All natural stone has variation in porosity and has a chance of staining from oils, grease, dirt and its natural surroundings. Some types of natural stone are more prone to staining and weathering than others. We highly recommend pre-sealing the following natural stone:

• Sinai Grey Limestone
• Sinai Pearl Limestone
• Natural Granite
• Pearl White Sandstone

Sealing these stones will give them the best possible protection against moss and mould growth, weathering, traffic wear, efflorescence, picture framing, salt attack and freeze-thaw attack.

Using a sealant or colour-enhancer can protect against stains and enhance the colour for Asian Blue Limestone and Natural Sandstone. Whilst not necessary to protect the stone itself, using a colour-enhancer will slow the fading process and/or enhance the appearance of Black Limestone and Andhra Grey Limestone.

Pre-sealing means that your stone arrives on site sealed and ready to install. Our service gives reliable and even coverage of each stone, to ensure the best protection, and the Dry-Treat Stain-Proof’s performance warranty (15 years for Stain-Proof and 5 years for Intensifia).

You can pre-seal your stone yourself, and we offer Stain-Proof that you can use at home. The disadvantages of doing this are that you are dependent on dry weather and the stone needs to be completely dry before installation. This can hold up progress on landscaping projects and means that the best time to install is after a warm dry spell in the spring or summer.

We have chosen to use Dry-Treat products for our pre-sealing service because their sealers are different in two important ways. Firstly, Dry-Treat sealers penetrate deeply into the stone. Secondly, they make a permanent chemical bond with particles inside the capillary pores below the surface, yet they still allow moisture to evaporate. Our service also gives you a performance warranty.

We are advising that you should allow around 2 weeks for your stone to be pre-sealed, though in many cases we may be able to do it quicker than this. Please ask your sales advisor when you order.

No. Kebur’s porcelain has a very low water absorption rate (less than 0.05%) so it doesn’t need to be sealed.

Sealing a surface with a Dry-Treat Stain Proof impregnating sealer will make the surface water and oil-based stain-resistant, but not dirt resistant. The sealed surface should be cleaned as regularly as a non-sealed surface. If a problematic substance such as sticky tree gum falls on the surface, it will still be difficult to clean off. However it shouldn’t permanently stain the surface.

Sealed stone can still scratch and darker coloured stones will show up scratch and scuff marks more than lighter ones.

Your stone will tend to look slightly darker when sealed and it will not then darken when wet. Intensifia can also bring out the natural colour variation in the stone and show details like veining more clearly.

 

We recommend a general purpose cleaner such as Oxy-Klenza for dirt and grime as needed, perhaps once or twice a year. Careful jet washing won’t affect your warranty. Make sure you leave the stone for a month after sealing before jet washing though to allow the sealant to cure properly.

If an area of porous building materials is prepared and sealed by a Dry-Treat Accredited Applicator who holds a current license, you will qualify for a written warranty. The warranty is between Dry-Treat and the property owner, and states that if the sealed surface is properly maintained but fails then it will be re-sealed free of charge. A failure is a treated surface that does not repel water and/or stains from a non-acidic non-solvent based liquid when compared to an untreated surface.

Once we deliver your pre-sealed natural stone the items will be ready to install. The sealing doesn’t change the way the paving should be laid.

If using a landscaper, let them know you have pre-sealed the stone so they don’t try and seal again after the installation.

You may want to buy a small amount of extra sealant so you or your landscaper can apply it over the top of the joints or exposed cuts after installation.