Q: Does your sandstone need treating?

A: Definitely not. Its hardness is its own treatment. However, it is mildly porous, so if you think the bench may get written on by little Tommy and his felt tip pen, we recommend an invisible silicon treatment which will prevent oils or wine stains from penetrating.

Often clients love the changing colors and lines to be more pronounced, and hence ask us to amplify them with color-enhancing treatments. We do this upon request.

Often we will fill a pot that has inch-and-a-half thick walls with water and wait up to five to six hours for the pot to show dampness on the outside . Because it has such a slow porosity factor, it naturally dries much quicker than it can bleed through. Having a stone that can breath affords greater comfort for plants and lichen, allowing it to age gracefully in garden settings.

Unlike cantera or limestone, our stones do not calcify or oxidize. This is an exceptionally important consideration when dealing with a natural stone. Call us old fashioned, but we don’t believe in selling carved stone that erodes.

Occasionally, a very fine white crystal powder may form on some of our outdoor products when exposed to sprinklers or rain. This will disappear within a few months, or it can be washed off with a hose . It is a microscopic trace of phosphorus salt that will leave the stone very soon.