Sealant removal - Sealant removal

[Tichcooper]

Hello all,
I have been asked to remove a sealant from a large outside area of what I think are granite pavers. I’m not 100% sure if it is granite but it’s highly polished, smooth and very tough. The sealant was applied around 2 years ago and is showing signs of wear. In places it’s possible to distinguish between the sealant and the stone with your fingers. The sealant is rough, slightly yellow in colour, were is the stone is very smooth.
I’ve tried pressure washing a small area but the results have not been great. Would a solvent of some kind do the trick ? if so could you give me a product name I could use. Or has anyone any other ideas.
One more thing. I’m guessing its an acrylic based sealant because its only been down for 2 years or so. Is that right ?
Best regards TC

[London Stone Paving]

Tich

No expert myself but go to www.extensive.co.uk and they should be able to point you in the right direction.

Steve Walley

www.londonstone.com

[Tichcooper]

Thanks for the reply, I'll give them a go.
Regards
TC

[Tichcooper]

I contacted Extensive and sure enough they did sell a product capable of doing the job. However the product has now been removed from the UK market and they are not legally allowed to sell it anymore. I guess it was pretty bad stuff and a nightmare to work with.
I’ll keep searching around for an alternative.
Thanks all the same.
Regards TC

[seanandruby]

one for r & a methinks. Wonder if hot water jet wash would do the trick?

[TSS]

It sounds as if this sealant is a coating rather than an impregnation product. It also sounds as if it is an acrylic resin. An industrial paint stripper will probably do the trick if used in conjunction with a hot water low pressure wash. This will be a pretty messy job though ans how you manage the wash off and residue is an essential component in order to avoid contamination and pollution in the water course. On similar tasks we have used sealed collection drums linked to vacuum units and have disposed of the wash off in licensed facilities. If this is all too much another option is to mechanically remove it using a Soda blaster system but you will still need to encapsulate the work site to avoid distribution of the particulate.

Hope this helps.

TSS

[Tichcooper]

TSS,

Thanks for the info. Sounds like it could be a big job and not a very nice one !!
I'll have a chat with the customer and explain the procedure.
Regards

TC