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Permalink Reply by Mark Brierley on October 4, 2010 at 17:26

Sealing will not make it non marking. it is marking due to the slate being soft.
This is a real problem and a lot of people regret installing slate and i will not put it in.

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Permalink Reply by Rose Lennard on October 8, 2010 at 11:26

Thanks Mark, that's interesting. Anyone else had bad experiences with slate or are some harder than others?


Mark Brierley said:

Sealing will not make it non marking. it is marking due to the slate being soft.
This is a real problem and a lot of people regret installing slate and i will not put it in.

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Permalink Reply by Linsey Evans on October 9, 2010 at 13:47

Hi Rose

If I want dark paving I always use black Limestone or Basalt and don't have any problems with marking. Neither Limestone, Basalt, or Slate will stay black though - they fade out to a dark grey. I love using black Limestone and Basalt as they are smoother than slate and clients like the fact that this gives a level surface for tables, etc.

Sealing is a waste of time. The shiny types of sealant for indoor use look unnatural outside and will not stop the marking - I know as I've got slate in my house which is sealed and still scratches. Also, I've seen sealants used outside that just peel off and look horrible.

Linsey Evans
Garden Design in Berkshire, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, London & The Thames Valley, ooh also India now!
www.linseysgardens.com

Rose Lennard said:

Thanks Mark, that's interesting. Anyone else had bad experiences with slate or are some harder than others?


Mark Brierley said:

Sealing will not make it non marking. it is marking due to the slate being soft.
This is a real problem and a lot of people regret installing slate and i will not put it in.

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Permalink Reply by Selina Botham on October 9, 2010 at 15:33

I have a slate hearth in my sitting room and I polish it with normal household polish which hides the marks. I wonder if this would work outside? Might be worth a try, you could experiment first.
It's often the simplest things which work best.... I found that lemon juice takes stains off limestone just hours before the judges came round my Hampton Court show garden.

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Permalink Reply by Rose Lennard on October 11, 2010 at 9:24

Thanks Linsey & Selina!
re black limestone, I once had a bit of a nightmare with a contractor who assumed the black limestone he was laying was slate, and cleaned the mortar pointing up with brick acid... needless to say acid and limestone are not the best of friends... interesting that Selina used lemon juice on limestone - maybe in small quantities and used with care you can get away with it. Worth experimenting on offcuts first!

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