Flagstone coping around swimming pool

by Sam
(Houston)

When we built our pool 2 years ago we decided to use flagstone for the coping that goes approx 2 inches into the water. We have a salt water pool system.
As expected and explained by our pool contractor the flagstone would flake for a period of time. The contractor came out and spray sealed the stone after about eight months of installation which didn't seem to do anything.
Two years later the flagstone is flaking worse than in the beginning to the point of deteriating below the grout lines.
Some of the stone can be rubbed off by hand into a redish sand. Needless to say I am concerend and would appreciate your advice.

Thanks,
Sam
Houston Texas

Comments for
Flagstone coping around swimming pool

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Falgstone Coping problem cured.. NEW
by: Gene Tipton

Have to say thank you to Bruce Miller
with Texas Stone Sealers, your guys went out of the way to help me. Great Job THANK YOU. Falgstone pool coping looks perfect...
Gene

Flagstone problem NEW
by: Bruce M

Hello Gene, sanding is a very common problem with flagstone installed as coping on salt water pools. The problem can be corrected, You'll need to clean and seal the flagstone. I would suggest using DuPont's Salt Water Resistant sealer. First thing, this is a project you can complete yourself. Not sure what city you live in, I am located in Houston my toll free number is 888-275-5354 call and I'll walk you through the process. Also you may find our website to be helpful www.texasstonesealers.com
Bruce 888-275-5354

Flagstone problem NEW
by: Gene

Any suggestions on how to stop flagstone from turning into sand, its breaking down very slowly.
I'll check back in a couple days.

Flagstone Sealer NEW
by: Tile Savers of Houston

Problem with flagstone in New Orleans, if you will contact me and I'll walk you through the process and find you a DuPont dealer in New Orleans that carries the DuPonts Saltwater Sealer. We have installed this product on many pools and it will correct your problem if installed correctly.

Tile Savers of Texas
Bruce M
888-275-5354
www.tilesaversofhouston.com

Flagstone Disaster NEW
by: Anonymous

I have a three month old saltwater pool with flagstone coping. Whenever I walk or sit on the flagstone I am covered in a gray film.
I contacted the pool company in New Orleans and needless to say they deny what is obviously happening with the coping. They indicated that I should pressure wash the flagstone and that the problem of the flagstone flaking will eventually stop. I can not even get this company to seal the stone. Any ideas

DuPont Saltwater Sealer Installer NEW
by: Tile Savers of Texas

Great questions, we use DuPont Saltwater Sealer on all flagstone around saltwater pools, it works great. It is expensive, around $150-$175 per gallon for the DIY, to date we have installed it on over 1000 pools with very good results. The product is not difficult to install, cleanup is easy, it's the prep work that takes some time. The sealer will prevent most of the problems addressed in this blog. Remember it will need to be re-applied every 4-6 years depending on use and condition of the flagstone when first applied.
Tile Savers of Texas has offices in all of the major cities in Texas and will be glad to answer any questions you may have or quote your sealing project, our toll free number is 888-275-5354.

Tile Savers of Texas
Bruce
888-275-5354

Salt Water Pool NEW
by: Anonymous

I have had my saltwater pool for six years and have the Oklahoma Flagstone.

Not long after the pool was completed I sealed the flagstone using a product called "Dry-Treat 40SK". 5 years plus later, flagstone still looks great. I have a couple of pieces that show a little wear and flaking (40' pool - lots of coping). I would powerwash, let dry for a day or two, apply product according to direction and hopefully you will get great results as I have had. Pool equipment and chlorine cell have not had any issues to date. I don't like the tatse of the water, my eyes and skin love it compared to using chlorine as a disinfectant. The cost on the product is about 150 per gallon, yes expensive but it works compared to other inferior brands.
To sum it up...I am not against flagstone and saltwater so long as you seal it with a top notch sealer. Good Luck - Greg C. Houston, Texas

Flagstone Sealer NEW
by: Benny

We have had excellent results from the DuPont Saltwater Sealer on our flagstone coping and moss rock waterfall. We hired Tile Savers of Houston, they cleaned and sealed both the flagstone/moss rock and pool tile. They removed the calcium buildup. Pool looks great. Our main problem was the stone appeared to be breaking down and we kept having to clean out the sand from the stone, hope I said that right.

Benny

Sealing Flagstone on Saltwater Pools NEW
by: Joann Mustin

We had the flagstone coping and waterfall on our saltwater pool cleaned and sealed by Tile Savers of Houston, they did a great job, I saw the sealer they used it was dupont saltwater resistance sealer. Its been a few years now and we are still very happy. The company telephone was 7135741522.

Joann

Seal...then enhance? NEW
by: Brenda

We have Oklahoma stone around our 3-year-old salt pool. It's holding up OK, but I need to seal it. But I also want to use an enhancer because I like the look of the stone better when it's wet. Can I do both? In what order? Recommended product?

Thank you!!

Never found a lasting solution NEW
by: M from Texas

We were new to pool ownership when we installed salt with our beautiful flagstone coping. It's been 3 years now and we are simply going to install the tried and true chlorine feeder. The spalling issue is real and it a never ending battle. I've tried 3 different (expensive) products that all but guarantee to stop this. Looked great for a few weeks then starts to show signs of being eaten away. Surface prep done with a grinder with a wire wheel is very hard work. This will be my 3rd time to resurface the stone The advice you are seeing here and on other sites is right. If you want a salt system make sure you install a manmade material for your coping such as tile or brick. Salt systems are fine but they're not any cheaper and less trouble than the plain old chlorine pool. It just a preference thing. Salt water is softer and doesn't have the smell of chlorine. As it was explained to me, the key is to keep your water checked and in shape. Otherwise there's no more work with one or the other.

Flagstone + Saltwater = No Bueno NEW
by: Anonymous

The flagstone coping around our pool has been steadily deteriorating for the past 4 years. We contacted our pool builder, South Beach Pools, and they completely ignored us. We've tried sealing several times and that just results in bigger chunks coming off the flagstone. I finally had a pool guy come out and he said that they should have never installed flagstone around the pool because it's too porous. When the water from the saltwater pool system splash up on the flagstone, the minerals get into the pores of the stone, which expands when it's dry (thus causing the flagstone to deteriorate).
Thanks South Beach!

Dupont Saltwater Professional NEW
by: Premier Sealer Of Texas

The coping needs to be pressure washed and cleaned. Let dry for maybe a day, temp should be above 80 but below 100. The product need to be brushed on doing one stone at a time, keep applying until you notice its not soaking in anymore, don't let it puddle.

All flaking or loose pieces need to be removed before you apply the sealer. As long as its cleaned and applied correctly we have good results. Alot of the success will depend also on the current condition of the stone.

Hope this helps.

Premier Sealer Of Texas
Chris C

Flagstone errosion NEW
by: Tommy G in LC

I saw a comment on this blog referencing the DuPont sealer. My friend used the sealer and has experienced much success. I too used it with much less success. I was experiencing the "sanding" on the bottom of the pool so I washed and scrubbed the coping. I then let it dry thoroughly during the summer and I sealed it according to the directions. The errosion returned much worse than it was previously. It almost appears it was erroding under the sealer and now is breaking off into small sheet like pieces. The pool is beautiful, the equipment is great; however, I will never install a salt water pool again with flagstone..... I wish someone could offer a viable solution but I don't think one exists.

We can seal the flagstone
by: Premier Sealer of Houston

I get so many request from customers, one ask me to post on your website. We clean and seal flagstone in and around saltwater pools and have very good success. It needs to be done soon after the pool has been installed.

Premier Sealer of Houston
713-780-3333

Sorry to have spent the extra for a saltwater system
by: Anonymous

Our pool is 4 years old. We too have a salt water system with flagstone coping and paramiter edging. I am furious that our builder did not even bring up the issue that saltwater systems will cause greater deterioration of flagstone.He did not even mention that we would need to seal it. We are also on our second salt cell and at $800 a pop, this is another expense of the saltwater system. We are told they go out about every 3 years. I would NOT advise a saltwater system- it is a bunch of hype by pool builders to get you to spend more!!

Flagstone coping
by: Anonymous

Do not use flagstone coping on your salt water pool. I made this mistake and it has caused me nothing but misery. The flagstone has flaked into my pool from the beginning. It has been resealed three times with no success. It simply is not appropriate material for a salt pool. I would suggest a different material or a traditional pool system.

Make it right
by: Marval

Sam,
We put a pool in about four years ago and had the salt system. We had the unforunate problem of the flagstone wearing away continually getting worse and worse. Every summer we called the pool builder and each time someone from the company came to take a look. We tried sealing the flagstone to no avail and the flagston was staining the floor of the pool. Finally, this year I wrote a letter explaining to the owner that something needed to be done because we had been told by others that the salt system eats away flagstone. We were also not told this was the first time the pool builder had ever tried to use this flagstone. After sending the letter and not getting any response my husband and I just showed up at his office and told him it was time to do some thing and if need be I would go to the news people because they have someone who reports on problems. We were very cordial to him and told him we did not want to ruin his business but the right thing for them to do was to replace it. He responded and offered to replace all our flagstone, which was alot, and did a rock salt finish. We came to a final agreement and they have replaced it. We shared half the expense. They also acid washed the inside of the pool and now it is prettier than ever. I would be persistant with the builder and try to get them to repair the damage. Me

oklahoma pool coping
by: Anonymous

I have had my pool for less than a year and do not have a salt system. My oklahoma flagstone coping is flaking so bad Iam wondering if there is going to be any left in a few more years.

flagstone & salt water pools
by: Anonymous

The primo swimming pool company in my area put in my lovely salt water pool the end of the summer of 2006. After multiple problems -- equipment failures and the total inability of the pool to maintain a chlorine level -- the company finally admitted in 2009 that sealing the flagstone wasn't sufficient to prevent the degradation of the stone and the attendant equipment failures. After much back and forth, they converted the failed system. This pool company no longer installs saltwater pools.
Don't use a saltwater pool if you have flagstone!

Flagstone Coping with Saltwater Pool
by: KatyPoolDisaster

I have a flagstone coping around my saltwater pool and had the coping replaced about a 18 months ago due to excessive deterioration of the stone. I was informed that the problems were only due to poor quality stone on the first go around and putting back in would be fine.

I am now 18 months down the road and am in the same condition with lots of sanding and flaking of the stone. I am now told that I should not be using a salt water pool system and one company says that I can wash the stone off and seal it and that will stop the issue another insists that the salt has leached into the stone and will continue to deteriorate, and the stone should be replaced.

Has anyone else faced this issue?

Stone Sealer
by: Anonymous

Any natural stone or masonry surrounding a saltwater pools should be sealed for protection to prevent pitting and flaking of the surface called "Spalling", This is caused by saltwater splash-outs penetrating into porous stone or concrete. The product you need is manufactured by DuPont specifically for stone and masonry surrounding saltwater pools. It can be purchased online at the link below http://www.levantinausaec.com/d14226675.html

Saltwater Pools & Natural Stone
by: Anonymous

As Sam has found out, salt water pool systems don't play nice with natural stone. If you MUST have a salt water pool, your builder SHOULD recommend you use ONLY man-made coping (brick, cement, etc.) and ceramic waterline tiles. Further, pebble plaster is almost a must because of the staining that will occur immediately with traditional white marble plaster in a salt pool.

Sorry you're having the problem, but your builder should have either explained this to you or steered you away from a salt water pool. Be prepared to replace your equipment sooner as well. The salt eats the pump parts up rather quickly as well.

Unfortunately, the pool equipment manufacturers don't TEST their products for years before putting them to market. The consumer is the one that gets to find out what happens 5 - 10 years down the road.

The pool chemicals
by: David

Dear Sam,

My dad has done a few swimming pool copings, but he usually advises people against it for two reasons.

One reason is that the pool chemicals tend to beat up the stone fairly fast and two, flagstone tends to get very hot making it uncomfortable for people when they get out of the pool.

It sounds like the pool chemicals are attacking your stone. He's got some good sealers that have worked, but your stone might be too far gone.

Your should give Prosoco a call at 1-800-255-4255. That's the chemical company my dad has used for years and maybe they will have a solution for you.

Great luck!

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