Bluestone sealant

[Bam Bam]

After a rain the new bluestone looked great. It was beautifully shiny. The mason said he could apply a sealant to impart that affect. Unfortunately it turns out he just bought something off of Amazon that he had never used before. Many stones now have a milky film. Many buyers complained about this in their reviews once I started investigating the product. The seller said it’s happening because there was moisture stuck in the rock before it was sealed. He didn’t have a product to strip it. It’s acrylic based.

One of the options is to strip it with xylene. The other option is to live with it and let the sealant naturally degrade. Previous TFP posts indicate that sealants need to be reapplied at some point. I am not interested in reapplying just getting rid of the cloudy spots.

Any idea how long it will take to wear itself off?

 

[mknauss]

No idea on how long it will take to wear off. I would think in traffic areas more quickly, but in no traffic areas it may take a very long time.

Xylene is very nasty, dangerous stuff. I would not even think about using that.

 

[Wolfepack88]

After a rain the new bluestone looked great. It was beautifully shiny. The mason said he could apply a sealant to impart that affect. Unfortunately it turns out he just bought something off of Amazon that he had never used before. Many stones now have a milky film. Many buyers complained about this in their reviews once I started investigating the product. The seller said it’s happening because there was moisture stuck in the rock before it was sealed. He didn’t have a product to strip it. It’s acrylic based.

One of the options is to strip it with xylene. The other option is to live with it and let the sealant naturally degrade. Previous TFP posts indicate that sealants need to be reapplied at some point. I am not interested in reapplying just getting rid of the cloudy spots.

Any idea how long it will take to wear itself off?

Oh man, it will take quite awhile, maybe a couple of seasons. We had our full bluestone patio sealed and there was literally 3% chance of rain, the guys didn't tarp it and lo and behold a 3 minute shower occurred. Enough that it caused the milky white surface to form. I figured it would wear off, nope 2 years later we finally started asking around. Turned out the only way to get it off was using a hot water pressure washer/scrubber. We had a guy do it and it came off pretty much 99% and no pressure wash marks. He was very careful. Every once an awhile I see a bit of it. So the combination of time and then the hot pressure washer/scrubber worked. Our sealant was a very strong commercial grade so you might have better luck with it coming off quicker. I would try the hot pressure washer first before using a chemical stripper.

 

[Toxophilite]

I've had it happen with saltillo, usually it's just due to pooling or depth of coat. I'm sure some moisture has a play in it as well. Out in the sun, I would think it will dissipate in short order.

 

[Bam Bam]

No idea on how long it will take to wear off. I would think in traffic areas more quickly, but in no traffic areas it may take a very long time.

Xylene is very nasty, dangerous stuff. I would not even think about using that.

Definitely didn’t want to go the solvent route. I am also by a lake. Given the problem with the lack of expansion joint discussed in other post I guess all the traffic associated with that fix will do the job hopefully. Otherwise I’m going to learn to live with it for now. Thanks!

 

[Bam Bam]

I've had it happen with saltillo, usually it's just due to pooling or depth of coat. I'm sure some moisture has a play in it as well. Out in the sun, I would think it will dissipate in short order.

I’m hoping the upcoming SC midlands summer of sun and heat will destroy it.