All:

Hoping for some insight - I live in Austin, TX and have an IG fiberglass, salt water pool with a 3' concrete deck surrounding. I am looking into building a flagstone patio adjacent to the pool; the stone won't come in direct contact with the pool, but the closest section will be ~3' away from the deep end. I suspect a fair amount of splash out and lots of "dripping bodies" on the patio.

My wife really likes some Arizona flagstone at a local stone yard as it very closes matches some existing stonework in other parts of the yard.

Does anyone have experience specifically with AZ flagstone? What should I expect from the flagstone as it gets splashed and dripped on???

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your input!

I'm not sure of the difference between AZ flagstone and PA Bluestone, but I've got PA Bluestone coping and deck everywhere around my pool and haven't seen any effects of saltwater on any of the stone for over 1 1/2 years since the pool was built. I have TN Buffstone lined within the PA Bluestone and i do get some type of staining on that stone which I haven't yet addressed. I don't believe it has anything to do with saltwater since I've got it in remote areas and the staining appears there as well as the traffic area around the pool. I think that stone just simply stains and with a power washer, I'll bet it cleans up well. We'll see in the springtime how well it cleans up.

There are many types of flagstone and the quality and durability varies quite a bit. Sandstone is classified into three categories: Sandstone, Quartzitic sandstone and Quartzite. I would recommend a Quartzitic sandstone or a Quartzite. The supplier should be able to tell you the properties of the stone.

stone-work-on-sun-wet-deck-t39569.html

just-signed-the-contract-plz-review-with-pics-t39208.html

http://isse.utk.edu/ccp/projects/natura ... dstone.pdf