Used this on a Black Limestone, all i can say is steer clear if you are using this on Black limestone, it looks easy on the video, but i assure you its not. The mix is quite foamy at first and goes into gaps ok at this stage, but the foam dissappears and you end up pushing a sticky clump about trying to get it into the holes, there were three of us doing this but as the product is a resin and sticky cold water does not really get it off or mix in with the product, and you also end up with a sticky sandy mess on the flags, took us days to clean them off good. Because of the cost I had asked my builder to do small gaps so I could use this product, i worked out i needed around 4 tubs and in the end used 11 and still one short, the bit of the patio which didn't have the gtfk in I used joint it and was far easier to use and cleaned off really easy, If i could do it all over again I would use Joint it and run with bigger gaps, Joint it is £36.50 for 20Kg of product, whereas Gtfk was £58 per 10kg tub. They have just been sealed and the flags with joint it look far smoother as they cleaned off easy, we scrubbed washed hosed non stop with the gtfk and have some sandy looking flags but gave up trying to mint them so to speak. Very dissapointed with the product considering it cost me over £600 to simply grout a patio, probably would have been nearly half that doing bigger gaps and using joint it and for sure it would have looked better. it may work better with different flags but if you intend to use black limestone stay well clear, you will regret it!!!!
If you were, as you claim, "pushing a sticky clump about", that indicates you are not using anywhere near enough water. At ALL times, when jointing with VDW815, the mortar should be completely fluid, flowing easily and cleanly over the surface, because more water is being constantly applied to keep it moving. It seems you failed to read the instructions and didn't take in the guidance provided by the installation video. I have witnessed hundreds of problem-free applications using 815, and its sister products, and the only time (once!) I witnessed the problems you report was when the installer assumed pre-wetting the flags would be all that was required....again, he hadn't read the instruction or paid attention to the video. Luckily, I was there to point out the error of his ways and all was rapidly, and simply, put right, by getting him to constantly play the hosepipe over the mortar as he moved it across the empty joints.
Sorry tony the product is not as good as you claim, we did ours when the sun had died down and we left the garden sprinkler on half hour before doing the mortar, i bought a paddle mixer for the job, the mix was made, flags rewetted, mortar spread out and soaked again with one person at hand extra to keep spraying!! water was sprayed more than adequately on the mix, but the mix acts lets say like coca cola when first poured it fizzes and foams then dies down, your mix acts like that, its very foamy for about 3 mins then the foam dissapates and you are then pushing a thicker material around which doesn't fall into the smaller gaps, and because its a resin water does not thin it even though i had one person on the hose alone constantly wetting it, and like i say because its sticky water will not rinse it away fully you are left with a very fine coating on the black flags. Im just super dissappointed at the effort needed to use this product on the black limestone, you may get away with leaving a fine sand on others but not on black, if you look at the joint it section we did, far cleaner and smoother thats because it brushes off better but it is a bigger grain. it may well work for other flags, im just saying that for Black try something else, but youre bound to defend it as you took over £600 off us for it, but on a positive note im liking the Kseal so far.
I didn't take a single penny from you. I don't sell this product nor any other. I help promote products in which I believe but I receive no commission. I choose to impoverish myself by defiantly NOT selling anything at all, other than my knowledge and expertise, otherwise I couldn't be honestly critical and truly impartial.
Nice one TONY
Used this on a Black Limestone, all i can say is steer clear if you are using this on Black limestone, it looks easy on the video, but i assure you its not. The mix is quite foamy at first and goes into gaps ok at this stage, but the foam dissappears and you end up pushing a sticky clump about trying to get it into the holes, there were three of us doing this but as the product is a resin and sticky cold water does not really get it off or mix in with the product, and you also end up with a sticky sandy mess on the flags, took us days to clean them off good. Because of the cost I had asked my builder to do small gaps so I could use this product, i worked out i needed around 4 tubs and in the end used 11 and still one short, the bit of the patio which didn't have the gtfk in I used joint it and was far easier to use and cleaned off really easy, If i could do it all over again I would use Joint it and run with bigger gaps, Joint it is £36.50 for 20Kg of product, whereas Gtfk was £58 per 10kg tub.
They have just been sealed and the flags with joint it look far smoother as they cleaned off easy, we scrubbed washed hosed non stop with the gtfk and have some sandy looking flags but gave up trying to mint them so to speak.
Very dissapointed with the product considering it cost me over £600 to simply grout a patio, probably would have been nearly half that doing bigger gaps and using joint it and for sure it would have looked better.
it may work better with different flags but if you intend to use black limestone stay well clear, you will regret it!!!!
If you were, as you claim, "pushing a sticky clump about", that indicates you are not using anywhere near enough water. At ALL times, when jointing with VDW815, the mortar should be completely fluid, flowing easily and cleanly over the surface, because more water is being constantly applied to keep it moving. It seems you failed to read the instructions and didn't take in the guidance provided by the installation video. I have witnessed hundreds of problem-free applications using 815, and its sister products, and the only time (once!) I witnessed the problems you report was when the installer assumed pre-wetting the flags would be all that was required....again, he hadn't read the instruction or paid attention to the video. Luckily, I was there to point out the error of his ways and all was rapidly, and simply, put right, by getting him to constantly play the hosepipe over the mortar as he moved it across the empty joints.
Sorry tony the product is not as good as you claim, we did ours when the sun had died down and we left the garden sprinkler on half hour before doing the mortar, i bought a paddle mixer for the job, the mix was made, flags rewetted, mortar spread out and soaked again with one person at hand extra to keep spraying!! water was sprayed more than adequately on the mix, but the mix acts lets say like coca cola when first poured it fizzes and foams then dies down, your mix acts like that, its very foamy for about 3 mins then the foam dissapates and you are then pushing a thicker material around which doesn't fall into the smaller gaps, and because its a resin water does not thin it even though i had one person on the hose alone constantly wetting it, and like i say because its sticky water will not rinse it away fully you are left with a very fine coating on the black flags. Im just super dissappointed at the effort needed to use this product on the black limestone, you may get away with leaving a fine sand on others but not on black, if you look at the joint it section we did, far cleaner and smoother thats because it brushes off better but it is a bigger grain.
it may well work for other flags, im just saying that for Black try something else, but youre bound to defend it as you took over £600 off us for it, but on a positive note im liking the Kseal so far.
I didn't take a single penny from you. I don't sell this product nor any other. I help promote products in which I believe but I receive no commission. I choose to impoverish myself by defiantly NOT selling anything at all, other than my knowledge and expertise, otherwise I couldn't be honestly critical and truly impartial.