Sun bleached flagstone

[bluerider]

I purchased square cut flagstone last September to surround a small rectangular pond, each 1'x2'x2" in size. Unfortunately the way the mason had stored/stacked the flagstone in his yard some areas of some of the stone were exposed to sunlight and as a result have been bleached leaving diagonal very unnatural colouration. Where there was stone stacked on top it blocked the sun light leaving it dark. Is there anything I can do to even out the light and dark areas ? The closest solution I found on your excellent website indicated if when wet it is not noticeable then a sealer could work. While loading the stone up into my truck I first noticed this problem, the mason who cut and sold me the stone said that the sun would even it out the following summer, I have since heard from a pond expert that it could take considerable time before that happens so I am looking for a way to speed this up. Many thanks,
Rachel.

[lutonlagerlout]

sun bleached stones?
not very likely
more likely is the ones in the shade have a slight build up or algae
if it wasnt a pond I would suggest bleach,however given a while I am sure this will even out
cheers LLL

[Tony McC]

Could be the dreaded black limestone that doesn't stay black for long.

If so, then once it's all laid and in the open, the unbleached stone will gradually bleach and, you'd hope, catch-up with the stuff that's already faded. Except the faded stuff will have probably faded a bit more by then. Eventually, and it all depends on the type of stone and intensity of sunlight, it *should* even out but that could take a couple of years or longer.

One of the colour restorers mentioned in the page linked above might be worth considering.

[bluerider]

Thanks Tony, it is Wiarton Stone from Ontario, I spoke with Masons Masonry Supply in Toronto this morning and they confirmed it does have similar properties to the dreaded black limestone, they recommended the same approach you do in that link. The best I can do right now for my unhappy client is to wait for the snow and ice to melt and try the water wet test, if that improves the appearance the product they recommend is Aqua Mix they said it would last in our harsh climate for 10-15 years and that it is a penetrating sealer. Not sure if we can get Weis FT Plus here and how it would like the Great White North. Mean while I will be having a chat with the swindler who sold me this inferior stone in the first place. Much appreciate your incredibly informative website and your getting back to me so quickly.

[Tony McC]

I'm not familiar with that stone - is it a limestone by any chance?

[lutonlagerlout]

dunno if you can get it but dry treat is the best impregnating sealer going for natural stone
LLL

[bluerider]

Yes it is Limestone many Quarries on the Bruce Peninsula approx 1 hr North of our Farm. http://wiartonlimestone.com/
Will look into the dry treat.

[RAPressureWashing]

Bluerider,

The Limestone in the link that has been sealed was sealed with Aqua-Mix Enrich & Seal, so will be excellent for the stone you are wanting to seal, you should be able to get easily that side of the pond.

[bluerider]

Thanks R&A that is good news.

[RAPressureWashing]

Here is the USA site
http://www.ptsaquamix.com

[Tony McC]

dunno if you can get it but dry treat is the best impregnating sealer going for natural stone

....but Dry Treat has no visible impact on the stone. There's no doubt it's a good impregnator, but it won't enrich/enhance the colour.

Normally, I'd think this a good thing, but for faded stone, we need a surface treatment that's going to penetrate and give a virtual damp/wet look to return some colour to the stone.