Efflorescence or Sealant problem on Indian Sandstone

[mike1979]

Yes do it neat if it's acrylic sealer you used this should work don't wash it down it needs 24 hrs of dry weather on it otherwise it will go white

 

[White Room]

Try some xylene or thinners xylene is used on patteren imprinted concrete to take away white patches in situations where sealer has been applied to a slightly damp area or if it rained after sealing it might be moisture trust me give it a try xylene is what really is needed you can get it on the web but try some thinners brush it quite hard and use a healthy amount it melts and heats the sealer a bit give it a go

Used plenty of that when doing printed concrete....

 

[Time's Ran Out]

Reading from the original post you left it 2 months before you sealed it!

 

[adam72]

Yes I was concerned as there seems to be two camps seal straight away or leave a couple of months and then seal to allow for any efflorescence. In fact that slab has now gone back to the first picture so less milky and just patchy gain after some rain.


I now I have another LTP product sent tome to try power stripper to remove the sealant.

 

[adam72]

So far not so good the ltp products haven't worked

 

[Nick Nicolaou]

Well its looking worse after applying the grout cleaner, more of a milky film over the slab rather than the white marks and spots.

 

[Nick Nicolaou]

Just seen the 7year old string on Adam 72’s patio. What was the outcome ? we have the same on our 2 month old patio - thought it was frost

 

[benchwarmer]

You need to strip off any existing sealers,
With the right products as different products can react to each other, also,
You're going to need some steady summer weather for the sealers to work properly! No sealers will properly work when applied over winter months.
Try smartseal, they have lots of products for lots of surfaces and their helpline are properly helpful 👌

 

[StefanK]

Hello, I have had a very similar experience recently. I had light, plain grey Indian sandstone patio installed 6 moths ago. I applied a sealant called Easy Seal sandstone sealer and enhancer exactly as instructed. It was cleaned, and dry for 3 days beofre I applied (in the shade, on a dry day). It was dry after for a couple of days too. But it instantly started appearing very cloudy. I just want the sealant off now! Yes it does now cause water to beed, and I’m sure that’s good for the patio long term but I just hate looking at my patio now.
I’ve contacted the manufacturer, they replied saying it’s efflorescence and will go away in a few months, or to try a calcium remover but I do t want to try any other products for fear of making it even worse!
Any help greatly appreciated.
I will try to attach photos.

Thanks

 

[Kevbos]

Hi all, I have recently had an Indian Sandstone installed in Oxfordshire, after some thought I decided to seal it, we have parties, we have kids and I have clumsy other half.

I waited for around two months to see if there was any obvious signs of Efflorescence, I then washed the patio down left to dry for a few days, swept clean and applied LTP Mattstone as recommended on these forums and a few others.

Everything was fine until we watered a couple of plants and a couple of white spots appeared but nothing to worry about, then the rain arrived last night and today and I have quite a lot of white patches come from nowhere is it Efflorescence? or a sealant problem? any advice and recommendations would be really welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Problem is you have sealed from the surface you see !! And any efflorescence and other staining will come through the other surface at varied time intervals !! ( the underneath of the stone ) this can take months !years depending on weathering and conditions under the face of what you see !! It is hard to say for sure !! But it's what I describe ! Or too much sealant maybe ??

 

[Rob Roy]

Hello, I have had a very similar experience recently. I had light, plain grey Indian sandstone patio installed 6 moths ago. I applied a sealant called Easy Seal sandstone sealer and enhancer exactly as instructed. It was cleaned, and dry for 3 days beofre I applied (in the shade, on a dry day). It was dry after for a couple of days too. But it instantly started appearing very cloudy. I just want the sealant off now! Yes it does now cause water to beed, and I’m sure that’s good for the patio long term but I just hate looking at my patio now.
I’ve contacted the manufacturer, they replied saying it’s efflorescence and will go away in a few months, or to try a calcium remover but I do t want to try any other products for fear of making it even worse!
Any help greatly appreciated.
I will try to attach photos.

Thanks

Hi, I am in a similar situation, have you been able to solve this yet?

 

[KJJC60]

We're getting this with our Kandla Grey, approx 8sqm was laid originally and 90% already had oxidisation already on them. Checked the rest of the pallet and it wasn't good nearly all had some on them. So we put a halt to the job as not happy with the initial quality of the slabs. Four weeks later we're still in limbo and now at least 6sqm looks like these pictures.

Now thinking is it even worth buying from a more reputable dealer or go for limestone instead !?

 

[DavidK]

Problem is you have sealed from the surface you see !! And any efflorescence and other staining will come through the other surface at varied time intervals !! ( the underneath of the stone ) this can take months !years depending on weathering and conditions under the face of what you see !! It is hard to say for sure !! But it's what I describe ! Or too much sealant maybe ??

Agreed.

You need to strip off any existing sealers,
With the right products as different products can react to each other, also,
You're going to need some steady summer weather for the sealers to work properly! No sealers will properly work when applied over winter months.
Try smartseal, they have lots of products for lots of surfaces and their helpline are properly helpful 👌

This is correct, a strip and seal cold help to remedy the problem. You will need to use a good sandstone cleaning solution to strip it right back and then see if you can rectify the efflorescence.