Anyone know how to patch flagstone?

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Sealer can be used to achieve the wet look, absolutely. You'll have to redo it often, but that's one of sealer's functions. It won't, however, do anything to slow the damage. That is not one of sealer's functions.

Regarding finding a contractor that can replace FS with concrete and achieve some sort of facsimile, in shape and color... that is my hope. I think it possible to do. I don't yet know if there's anyone willing to try, or has any experience at it. That'll be the challenge.

My concrete matches the shape of the FS, with a fairly even expansion joint throughout. But I don't know how that's done. If I had to guess, I'd say they set the stone first, applied some sort of temporary something to allow for the joint. Poured the concrete, then pulled the "something" and replaced that with expansion compound. Of maybe the "something" was the original expansion compound, which later was replaced when it wore out. Not sure. So if the concrete did go in second, then the reverse should be possible. Take out old FS, apply temporary or permanent expansion compound, and then pour concrete where the FS was. We're not building a concrete bridge here, it's not an engineering marvel, this should just be a relatively simple matter. Then draw in some lines to simulate stones grouted together and then stamp the surface with some sort of rock-like pattern. All doable I think, just a matter of finding someone willing to do it.

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Replacing shot FS has to be a common problem. Which implies there should be some sort of common solution. You and I are not the only ones with this stuff, who want to recreate its original look. Somebody knows how to do this, somewhere...
 
Wow. I want stamped concrete everywhere now. Crazy stuff. Thanks for the link.
Like you said first, I think they set FG, then temp filler for expansion and then concrete.
Regarding my last post what I was wondering is could someone with experience replace the FS with FS by cutting & chipping the new stone to match the existing shape. It wouldn't have to be exact but close enough so the grout & expansion joints don't get so big. Maybe just replacing a few of the really bad ones at a time. I think I might try to chip a loose piece of FS I have laying around here just to see what happens.
 
RANDY M said:
Wow. I want stamped concrete everywhere now. Crazy stuff. Thanks for the link.
Like you said first, I think they set FG, then temp filler for expansion and then concrete.
Regarding my last post what I was wondering is could someone with experience replace the FS with FS by cutting & chipping the new stone to match the existing shape. It wouldn't have to be exact but close enough so the grout & expansion joints don't get so big. Maybe just replacing a few of the really bad ones at a time. I think I might try to chip a loose piece of FS I have laying around here just to see what happens.
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Oh, I misunderstood. I'm counting on that if I decide that replacing with like kind is the best option. At least some, possibly most, of my stones are cut on one or more sides. It's how they fit them together. I do believe a guy with appropriate skill could replace all or part of the coping by cutting the new stones to shape. Heck, I know I could do it because I did a bit of it. If you look close in the back of my picture, behind the pool, there's a little vertical wall of FS creating a raised planter. I cut most of those to fit together. The stuff is so soft it's pretty easy. I think the bigger challenge is the thickness, and how to accommodate that. I don't know about yours, but my stones are all different thicknesses, quite a bit different in some cases. 1/2" to 1". You can easily see it while looking at the edges of the stones while in the pool. Thinner pieces could be accommodated with extra grout (or whatever is used to set the stones), but how does one fit a thicker piece in place? Chipping out whatever is underneath it, I guess. It has to be possible, just a matter of finding the right guy, and then paying him what he's gonna need to do such labor-intensive work.

Again, if my current batch lasts 15 years, I'll probably replace it and roll the dice that that'll be my last batch. That would preserve the look I like and match the rest of my yard (I have probably five or six times the amount of FS in my yard than what you can see in that pic. A whole patio of it in one spot.) If my coping poops out in a year or two, then I'll have to find something tougher, 'cause I'm not going to replace it three or four more times...
 
Hmmm, replacing them one at a time, only as they become too uncomfortable to walk on... That's an interesting idea. The previous owners left an entire walkway of loose stones (like stepping stones), so I already have a large supply of the same stone "in stock." Setting stone and grouting is not all that tough. How bad can chipping it out be? They're already coming apart!! And I already know I can cut the new ones to shape. Did we just turn this into a DIY project? A few stones at a time, based on when they start to bug us too much? That certainly fits my budget constraint!! ;)
 
If it is man-made, everything is possible!

The problem is finding the right person who would be willing to do all that to meet your expectations. In my region, PB's and other small-time pool contractors are swamped and booked solid all year round. A $20k reno project will not likely to attract a hungry contractor either. Unless you have a relative or friend or friend of a friend in the business. As observed, coping is the most laborious and time-consuming in a pool construction. In my case, it took 5 days for 3-4 full-time workers to complete the coping.

I bet you guys had your fair share dealing with PB's who reno'ed your pools. In a 3 months period, I called 8 contractors and only one reluctantly showed up. Too bad for him, I held him hostage! Do I like how our pool turned out? No, because the PB used the coping of his own choice without consulting us as a paying customer. At least the financier got to choose the tiles. I asked them to use "gray" grout for the tiles but they used "charcoal" color instead. Am I happy, YES.. because after 2 months in the making with them having to jump from one job site to another in between, it's finally over! I could swear not to take this route ever again! Sorry for the vent... :sad:
 
I think mine are set on a bed of mortar. I can see it sticking out in the planter areas. So chip motor out and replace to get top level? Like Meadow said time consuming & labor intensive. Would have to be DIY for me. A stone or 2 at a time? Maybe someday.
 
I think Meadow seals the deal. If we want someone to do this right, the way we want it done, in a timely fashion, without charging an arm and leg... we're going to have to learn how to do it ourselves. I'm actually excited about the prospect of that, and the money I could save.

The good news is, it's not like tackling the plaster, or the deck. Big giant things that have to be perfect, and done all at once. The stones are discrete little chunks, a square foot or two each, that have a distinct border and don't have to match perfectly in color or size or pattern. So there's a lot of wiggle room, their very nature doesn't require absolute perfection. Worst case, I chip one out, and do a mediocre job of it. I either can redo that one until I figure it out, or realize then that I need a pro. But I've only got a relatively little blemish to live with until I come up with Plan B. And since I'd start on the worst one first, whatever I end up doing can't be much worse than that.
 
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