Blk limestone - Enhancer & sealer

[Rico]

Hi all, first post.
i'm about to lay my own drive in Black Limestone (150mm x 300mm)
I was going to use vdw 850 as a grout but cant justify the extra cost over romex D1 (which i've used before)
Anyway my problem is deciding on what type of colour enhancer and sealer to use.
ive read its better to use seperate enhancer and sealer. to get the required colour and avoid a shiney wet look.
Ive read to use a solvent based product but have been advised by a bricky friend to only use water based.
Any opinions welcomed and thoughts and experiences welcomed in the grout too.
cheers
Ric

[Pablo]

water based sealants make no real visual difference to the paving and are a waste of time. You cannot seal paving at this time of year anyway as it needs to be bone dry with an ambient air temperature of around 15 degrees with no rain forecast until it's cured. The wet look is nothing to do with the impregnator and sealant they're available in mat and gloss finish and thats what makes the difference. I use acriseal from larsen on limestone it seems to last well and give a good finish.

[London Stone Paving]

you also need to be prepared that you will need to re-seal at least once a year if you want to keep it looking dark. As Pablo said you cant seal at this time of year anyway. When you do come to seal take extra care and make sure the stone is bone dry and very clean before sealing. Also Black limestone and chemicals are mortal enemies, so do not use any chemicals to clean the paving.

[London Stone Paving]

I use acriseal from larsen on limestone it seems to last well and give a good finish.

what do you think of Larsen products Paul? I know that they have produced an easipoint equivalent, have you ever used it?

[Pablo]

never heard of it Steve but I've found their other products to be spot on and well priced.

[lutonlagerlout]

what are you laying your limestone on?
do you think it will hold up on a drive?
as a side note used easipoint historic for the first time today
very very nice mortar to use,lime sand and GGBS whatever that is
LLL

[London Stone Paving]

never heard of that one Tony. Whats that about?

[Rico]

the Limestone cobbles/pavings are quite small in relation to there thickness. 150mm x 300mm and avg 30mm deep
they are going to be laid on a 3" bed of 4 to 1 mortor which inturn is on a 6-9" hardcore base.
I think its substantial enough, but id like to hear others opinions.

Thanks for coments

[lutonlagerlout]

what does the mortar consist of ric?
i would prefer 100mm of grit sand/cement at 4:1

LLL

[Pablo]

75mm is to thin for a driveway but your base is fine. I would go for a sticky 4.1 mix with an sbr bond bridge 100mm deep at least.

[Rico]

Motar consisting of 4 grit and 1 (52nm high strength) cement. Was thinking about 2 build sand and 2 grit, too give it more suction but not sure whether this would be worst of both rather than best of both!
The thickness of the mortar is 3" but will be 4" in some places, maybe i should scrape a bit of the hardcore base?

[Pablo]

if it's at the edges then don't bother but if its where a vehicle will be the best go deeper. With regards sand it's best to stick with grit only it saves the hassle of dealing with two kinds and it's stronger. The sbr will take care of the suction for you

[Rico]

Happy new year all
What ratio would you add the sbr admixture.

[Pablo]

The ratios will be on the side of the bottle different brands offer different advice.