Sealant for sandstone (again)

[notwiggo]

Hi there. I have spent some time on the website digesting the information, and also looked at a couple of threads on the forum. So I'm really trying to get some clarifications and assistance rather than start from scratch.

New patio. Sandstone. We have a lot of leaf fall in winter, so sealing it has been strongly recommended. I've left it for a few weeks but need to now crack on. Understand that an impregnator is best bet. In hindsight I has some bad advice when I was first investigating and budgetting for this, as I'm sure that one product that I was pointed out (Sika ?) is almost certainly a surface sealant and probably would have looked 'orrible. And the other that was suggested to be (Resiblock) looks like from the website is not appropriate for sandstone.

The main website refers to Covergard, Weiss Stain protect and Lithofin stain stop.

Like another poster here, I would like some level of colour enhancement, but not going bonkers. I'm pretty sure I DON'T want to go to two stage process of colour enhancing and then sealing.

From the relevaent threads I've seen, no one has mentioned Weiss or Covergard. I assume there is a reason for this...a shame as the weiss does appear to be cheaper. Any comments?

Do I take it that the Lithofin Stain Stop Plus is a combined enhancer and sealant, whereas the Lithofin Stain Stop is just a sealant. Likewise Dry Treat Enhance Plus vs. (I think they had another product but can't find it in my tabs right now) ?

Also, having looked again at the Dry Treat website, it would suggest that I would need to add a further treatment to provide oil protection ??

What are the views on comparisons between the two products ? I have 80m2 to do; I don't want to cut corners but also am "aware" of the potential cost involved here (significantly more than I originally budgeted for).

[lutonlagerlout]

I have used lithofin MN stainstop with some success, it is invisible when applied properly
its around £25 a litre though so you might need 6-7 litres for your patio,depending on stone type pointing etc
never seen weiss on sale,dry treat is supposed to be very good but is top line money wise
as in most things in life,you get what you pay for
cheers LLL

[London Stone Paving]

Hi there. I have spent some time on the website digesting the information, and also looked at a couple of threads on the forum. So I'm really trying to get some clarifications and assistance rather than start from scratch.

New patio. Sandstone. We have a lot of leaf fall in winter, so sealing it has been strongly recommended. I've left it for a few weeks but need to now crack on. Understand that an impregnator is best bet. In hindsight I has some bad advice when I was first investigating and budgetting for this, as I'm sure that one product that I was pointed out (Sika ?) is almost certainly a surface sealant and probably would have looked 'orrible. And the other that was suggested to be (Resiblock) looks like from the website is not appropriate for sandstone.

The main website refers to Covergard, Weiss Stain protect and Lithofin stain stop.

Like another poster here, I would like some level of colour enhancement, but not going bonkers. I'm pretty sure I DON'T want to go to two stage process of colour enhancing and then sealing.

From the relevaent threads I've seen, no one has mentioned Weiss or Covergard. I assume there is a reason for this...a shame as the weiss does appear to be cheaper. Any comments?

Do I take it that the Lithofin Stain Stop Plus is a combined enhancer and sealant, whereas the Lithofin Stain Stop is just a sealant. Likewise Dry Treat Enhance Plus vs. (I think they had another product but can't find it in my tabs right now) ?

Also, having looked again at the Dry Treat website, it would suggest that I would need to add a further treatment to provide oil protection ??

What are the views on comparisons between the two products ? I have 80m2 to do; I don't want to cut corners but also am "aware" of the potential cost involved here (significantly more than I originally budgeted for).

Got no real experience of Weiss or Covergard, so cant give much of an opinion on either.

With colour enhancing its all or nothing am I afraid, you need to decide if you want it or not. There are no half measures I'm . Lithofin stain stop plus will seal and enhance as will dry treat enhance plus. You mention in the post that colour enhancing is a 2 part process. Thats not the case with any of the above mentioned products.

Dry treat only needs applying every fifteen years if done properly, so even though it is more expensive to buy initially, its actually cheaper over the lifespan of the product

[notwiggo]

thanks for the responses. With something like Stain Stop plus, how significant is the colour enhancing ? Does anyone know whether its possible to buy a sample sized quantity ?

Also: standard stain stop. Is it completely invisible, or will it likely bring out some lift in colour ?

I note the comment on 6-7 litres. On one website the coverage calculator was suggesting more like 11 litres. This is sandstone, riven. Is experience that coverage is generally greater than suggested ?

Appreciate the assistance.

[r896neo]

They use the same stuff on stone tiles indoors so try a tile supplier. I have used stain stop on a slate floor and it came in a 250ml.

[lutonlagerlout]

depends how well your coverage is
for me personally with a sprayer a litre does around 10-12 metres
some stone is more absorbent than others
LLL

[notwiggo]

Dry treat only needs applying every fifteen years if done properly, so even though it is more expensive to buy initially, its actually cheaper over the lifespan of the product

OK, interesting. I saw this mentioned on another thread but took it to meam it was referring to both Litho and Dry Treat (context was these two compared to rubbish). I was a little surprised to see some stuff on Litho SS Plus talking about colour enhancing 1-2 years and stain protection 2-3 years. Would that be peoples expectations (approx). To be fair our patio is lowish traffic as we don't have a family constantly using it.

[London Stone Paving]

lithofin Stain stop and dry treat stain proof will slightly enhance the colour, all impregnators will.

If you opt for one of the colour enhancing versions though, like stain stop plus or dry treat enhance plus, then the colour will be strongly enhanced.

The lifespan of lithofin is pretty much what you mention. Its not an exact science though.

Personally I would not even consider using any kind of colour enhancer. Stone is a natural material and colour enhancers dont complement it well. In my experience colour enhancers make it look man made and unnatural

[notwiggo]

lithofin Stain stop and dry treat stain proof will slightly enhance the colour, all impregnators will.

If you opt for one of the colour enhancing versions though, like stain stop plus or dry treat enhance plus, then the colour will be strongly enhanced.

The lifespan of lithofin is pretty much what you mention. Its not an exact science though.

Personally I would not even consider using any kind of colour enhancer. Stone is a natural material and colour enhancers dont complement it well. In my experience colour enhancers make it look man made and unnatural

Thank you. Very helpful input.