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The following article provides information on the different kinds of sealers you could use to seal Kandla Grey sandstones & other plain grey sandstones.
If you wish to view the product pages of any of the sealers mentioned in this article, please click the product title highlighted in blue.
Kandla Grey sandstones & mid grey sandstones are usually totally plain or have minor colour variations. Colour variation might be visible as subtle veining contained within the slab or variation in colour from one slab to another. Plain grey sandstones cannot be colour enhanced in the same way more colourful sandstones can be.
Kandla Grey sandstones or plain grey sandstones have a different mineral content than more colourful sandstones. They are more likely to suffer from rusting due to the iron content within the stone. They cannot be colour enhanced particularly well as there is little natural colour to enhance.
For these reasons, we recommend sealing Kandla Grey sandstone with an invisible, breathable impregnating sealer like Floorseal Natural Stone Sealer Breathe. This is preferable to sealing with colour enhancing sealers or shiny top-coat sealers.
Colour enhancers work well with the more colourful sandstones such as mint fossil, raj, rainbow, or some York sandstones. Shiny ‘wet look’ sealers do not work well with plain sandstones as they also do not bring out the colour in a plain sandstone.
Generally speaking, natural stone sealers protect against frost damage & organic contamination. They also resist water & oil-based staining. In addition to this certain sealers will also create a sheen or alter colour to a degree.
Ultimately personal preference will dictate which sealer is selected. But we believe sub-surface impregnating sealers are preferable when sealing Kandla Grey Indian sandstone or plain grey sandstones. The reasons why are discussed below in more depth.
Sandstone is often a colourful stone with obvious earthy tones and natural veining. It can be sealed with various sorts of sealers including forms of colour enhancers.
Colour enhancers work well with any sandstone where you can see obvious colour or shading. It is important to note that the colour must be reasonably obvious when the stone is totally dry (most stone tends to have more dramatic colours when wettened).
For this reason, colour enhancers work well with, rainbow sandstone, raj sandstone, mint fossil sandstone or any sandstone with colours. York sandstones can also be colour enhanced as they can often contain yellow & red shading or veining.
A colour enhancer is a form of breathable impregnating sealer which contains a secondary element which slightly deepens colour or hue.
Floorseal Indian Sandstone Sealer & Colour Intensifier works well with any external, even slightly, colourful sandstone. It could be applied to Kandla grey or plain grey sandstones but the issue with Kandla Grey or plain grey sawn sandstones is that they do not really contain much colour (if any).
So, when sealing Kandla Grey sandstone it is important to note you cannot force colour or shading from natural stone that does not contain it when dry. For this reason, a colour enhancer is not our first choice to seal plain sandstones and you could be underwhelmed by the finished look where you don’t see a colour transformation.
The mineral content of Kandla Grey sandstone or plain sandstones can also affect how well a colour enhancer penetrates the stone.
No type or brand of sealer can fully replicate the effect of saturating natural stone with water. If you are forced to saturate the stone with water to bring colour out, a sealer will not reproduce this 100%.
As discussed, if the stone has some shading and colour which is visible when it is dry, you can enhance this as it is naturally apparent.
If you do try to colour enhance a plain grey stone, it may darken slightly but it will remain grey. You may be able to make the shades of grey vary but you will not enhance or produce earthy red, yellow or beige colours.
Even ‘wet look’ sealers do not bring colour out in plain grey sandstones as their main purpose is to create a sheen, not produce depth of colour.
Firstly, all sandstones, particularly exterior sandstones benefit from sealing with a breathable impregnating sealer. We recommend sealing Kandla Grey Sandstone, or any plain grey sandstone, with Floorseal Natural Stone Sealer Breathe.
This sealer is an invisible breathable impregnating sealer. Its purpose is to protect the stone from the effects of weather, organic contamination, oil & water-based staining. This sealer does not alter the colour of the stone or create a surface sheen or lacquer.
Natural Stone Sealer Breathe does not form a surface skin, film or lacquer – so it is not visible on the surface. It meshes into the pores of the stone, so seals from within.
Natural Stone Sealer Breathe is the most natural way of sealing a Kandla grey or plain sandstone. It is also probably one of the easiest types of sealer to apply. To make the job as quick and easy as possible, we recommend using a pump sprayer. You cannot trap moisture under the sealer, therefore it is possible to seal the stone within days of the slabs being laid which is often desirable.
Impregnators are by far the easiest way of sealing stone, free from the worry of trapped moisture, patchy colour issues or general moisture clouding problems. Natural Stone Sealer Breathe can be used on a variety of natural stones, basically, any porous stone that you wish to seal in a simple natural way.
It is certainly the most appropriate way of sealing Kandla grey & plain grey sandstones. Due to the fact they cannot be colour enhanced (particularly well) but do benefit from sealing with a breathable product.
Of course, there is no reason why Natural Stone Sealer Breathe cannot be used on a colourful sandstone if you do not wish to colour enhance it.
Many of our customers do not wish to create sheen, shine, or alter the colour. They simply wish to seal their surface and do not want to alter the appearance of the stone. For this reason, Natural Stone Sealer Breathe will always be popular as it can be applied to most porous natural stones, clay-based materials or porous tiles with minimal change of appearance.
Natural Stone Sealer Breathe is the best product for sealing Kandla Grey or plain grey sandstones. The sealer is breathable, will not trap moisture and does not alter the appearance of the stone.
It is also appropriate for any sandstone where you do not wish to alter its appearance. This impregnating sealer is the easiest & most natural way of sealing any natural stone.
Natural Stone Sealer Breathe resists water & oil based staining, inhibits organic growth and protects the stone from frost damage.
Kandla Grey sandstone cannot be colour enhanced using colour enhancing sealers. Wet look sealers (which create a sheen) are also not appropriate for the reasons discussed above.
We therefore recommend sealing Kandla Grey or mid-grey sandstones with Natural Stone Sealer Breathe. This product is available in a 1 litre, 5 litre and an economy 20 litre container.
Please Click Here to view our products & accessories for cleaning and sealing sandstone. This includes all of our handy ‘how to’ guides for cleaning and sealing interior and exterior sandstone.
The information contained within this article is not exhaustive. If you need further information please contact Floorseal on (01484) 861461 or email us Info@floorseal.co.uk our web address is www.floorseal.co.uk.
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