Just when I think I have everything nailed down. So is this a real world problem? I mean beer kills brain cells but i am still have a cold one or two. Some people are telling me salt or stone but not both? Then I read sealing helps a little but it's not going to prevent issues.
Reading that flagstone and salt water don't get along
- Thread starter Titan7
- Start date
- May 23, 2015
- 24,411
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I have native AZ flagstone (natural buckskin color) and a salt water pool and my stone is fine. It's unsealed 3" thick flagstone coping. I do try to hose it down every week during swim season. I've owned this pool since we moved in and it's going on 5+ years since it was built. No problems yet.
Some folks seal the FS to reduce water permeation but I have chosen to not do that as it then becomes a required ritual to re-seal every so many years. In the hot AZ sun with intense UV, I'd hate to ruin the look with a bad seal job. If my stone only gets 15 years as opposed to 20 with sealing, that's no big deal to me.
Some folks seal the FS to reduce water permeation but I have chosen to not do that as it then becomes a required ritual to re-seal every so many years. In the hot AZ sun with intense UV, I'd hate to ruin the look with a bad seal job. If my stone only gets 15 years as opposed to 20 with sealing, that's no big deal to me.
Ditto. I have saltwater and Oklahoma flagstone. Unsealed. Some is pitted, some is flaking and most look exactly the same as when it was installed. Some of my worst flagstone isn't near the pool. Three years in I have no regrets. The condition of the stone is fine and certainly appears to me that it will outlast me. If I have to replace a few of the flaking pieces after 5 or 10 years then so be it. Some seem to have stopped on their own. I don't see how sealing would help the few pieces I have that are flaking because the sealer would be gone with the flaked off piece of stone. A couple are flaking like 1/16" pieces and some are flaking off paper thin pieces. It is natural stone after all and it is doing its thing.
There are pics in my build thread, some are when new and some are from this year.
There are pics in my build thread, some are when new and some are from this year.
What about travertine? Our coping and deck are all travertine and I am thinking of applying sealant specially formulated for salt water. Anyone see issues with travertine and salt water pools?
Interesting, I love the look of flagstone, I may have to think about no salt water otherwise perhaps flagstone look pavers for coping...
I was told by every PB I talked to that SW would eventually erode natural flagstone unless you were relentless about keeping it sealed, which costs time and money.
I just went went with concrete, which will be covered with SprayDeck anyway.
I just went went with concrete, which will be covered with SprayDeck anyway.
The salt water is in your pool, not on your deck or coping. Just hose it down if you have a lot of splashout. I have travertine and saltwater and my stone looks as good as new. I never hose mine off but then again we get a lot of rain down here.
Doesn't SprayDeck flake off eventually? Or is that the cooldeck stuff. Anyway - stone can have problems even without salt. I would stay away from the lighter pink/red colors of sandstone flagstone and stick to the harder stuff. I think a lot of rock problems that blamed on salt are just the nature of the stone that has the problem and have absolutely nothing to do with the salt in the water.