

Hi guys. Thanks for the quick responses. Unfortunately, I'm afraid you've just confirmed what I guessed to be the case.

I'm looking for a product that will soak into the various stone / concrete / lime render surfaces to act as a water repellant & avoid / reduce the growth of mould. It's for my house in France that I'm currently renovating, and the local advice is to treat all exposed surfaces with a "hydrofuge" to avoid them going black. I've got a 45m2 concrete slab patio (with a riven effect surface, coloured to match the local limestone), 65m2 of rendered / exposed stone west facing wall (where the rain comes from), and a 110m2 concreted area (patio come walkway come drainage solution to take water away from the house). The other walls are stone with lime mortar joints, and should be treated at some stage, but they're not so critical because they won't get quite so much weather thrown at them). It's all going to look nice once it's done, and I'd rather it stays that way, and doesn't get black & dirty.

For the wall in particular, I need something that will allow the building to breath, but even on the other surfaces, I don't want a surface coating, no matter how matt it claims to be.

[velcro]

Hi Tony.

The Weiss StainProtect Profi looks good for the concrete & the patio at least ... are there distributors, or would I need to buy direct from the manufacturer? How does the price / performance compare with CoverGard ?

Cheers

[Tony McC]

Give SteinTec a ring. Ask to speak to David, if at all possible, and tell him I sent you. He'll talk you through everything