Fossil mint - Sealers and impregnators

[brundlefly]

hi to the best designed website ive yet to come across,youre
probably sick to death of hearing this whinge but my builder mate just built me a kitchen extension and
re-paved the back garden with fossil mint indian stone but ive had to treat it four times in nine months for algae not just a slight tinge were talking doctor who ! i would urge anyone thinking about having this stuff to think again especially if you have a shady aspect which we have.
its obviously extremely porous so i was wondering if there is a product out there that would impregnate the stone and fill all the cavities to help stop it getting such an easy foothold then i could perhaps treat it with some thompsons waterseal periodically,i know it will come back i just want to make life as hard as possible for it ,getting rid of it is easy diluted bleach is the way to go but will it remove the impregnator/sealer?help!
ok next gripe two years ago i laid some repro victorian mosaic tiles in my internal porch/vestibule area being a joiner not a tiler it took me a while but i made a good job of it though i say so myself but sealing it has been a nightmare .
the tiles are made by a company called original style and are made using a compressed dust process,A large tile supplier supplied them and i took their advice when it came to sealing them which consisted of one coat of lithofin impregnator followed by lithofin colour enhancer which gave it a nice wet look but dried very patchy.
i had to remove it and used HG residue remover followed by HG golvpolish but this stuff cant be ragged on or brushed on because it smears the alternative is to use a small roller but this causes it to froth and dries with a stippled effect and isnt particularly hardwearing either especially in this weather.


it seems to me that most people are capable of laying a decent floor/patio after taking good advice as offered on your website but sealers etc are a massive pain in the arse,
Irealise its a bit outside your specialist field but any advice would be gratefully received.

[mickavalon]

Hi Mate
Try "Stain-Proof" by Dry TreatDry Treat, Seals and leaves no noticable stain, but if your paved area is North Facing your always going to have a problem. Try sealing it and then annualy using one of the many algae/moss cleaners on the market. Unfortunatley shade and climate will always cause you some problems, you'll just have to keep on top of it.
Some Sandstone is also more open to attack, is it noticably thin or porous, can you hold a piece up to the light and does it look slightly transparent, I've seen Paving laid on the cheap go virtually green over a few weeks given the right conditions. Sorry if this is all doom and gloom

[Tony McC]

Fossil Mint is, by quite some way, the worst of the imported sandstones for attracting algae. I've had Rice Krispie cakes that are less porous!

If you power wash it, you'll end up taking a couple of millimetres off the surface, but it's often the only option.

However, given that using any sealer is a no-no in the current climate, I'd spend the next couple of months dousing it with bleach washes and see how effective is that at cleaning them up, and then look at using a really good sealant in April or later, when the stone is bone dry and the ambient temp a bit more amenable.

Not sure what to suggest for the tiles as I'm not familiar with them, but HG do have an online help page, albeit based in Germany (or it might be Holland) and their English can be a bit hit and miss at times (although it is way superior to my German or Flemish)

[Bob_A]

Sorry to hijack but my paving seems quite porous. Then again the only experience I've had with Indian Sandstone is my own so I've got nothing to compare it with.
It's Stoneflair Glendale could it be fossil mint in disguise?
It's this stuff only mine is a tad orange/brown then in this stock picture.
http://www.patiopavingslabs.co.uk/img....ack.jpg

[Tony McC]

That photie looks like a mixed brown, probably the one they sell as 'Forest Brown'. That is a porous stone, but it's not in the same league as Fossil Mint.

FM is very, very pale, with creams and pale greys, and just a hint of palest green. You can scratch it with your fingernail.

[Bob_A]

Cheers Tony

[Ross-Paving]

Try using "Mould Buster", I have a customer who must have the worst possible combination for moss/algae growth, she treats the sandstone every year (Marshalls Autumn Bronze, down 4 years back) and it's still like new.

[Bob_A]

It says Just dilute, spray and walk away
Surely you just can't walk away without rinses the area?http://www.diy.com/diy....0487631

[Ross-Paving]

It says Just dilute, spray and walk away
Surely you just can't walk away without rinses the area?http://www.diy.com/diy....0487631

Yup, I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't tried it myself. If the area is bad with mould then more concentrated solution and scrubbing with first application does wonders.

Try it!!

[Bob_A]

I will definitely give it some serious consideration.

[London Stone Paving]

I like the sound of that. People are always asking about getting rid of moss. Will give that a try

[brundlefly]

Thanks for all the kind advice everyone,Ifound this stuff from a farmers supply shop called Sodium Hypochlorite(£13 plus the dreaded) and algae just disappears in front of your eyes just dilute 50-50 and spread it around with a yardbrush(no need to scrub)then rinse off,it must be similar to Bleach but much much stronger if anyone out there trys it make sure you wear wellies,goggles and a mask. cheers Brundlefly.

[lutonlagerlout]

very similar to bleach tim :;):
LLL

[Tony McC]

You can get 'high strength' sodium hypochlorite (aka Bleach) from swimming pool supply shops, or you can use the alternative Calcium Hypochlorite, which is said to be very good at shifting lichens.

[RAPressureWashing]

Thing to remember if you are going to use any "bleach" based product is it will scorch grass and kill tender plants so care is needed, so when flushing off with water you need to watch where the water run-off is going. As far as using Hypo, there is a mix on the stain removal page on the main site, that works.