Coping/Veneer Stone in Pennsylvania Flagstone?

[provor]

I'm about to kickoff a pool remodel and I am trying to lock in materials and each pool company keeps suggesting other materials making comparisons very difficult. One of them is telling me that they wont recommend using Pennsylvania Flag as it flakes, and the other thinks its trouble free so I am having trouble trusting either.

Does anyone have any feedback on their pools that have Pennsylvania Flag? I'm looking to do the coping in a dark grey stone. They also suggested Silver Mist and Tennessee Gray Stone.

The pool is not saltwater.

 

[kimkats]

I would go to the stone yard they will be getting it from and look for yourself. Some flagstone does flake so you need to look it over to see for yourself.

Kim

 

[mwalling]

I'm about to kickoff a pool remodel and I am trying to lock in materials and each pool company keeps suggesting other materials making comparisons very difficult. One of them is telling me that they wont recommend using Pennsylvania Flag as it flakes, and the other thinks its trouble free so I am having trouble trusting either.

Does anyone have any feedback on their pools that have Pennsylvania Flag? I'm looking to do the coping in a dark grey stone. They also suggested Silver Mist and Tennessee Gray Stone.

The pool is not saltwater.

Hello!

We wanted to use a grey material as well in our build. We looked at Penn flagstone but we were concerned with flaking that we observed on samples at the stone yard.

We chose Leuders Limestone in Charcoal for our coping and Leuders Charcoal chopstone for the retaining wall and spa surround. We are very pleased with it. We went with a stamped concrete for our decking and LOVE how it turned out.

Good luck with the remodel!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[bmoreswim]

We have PA Bluestone which, unless they are talking about something else, is the same stone. Around here, flagstone is going to be PA Bluestone unless otherwise identified.

PA Bluestone comes in several different surface finishes. One is natural cleft. This has the natural surface as it is broken or breaks apart horizontally. This surface type is probably the most likely to flake. But that overstates the risk. It will be somewhat variable but it is not at all likely to be any problem whatsoever. This is based on the many samples I've seen over my life and our installed coping. If any does come off it will not continue. It will reach a point of being stable. We have saltwater.

The next two surfaces are tumbled and thermal. These are both not at all susceptible to flaking (you might say incapable of flaking). Thermal is the most expensive but the most consistent and grippy of the three. Tumbled is susceptible to being slippery under the right conditions.

Here's a nice link. http://www.woodwardlandscapesupply.com/blog/2014/07/everything-need-know-pennsylvania-bluestone/

 

[jimim]

I live in an area of Pa where bluestone is everywhere. My dad's best friend has been a mason for over 50 years. We love our bluestone, but it is under all covered areas. porches and such. He always said bluestones works best under cover which is true. we have never had a flake or even have had any issues with grout lines yet. I mentioned using bluestone for my pool cause i have contacts t get any thickness i need at pennies. he just doesn't think i should do it. he is just worried about flaking. he said you can be totally fine or it might be a mess. you just can't predict that's why my sidewalk and driveway are not bluestone. i could have done both in bluestone cheaper than full concrete or paver ontop of concrete. i really want bluestone for my project but i'm not going to chance it and just went bullnose paver and paver all around. my buddy has pa bluestone sidewalks around his house and boat house. his looks great after 5 years now. all is installed on 4" concrete pour also. no flaking too. i don't know i guess it's a gamble. i'm not going to gamble cause i have alot of area i'm covering.

it is beautiful though but i'm bias cause it's just that classic look especially where i live.