Sandstone Sealer Newington - Inner West

The longevity and usefulness of Sandstone tiles can be extended if it is effectively sealed against the ingress of damaging liquids and minerals.

Sandstone floor is actually quite porous and prone to scratching, staining and fracturing. It also needs to be allowed to breath, instead of being covered by synthetic sealers or urethane. We offer the right solution to protect your Limestone by using highly penetrating impregnating sealers.

All Sandstone is highly porous - a tablespoon of water on a Sandstone surface will be absorbed in seconds, although it does vary in porosity from piece to piece. Porosity is also affected by its finish - highly polished Sandstone is a little harder to penetrate than Sandstone with a honed (matt) finish.

Due to its high porosity it is particularly important for Sandstone to be sealed with a high quality impregnating sealer which will not affect its slip resistance or look. Sandstone is used both outdoors and indoors, and our impregnating sealers will seal Sandstone equally well in either.

Looking beyond the chemistry involved in each class of sealant, all of them can be assigned as either Coatings or Impregnators.

Coatings:

These are sealants that merely sit on top of the stone, acting as a barrier between the stone itself and the real world. These coatings are, generally, removable – once applied they can be stripped using a product similar (if not identical) to paint-stripper. Some specialist sealants for other flooring materials may be not removable, but, in general, these are not suitable for use with stone paving.

Impregnators:

These sealants actually penetrate the stone itself, soaking into the microscopic interstices or capillaries which exist between the individual grains of a sedimentary stone, or adhering to the surface of mineral grains in other rock types.

Some sealants have no discernible effect on the appearance of the stone following successful treatment, which may or may not be desirable. However, some people like the enhanced colours that are evident when flagstones (or blocks, setts, cubes, etc) are wet. This effect can be replicated by first treating the paving with a "Colour Enhancer", which works to accentuate the colour and deepen the tones, before applying the seal coat itself.

What's the point of all that, you may wonder – surely, if you like the enhanced colouring then use a wet-look sealant! However, by separating the colour-enhancing function from the sealing function, you have much greater control over the finished appearance. You can apply as much or as little of the enhancing treatment as is required to achieve a desired look, and then apply the seal coat to complete the procedure, whereas relying solely on a wet-look sealant gives no fine control over the finished looks – it's wet-look, and that's it. If, after treating stone paving with a wet-look sealant, you feel that the effect is too dramatic, or not as bold as you'd hoped, then you're stuck: there's nothing further you can do and additional coats of sealant will merely server to darken the stone, and not enhance the colour, whereas a colour enhancer can be built up, a bit at a time, until the required depth of contrast and colour enhancement is just as required.

The two key properties for all sealants are their ability to repel oil and water. An ability to repel oil (oleophobic) means they will protect the paving from oils, fats and greases from cooking, from fuel or engine leaks, and to some extent, from accidental staining with some paints, tars and gums. The ability to repel water (hydrophobic) enables the paving to resist staining from water-based contaminants such as beverages, fruit juices, wines, beers and spirits, urine and faeces (from pets), and vegetable matter, such as grass clippings, leaves, etc.

A sealant that is oil repellent is nearly always water repellent, as well, but a treatment that is water-repellent is not necessarily oil-repellent. It's also worth noting that there is a significant difference between repellence and resistance. While a product that is repellent to oil and/or water based contaminants will actively protect the stone from such contaminants, an oil or water resistant product will only slow down or hinder the contaminant to a greater or lesser degree.

Finished appearance –

• Invisible - Wouldn't know there was a sealant present
• Damp-look – Colours enhanced but not shiny
• Matt/Low sheen – just a hint of shininess
• Wet-look – the full horror; shiny, varnished appearance.

Substrate –

• Fairly permeable natural stone (sandstone)
• Barely permeable natural stone (granite, porphyry, basalt, slate)
• Wet cast concrete flagstones
• Pressed concrete flagstones
• Concrete block paving
• Clay pavers
• Plain concrete
• Pattern Imprinted or other Decorative Concrete
• Tarmacadam/bitmac/asphalt
• Resin-bound or resin-bonded

Repellence –

• Oil repellent
• Water repellence
• Oil + Water repellence

1. Any surface to be sealed should be clean and looking just as you want it before it is sealed - it may be impossible to remove stains after sealing without having to strip the sealer again.
2. Sandstone must have no other coating such as wax or a topical sealer before it's sealed, so any such coating must be removed before sealing.
3. Floor must be thoroughly dry before applying any sealer.

Our Sandstone Floor Restoration service will bring back your Sandstone tiles & grout to its best possible condition, and protect them for years to come.

It is very difficult to seal Sandstone against acid attack.
Sandstone and other calcite based stone such as marble and travertine are prone to acid etching. Sandstone is immediately 'etched' (eaten / corroded) by any acidic material on contact - including lemon juice, cola, wine and champagne. For this reason the honed (matt) look is popular, as it doesn't show the matt etch marks as much as polished Sandstone. In any case, acidic substances should be cleaned up as soon as possible, and Sandstone should not be used outdoors in areas where there is acid rain.

Acidic cleaners should not be used on Sandstone as it will damage it.

Sandstone can be difficult to maintain if a proper maintenance cycle is not put in place from the point of installation. As it is usually not polished, the problem of scratching is not as big an issue as it is with marble, however if proper barrier matting is not introduced even a honed surface will lose its attractiveness. The most important factor to consider with the maintenance of Sandstone is the possibility of staining.

Sandstone's composition makes it susceptible to acid attack from spilt food and drink. Its high porosity can also mean oil will permeate the surface and leave staining if it is not properly sealed with a penetrating / impregnating sealer.

Sandstone is a very hard tile to keep clean especially if it is not sealed. It does not go good in wet conditions so the best way to take care of youre Sandstone is to get sealed.

Do’s:

• Clean spill-ups right away
• Seal Sandstone floors since it’s made from natural stone
• Place a mat at each doorway
• Use a Microfiber mop to clean floors
• Clean floors regularly

Don’ts:

• Never use bleach, ammonia or vinegar to clean Sandstone floors
• Don’t use cleaners that are acidic
• Never use an abrasive cleaner or scouring pad.

We provide specialised cleaning, stripping & sealing solutions for limstone floor surfaces.

Our equipment can handle both domestic and commercial cleaning jobs, leaving your floors spotless and hygienic.