Absorbent stone.... advice needed - Any stone worse than others?

[Adrwilliams]

Im aware of issues with high water absorption of some indian sandstone leading to rapid algaefication, but a Marshalls vid I watched earlier on seemed to aim at scaring consumers away from using certain products and encouraging them to use theirs..... surprise surprise.....

They mentioned that certain IS's were VERY absorbent and named TEAK / MINT / RAINBOW / SUNSET / MODAK as being problematic examples......

So heres a couple of questions to assist me in deciding on the right stone:

Are there any particular Indian products which you would advise against using and any that perform well and which you would recommend?

Also - is it true that some stone can be riven to give a smoother surface finish than others? If so - which?

Thanks again, all!

[lutonlagerlout]

greys are generally harder and least riven

autumn brown or blend are very hard too

modak is quite hard but can be riven

mint is softer but nice to look at

teak and rainbow very soft

LLL

[Tony McC]

There are variations even within the named suspects. I've seen damned hard Modak stone, and I've seen thirsty Autumn Brown.

Stone is a natural material, so there is almost bound to be variation, but generally speaking the Raj/Brown/Camel/Greys are less of a problem. Mint. Teak, Rainbow are pretty but not particularly good over the medium-long term unless scrupulously maintained.

[Adrwilliams]

Thanks for that advice.....

Now - do I opt for one of the harder, options or do I go for one of the nicer looking but softer stones and use a sealer on it to combat the mould and algae?

Anyone got experience of sealing the softer stones and any preference on the brand of sealer?

I have read the page on sealing stone.....

[lutonlagerlout]

Adrian we can lead a horse to water but.....

ultimately the choice belongs to you and yours

kandla grey is a decent stone but a bit monotone

I quite like autumn blend and modak rose but thats my choice

sealing can cost a Loooot of money

do you really want to seal?

LLL

[Adrwilliams]

Adrian we can lead a horse to water but.....

ultimately the choice belongs to you and yours

kandla grey is a decent stone but a bit monotone

I quite like autumn blend and modak rose but thats my choice

sealing can cost a Loooot of money

do you really want to seal?

LLL

Thanks LLL...

Sorry - I was 'thinking out loud' rather than asking you guys the question.....' I'm just capitalising on your expertise - thats all.

Your invaluable experience has been VERY useful to me so far and I thank you all for that.

I may even be brave enough to post photos of the finished project...... We'll see....

I'd got enough info from the previous 2 answers to draw some useful conclusions.

My conclusion is that I either:

1) Use a harder stone such as Autumn Blend and leave it untreated.

or

2) Use a prettier but softer stone and seal it.

I'm leaning towards the former.

Thanks!

[Tony McC]

Convince me why you need to seal *any* stone.

Sealing does not give stone, or any other paving, immunity from maintenance. Yeah, it'll probably be easier to clean up spills and splashes, and it will be harder for algae and lichens and mosses to establish themselves, but that's not the same as the stone being completely free of such problems.

I ask the same of all my clients who think they have to seal their paving. If there's a good reason to do so, maybe there's overhanging Lime trees, or it's a north-facing dampish site, then so be it, but if they are sealing because they heard some know-nowt say that's what you had to do with paving, then forget it!

[London Stone Paving]

Under no circumstances use either teak or rainbow. They will not stand the test of time. I travel to India regularly, and there is a town near kota that is know for producing carved stone handicrafts. Virtually all the handy craft items you find at this town are made from Rainbow, teak and lalitpur grey. All three are sandstones and the reason they are used for carving is because they are soft and easy to work

REPEAT under no circumstances use teak wood or rainbow. Fair enough, they are cheap, but the reason they are cheap is because the gangsaws rip through the block in a couple of hours. Compare this to the 24 hours it takes to cut through a block of hard kota stone like raj green, kandla grey, camel or Autumn brown

[Adrwilliams]

I'm the novice here looking for some guidance.

As you say yourself Tony:

"Yeah, it'll probably be easier to clean up spills and splashes, and it will be harder for algae and lichens and mosses to establish themselves"

This alone seems to me to suggest that there is indeed "some" benefit to sealing some softer stone in some circumstances.

Of course I realise that anything which is exposed to the elements permanently is going to require some maintenance and of course there are some people who'd love the prospect of getting the cleaning gear out every few weeks and giving the patio a scrub down.

Personally, I'd be disappointed if my finished patio started greening up after a few weeks.

Ive seen images of some stone that had turned green within weeks of being exposed to the weather, explained purely due to its high absorbancy.

As I say, I'm hoping I'll make my life easier by optiong for a hard stone such as Autumn Brown or Kandla and avoid the temptation to seal it.

Thanks again for all the guidance.

[Adrwilliams]

Under no circumstances use either teak or rainbow. They will not stand the test of time. I travel to India regularly, and there is a town near kota that is know for producing carved stone handicrafts. Virtually all the handy craft items you find at this town are made from Rainbow, teak and lalitpur grey. All three are sandstones and the reason they are used for carving is because they are soft and easy to work

REPEAT under no circumstances use teak wood or rainbow. Fair enough, they are cheap, but the reason they are cheap is because the gangsaws rip through the block in a couple of hours. Compare this to the 24 hours it takes to cut through a block of hard kota stone like raj green, kandla grey, camel or Autumn brown

Thanks very much - this reinforces nicely, the conclusions I'd already come to. Thanks again.