How to Seal a Stone Patio (What You Need To Do)

While DIY projects aren’t always the easiest projects to get into, they’re often more than worth it, especially if you’ve taken the time and spent the money to put together an aesthetically pleasing stone patio. If you want your hard work to last and stand the test of time, it’s a great idea to seal it.

You can seal your stone patio in a few, simple steps. All you will need is a few coats of stone sealer and the time that it takes to thoroughly clean and dry the patio to prep it for the seal. Once it’s given some time to dry, you’ll have an effective layer of protection that will last.

The hardest part about sealing a stone patio is not the act of sealing the patio. It’s the prep work that you have to go through before sealing it. Not only is prep work the more difficult part, but it’s also the most important and necessary—just as important as the preventative maintenance that follows.

Step 1: Prepping Your Stone Patio

Anyone who works in any kind of trade will be the first to tell you—preparation is the key to everything. If you don’t properly and thoroughly prepare your area, for whatever you have in mind, you have undermined your entire effort before you even begin.

Cleaning your patio is imperative and you will not get a long-lasting and effective seal if you disregard cleaning and prepping your patio for the seal. The other part of the preparation step is choosing your sealant.

Another minor point worth mentioning is that if you have any grout stains or pointing from when the stones were sealed together, you should get that taken care of and sanded out to the best of your ability before you start.

Use a push broom or sturdy, industrial-type broom to sweep away any loose debris
Remove any loose vegetation
Pull any weeds from any cracks and replace the grout
Trim back weeds on the edges of the patio
Use a pressure washer or a strong jet of water to clean the patio
Allow it to dry
Sweep it again for good measure

It’s important that while you are going about, cleaning and prepping the surface area of your patio, you keep all of the foot traffic (save for your own, of course) off of the patio, including pets, kids, or other family members and friends.

Someone walking across your patio after you have prepped it will undo a lot of the effort that you have put in. It may sound a little looney to sweep, wash, and sweep again, but it’s important to get every last grain of sand off of the patio, even if it seems ridiculous and repetitive.

According to most professionals, when you are done sweeping and washing the patio surface off, the last thing that you need to do is apply a high-quality patio cleaner. Spray ; Forget is a good option but there are many out there that will do just fine as well.

While we mentioned locating and repairing cracks and pointers, it’s important to know that most of your patio sealers have the additional function of helping to reseal some damaged grout areas, such as small cracks.

Step 2: Pre-Checks and Testing

Your pre-checks are based on weather, humidity, storms, etc. You want to make sure that you have at least 24 hours for your sealant to set in. You also need to allow for three full days of the dry patio before you lay down your sealant.

Of course, this is not always possible, especially during the summer when it seems like a thunderstorm rolls in every afternoon. Do your best to allow as much time as possible between the preparation completion and sealant application.

Last but not least, find an out-of-the-way area on your patio to apply a test. Simply use a paintbrush to apply your patio sealant to a test spot. If it looks okay after a few hours, then you’re good to go. The purpose of the test is to basically see if your chosen patio sealant is going to work well with your type of stone patio.

Step 3: Stone Patio Sealant Application

There are a few application methods that you can use to transfer your sealant from the bucket to the patio—paintbrushes, sponges, or paint pads. A low-pressure sprayer will do better than those three options but not everyone will have access to those.

For the best look possible, use a low-pressure sprayer and with all other options, stick with hand painting techniques. Fortunately, you can rent a low-pressure sprayer from the vast majority of your local hardware retailers.

You can also rent them from major hardware retailers including Home Depot, Lowes, and Ace Hardware. Regardless of which way you decide to apply your sealant, you will need to apply two coats.

The first coat serves as a sort of primer but it’s the coat that is going to soak in and set in the most. Apply your coat evenly, with a slight overlap as you work a pattern from one end of the patio to the other.

When you are all done with your first coat, wait a full fifteen minutes before you jump in and start your second coat. Within fifteen minutes, your first coat should be plenty dry and you can walk on it without a problem.

Just be careful when you step off or away from your patio after applying the first coat. You want to make sure that you don’t step in anything that you will accidentally track back over your deck before placing the second and final coat.

All Things Considered

There you have it. Sealing a stone patio is relatively easy, with the hardest portion of the work being the preparatory process, along with judging the best time to place the patio sealant.

The easiest part is applying the coat itself, which will probably take no longer than an hour for both coats. After the second coat is applied, you will have a long-term sealant to help your deck remain clean and protected for a long time.

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How to Seal a Stone Patio (What You Need To Do)