Last year we visited a client in Troon, South Ayrshire, who has asked if we could refresh their Indian Sandstone patio. The stone was in good condition but the mortar between the flagstones had cracked and need replacing. As well as fixing the pointing my client also needed it cleaned but didn’t want it done with a pressure washer as there was a concern about the mess it would make. Looking for another option Tile Doctor was contacted to find out what else could be done.
Failed pointing is a common issue with patios and especially up in Scotland, especially near the coast where the weather can be quite brutal with freezing temperatures causing standard mortar to crack easily.
Happy to help, I went over to survey the patio and suggested we clean it using the same system we would use on internal stone using a rotary floor buffer together with a tile cleaning agent. We worked out a price for the cleaning and replacing the pointing with a modern durable resin-based product that could resist the freezing temperatures. I was confident the job would be completed in a day and after accepting the quote a date was set for our return, dependant on the weather.
Deep Cleaning an Indian Sandstone Patio in Troon
Work started with the removal of all the pointing, much of it was cracked and loose so it was a fairly straightforward tasks to chip it out with a chisel. Care was taken not to scratch the paving and the whole lot then swept into a pile and bagged up for disposal.
Next the stone patio was sprayed with Tile Doctor’s patio cleaner which is a very strong product that cuts through blackspot, lichen, moss, and stains. This was left to soak into the patio before being scrubbed in with a black pad fitted to a rotary machine. Once the whole patio was cleaned in this fashion it was rinsed off with a hose and left to dry. This method worked very well as it gently cleans the stone without the need of heavy pressure washers that can damage the surface.
Re-Pointing an Indian Sandstone Patio in Troon
Once the stone was clean, the process of repointing the patio using a buff-coloured resin bonded pointing compound that matched well with the patio.
Once complete the patio looked great, especially when wet. We had discussed sealing the stone to protect it from staining and make it easier to maintain but my client was happy to leave as it was. Should they had opted for sealing my recommendation would have been to apply Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal as it’s an oil-based sealer that’s rated for external use.
Completing over 2,000 renovations every year, Tile Doctor is the largest and most respected restorative Tile, Stone and Sandstone cleaning network in the UK. They have perfected numerous related services so whatever or wherever your problem, call us on 0345 512 01222 for help and advice.