To seal flagstone coping and pavers

[adamfrey]

So I get a ton of dust that comes off the flagstones into the pool. I didn’t know if it’s a good idea to seal them to reduce that and also to seal the pavers or if it would make it too slick? Any product recommendations...I do like the darker wet look...

 

[HermanTX]

I had our flagstone sealed but I did it when we did the re-plaster so it was done by the re-plaster company. I had them add some grit so it was not slippery. Sorry, don't have name of sealant. I did the water tiles which are also flagstone and the coping.

 

[rumcglot]

I'm interested in the answer to this too. I have the same flagstone, and it has flaked into the pool terribly this season. I also have a limestone waterfall. I've been thinking about trying to seal both over the winter for next year.

 

[Dirk]

I have had and have solved that problem: flaking and sandy flagstone. It was awful when I first bought house/pool. But the previous owner's pool guy had already tried various sealers to no avail. Enter my bud, who is a stone guru and knows his stuff. He told me specifically that sealers will not solve for the flaking/sanding, but that it is good for the flagstone otherwise. He used a special (read EXPENSIVE) liquid compound designed specifically for this problem. It's some sort of binder that penetrates the layers and "glues" the flagstone together. Sealers don't have that property. He charged me only his cost for the materials, but I recall it was in the $1800 range! Yep. Expensive stuff. But it worked. I have one stubborn stone that is still a little sandy. Probably needs another hit of the stuff. But the rest of the stone is fine now, though I still get the occasional chip or two. That's flagstone. And I think the miracle goo can't do much for chips that are too far along. I'll have to ping my bud for the name of the stuff, but it might only be commercially available. Stand by.

 

[Dirk]

OK, he's on his honeymoon, but he got back to me. He used a product from a company called Prosoco. He thinks we used their OH100 product. He also mentioned their H100 product, which has a water repellent. I was close about "binding." My guy corrected me, the keyword is "densifier" or "consolidator." He did confirm that sealers are good for sandstone materials (like flagstone), but also that sealers, for the most part, do not have the qualities to densify or consolidate. The term "sealer" is kind of a catch all, so there could be one that also has the ingredients required for those qualities. Point was, if you just go buy some stone sealer somewhere, it won't likely do the trick.

He didn't think you could buy this stuff off the shelf, but rather would have to order it special from somewhere. He suggested you contact Prosoco about your stone issues and let them recommend the best product. Apparently, they have quite a selection to choose from. They should be able to also tell you how to get a hold of their product.

He highly recommended that whatever you try, you use his MO, which is to try it out in a sample-sort-of-way. Not to blast all of your coping and hope for the best. Make sure whatever you use will do the trick on a small area first. If it goes haywire and reacts badly to the stone, at least you'll minimize the hit. That goes for anything you work with, on any type of hardscape.

I remember the overspray was a minor problem. It got into the water and created a bit of a jelly like "oil spill." Fortunately, it floats. We scooped up what we could, the skimmer/filter took care of the rest. It washed out of my cartridges. But you do have to be careful about the application.

Please do share what you come up with. Your issue is not unique at all and many others here will benefit from what you learn.

 

[Stoopalini]

@Dirk ... this is GREAT info! Thanks so much for sharing. I've been trying to get a plan together for our flagstone and moss rock, and this may just be the ticket.