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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 9:39 am
by Bec@LondonStone
LLL - quite right, sorry I hadn't noticed the bit about the 3mm joints. In that case, I would go for the Ardex Flex FL. Loads of different colours available and is better for a smaller joint. As Steve said previously, it's not going to be an easy job as those joints are very tight so it will take some doing but is possible. Granite can be quite susceptible to picture framing so I would advise sealing with Dry Treat before you do the pointing and clean up the grout off the surface of the slabs as you go along. It's not the same process as grouting a bathroom tile, you need to avoid getting the grout on the surface of the granite as much as possible.
Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 9:48 am
by lana
I have spoken with the specialist for sealants and would like to share information. The questions I asked were about my patio, but it might be useful for somebody out there too.
So: silver grey granite slabs, laid about few days ago. Contractor will be pointing them with jointex natural colour. My concern was if the jointer discolour stones creating "picture frame effect". The solution suggested by my contractor was to seal the slabs first, then to point, then seal again.
it appeared to be a good practice. Few things to keep in mind though:
if sealing with the water based sealant, the sealant won't penetrate stones deep enough and there will be still a possibility of picture framing effect.
The "ideal" way would be: seal one coat with solvent-based (Dry Treat, for example), wait about a week, point, wait about a week, seal with Dry Treat second coat.
Now, the world we live in is not ideal, unfortunately. So i'm guessing my contractor might find the time frame difficult to keep among his other jobs, well, fair enough. I'll investigate if I can apply Dry Treat myself, then just ask contractor to come and do the pointing. I hope it's not a rocket science, but am asking those who has done this themselves, what to watch out for or if it is a kind of job you'd want to leave to professionals?
Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 11:24 am
by Bec@LondonStone
It's easy enough to apply Dry Treat yourself, key things are:
1) Stone must be completely dry, all the way through (i.e. not just dry on the surface) before sealing and must remain dry for 24 hours afterwards. This means several days of warm-ish dry weather, could be a lot longer if the water table is high.
2) You must make sure you buff off all the excess sealant from the surface as per instructions on the bottle.
It's best if you can apply with a pump sprayer, like the kind you can buy to apply weedkiller with. This makes it easier to apply evenly. I'll email you through the details for the Dry Treat in just a minute.