gtn FEBRUARY 2019
Advice & information for garden centre professionals
YORK STONE BEFORE
gardentradenews.co.uk
Between a rock and a hard place Nothing is more impressive and, well natural, than natural stone laid to form a garden terrace or patio. Next to a new kitchen, it is also a significant item of expenditure. So how should you best maintain it to preserve its value? During the Victorian era, external pathways were laid, not for decoration, not for access, but to reflect light back into rooms that were very often candlelit before the advent of the electric light. These would invariably be of local stone – limestone in the South and Sandstone in the North – due to the lack of transport in those days. Nowadays, whether it be Yorkstone, Limestone, or Indian Sandstone, your terrace or patio will be a focal point, a thing of beauty, the natural colours complimenting both your property and your garden. It will become the external meeting point for family parties and alfresco dining with friends. If laid on a firm foundation and maintained correctly, your patio or terrace will last for years. Thousands of years ago, the pyramids were built from Limestone and granite and can still be seen today. Their degradation is due to both the swirling sand from the desert, and 20th and 21st Century lifestyle and pollution. Choosing the wrong method of cleaning your garden stonework can be very costly and cause permanent damage. YOU DON’T NEED THAT PRESSURE ON! Fact: Pressure washing on a regular basis WILL damage the surface of the stone. It will open the pores of the stone, making it more porous, allowing water to penetrate. Freezing temperatures will cause the water to expand and ‘blow’ the surface of the stone, causing permanent damage.
YORK STONE AFTER
SOLID AS A ROCK! Whilst virtually indestructible, the stone will weather gradually, but, if properly maintained, will generally last a lifetime. You will, however, experience organic growth, in the form of green algae and black lichen. The green algae will appear in the first 12 months, deposited by the rain, its growth accelerated by sunlight The black lichen, tiny black spots that look like ink, appear at the beginning of the third year, and become an infestation by year five! 4They are more serious than green algae, and almost impossible to remove. 4They are often hidden by, and grow beneath, the green algae. 4These become tiny,’ sponges’, with micro fibrous roots, which grow both across the surface of the stone, and penetrate the surface, anchoring themselves. No amount of pressure washing will remove these, but ‘PATIO BLACK SPOT REMOVER’ from the Patio Black Spot Removal Company Limited, applied to stone of any age, will remove green algae instantly, and the so called ‘Patio Black Spots’ within a couple of hours!
TO SEAL OR NOT TO SEAL, that is the question? Stone is a natural product and needs to ‘breath’; sealers are solvent or water - based acrylics, applied with a roller or a brush. Generally, they are supplied and applied to new stone by the installing contractor. They are not cheap and have to be re applied annually. Fact: By definition, all sealers leave a layer on the surface of the stone, which locks any moisture into the stone. It will not stop organic growth, and Green algae will still grow on the surface, deposited by the rain, turning the surface into a potential death trap. However, ‘Patio Black Spot PREVENTER’ , from the Patio Black Spot Removal Company Ltd, applied when the stone is first laid, and annually thereafter, will ‘prevent’ the growth of the black lichen. Simply spray on with a pneumatic garden sprayer, and leave on the surface. It works by killing the spores before they germinate. The product will also kill green algae, but is applied as soon as the growth appears and thereafter as required. No pressure washing is required.
PREPARE TO BE AMAZED Lovingly Restores, Permanently Prevents
BEFORE
AFTER
Call 01252 702123 or visit www.patioblackspotremoval.com