The Brew Cabin

First of all, what a good site - very comprehensive.

I have read your forum extensively, but still would appreciate direct advice on my two patios! (sorry for the long text below)

1) Patio 1 - Indian sandstone slabs with geofix jointing. (1 year old)

2) Patio 2 - Huge non-uniform slabs of grey york stone arranged in an oversize "crazy-paving" effect and jointed using semi-dry mortar mix.

Both are great. But:

1) Patio 1 - The Indian sandstone has lost its warm color over the year and I would like to clean and seal it. I was going to use a mild solution of Jeyes fluid and solid elbow grease to clean it. Is this ok and what can I do to seal it?

I looked in the sealants section, but wasn't sure. the same goes with patio 2 below.

2) Patio 2 - The york stone has been at the bottom of the garden for years (so fairly weathered). I have just relaid them all and, as someone elese mentioned, they look much better when wet. So Iwanted to seal them to give them a wet look.

From what I have read on this forum / site and the manufacturers' sites most of these sealants are for concrete with sand jointing. I'm just not sure what would be best for both my patios.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks Carl

Patio 1 - don't worry about the Jeyes' Fluid. that's handy if you have a lot of moss or you're 'troubled' with animal waste products, but for general cleaning, it's nothing special. A power washer, used at a low angle is the best tool for the job, but, failing that, plain old soapy water and a stiff brush is as good as owt else.

Patio 2 - wet look sealant. I'm really not a fan of wet-look sealants, but, if that's what you want, try one of the commercial offerings from the DIY sheds. These are usually acrylic products with cheesy names, and it's important to check that they are suitable for stone paving.

Personally, if I wanted to bring out the colour of a natural stone pavement, I'd use a colour enhancing non-glossy sealant, sometimes called an 'impregnator', such as RR Stone Seal. It brings out the colours, protects the stone, but doesn't give the flags that awful plasticky-varnishy look.

Thanks Tony,

I have to agree that "cheesy" products and wet look sealants will probably make it look like something out of Legoland.

I'll have a look around and see if there is something "moderate" to enhance but keep the natural effect.

Thanks for the time and when I'm finished I'll post up some photos, as I see people are quite keen on have a nosey at other's work (a true British pastime!)