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Sierra Stone Rating
Address: Box 336, Imperial, Saskatchewan, Canada, S0G 2J0
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Used to cover old damaged concrete but every year old concrete leaches through and ruins finish. Says recoat 2-3 yrs, recoated 4 times in 5 yrs. Fail!
Installed May, 2014. Brown stone turns white every year. Indicated solution: reseal 2-3 yrs. Mine has been done every year, problem still exists. Contacted installer, he says "I can't do anymore call head office. Head office says nothing can be done "that's the nature of concrete!" Problem is the brochure says nothing of this being a problem. I have followed all directions as stated in the contract and the problem returns every spring. Two neighbours used same product because I recommended it and they also are having problems. Contacting the installer is extremely difficult. Makes you feel like he's avoiding you. Contacting the head office was also difficult. Head office says my problem is to be expected when covering concrete but I checked all of the supplied documentation and nothing mentions white concrete leaching up from underneath the covering and staining the surface white. Before calling Sierra Stone my front step was covered with ceramic tiles that were placed over the concrete. The installer said he had to remove some of them from the front of the stoop because they were loose. The half of the step that is not stained is the half that the installer did not remove the previously installed ceramic tiles from. Both my neighbours have indicated to me that they have also had installation problems and one also has staining like mine. Installer says I should pay another $200 and have mine resealed again. The brochure says durability is 5-10 yrs and maintenance is 2-3 yrs. Mine is every year since year 1. Now after 5 yrs of resealing failures head office tells me to go buy a cleaner and clean and wash my step but as soon as I wet it or it rains it turns white again. So not only are my stones chipping (something they never told the installer about either) but my dark brown stoop is half brown and half white.
Concrete people I have contacted about replacing the stoop have indicated that the concrete underneath the stone that was put over top was not properly sealed. Installer says it was, head office says it was. Concrete guy I spoke with said that if they had used a proper, durable, UV resistant sealer the leaching would not be a problem. The half of the step that is not stained is the half that the installer did not remove the previously installed ceramic tiles from. I think the only way it can be fixed now is if it is completely removed and redone after the concrete has been properly sealed.
The reason that sealers are often not used over concrete prior to the application of Sierra Stone is because sealers are designed to "seal" the concrete & prevent oil, salt & organic materials from penetrating & bonding to the concrete. This sealing process also inhibits the bonding of the epoxy used to bond Sierra Stone to the substrate. The use of sealers is not recommended before applying epoxies. For example, before epoxy & polyaspartic coatings are installed, concrete must be ground or acid-etched to remove sealers and promote adhesion. This is well known within the coatings industry and confirmation can be easily obtained in a Google search.
The issue & amount of efflorescence that rises to the surface of a coating installed over concrete is not caused by the coating (ex: Sierra Stone), the fault of the coating (since the coating is not damaged, or degrading, it is simply becoming covered in a local mineral), or easily evaluated before application. It depends highly on the salts & minerals that were used the make-up the concrete itself, as well as the availability of moisture around the concrete (because the concrete will absorb the moisture from around & below, then the moisture will rise & evaporate on the surface, carrying whatever minerals it picks-up along the way & depositing them on the surface). This is not the fault of the customer either, because in most cases the customer is unaware of the efflorescence present in or on top of the concrete until a coating has been applied. This situation is not unlike other renovations: it's not uncommon to open a wall or finish a renovation project & find something unexpected that no one was previously aware of.
This issue is also not unique to Sierra Stone: it is a factor in the vast majority of projects that have an element of concrete or masonry work. This is why the concrete industry has developed an array of sealers & cleaners for calcium & efflorescence. Efflorescence buildup occurs on concrete, pavers, and vertical masonry work. This can also be easily confirmed on the internet.
Sierra Stone Head Office is actively working to develop cleaners and top-coats that are able to remove the minerals and efflorescence stains, as well as make them easier to remove in the future, and hopefully prevent them. From our current research & development processes, we have determined that in situations of frequent mineral build-up, it is most beneficial to wash the area with our Sierra Stone Calcium & Efflorescence Cleaner (or a local equivalent) and then extract the rinse water, minerals and cleaner using a wet-dry shop vac. Unless the minerals are extracted, they will merely be driven down into the pores of the Sierra Stone & be evaporated to the surface in the future with additional minerals (causing build-up to appear worse over time). Once the surface has been washed & the minerals extracted (multiple times if necessary) an appropriate sealer (i.e. that does not react with epoxies) can be applied liberally to the Sierra Stone in order to penetrate the concrete below and attempt to slow-down or stop future buildup. This approach has been attempted with some success. However, efflorescence & other minerals are also present in rain-water (causing film on vehicles, streaky windows, etc) so although we can attempt to slow down and stop mineral buildup from below, we cannot stop the mineral buildup that occurs naturally from rain water or artificially from washing the area with local water sources.
To alleviate this issue, Sierra Stone Head Office is willing to provide Mr. with 2 options: a one-time payment of $300, or a complimentary pail of our Calcium & Efflorescence Cleaner (valued at over $200 USD), and a complimentary pail of an sealer / efflorescence blocker that we are currently testing for surface application in hopes of alleviating these issues.
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Nothing was mentioned about this condition either in person or in their brochures. The product brochure says "Cover Your UGLY Concrete". It also states "Quick, Convenient Installation: No need to rip out and replace old concrete". In fact the brochure makes a big deal about how much better Sierra Stone is than other treatments citing "20+ Years durability, 2yr maintenance, stain resistance, puddle free and repairable". Their contract only mentions that the area must be pressure washed at least once each year. Unfortunately pressure washing only seems to exacerbate the problem. According to their statements above if I use a wet/dry vacuum every time it rains I should be able to just suck up the efflorescence and minimize its affect on the finish. This however is not a feasible solution. The product is falsely advertised and apparently only works on some but not all types of concrete and that should be noted up front. Had it been stated that this could have happened I would have had the choice of either paying the cost to have this done with clear knowledge that it might not work. As it was I had no knowledge and therefore did not have a choice to make. I took them at their word that it would work. Otherwise I would still have my $864.45 to which I could have added a few hundred more and just replaced the concrete. Since this problem was brought to the installers attention the very first year I feel that the company should refund my all money not just $300 since the product has clearly failed! If they think their product cleaner/sealer solution will work then they should supply and install it. If it works then that's all it costs them. If not then the refund should stand and they should change their advertising to include this problem so others do not have to suffer the same results.
Dear sir,
We have reviewed the situation with the original installer. To date, you have been provided with a minimum of 2 free power washes and re-coats of epoxy. Each of these has a minimum value of $250 just for the time & material required to perform the work. Therefore, to date you have received at least $500 in free service, over half of your original investment.
Your step has surface staining from external sources. You have said this yourself. The staining also only appears on a portion of your project, while the rest is in acceptable condition. Surface staining does not constitute the failure of a product, it is a maintenance and cleaning requirement. When you drive your car through a puddle and half of it gets dirty, you can't take the car to the dealership and demand that they wash it as part of your warranty. The same is true in this situation.
We are in no way stating that you need to use a shop-vac on your step every time it rains. It is likely your step needs an in-depth, deep cleaning at this time and possibly a monthly spray with an Efflorescence Cleaner moving forward. As per our written documentation, Sierra Stone must be power washed at least once a year as part of the maintenance requirement. In your case, since you have additional external factors that were unforeseeable, you will probably need to apply Efflorescence Cleaner and extract the water from the step as part of the annual maintenance., but certainly not every time it rains.
Unfortunately, if, you were to replace your concrete step with a new one, you would still end up with the same mineral deposits occurring on your concrete because the minerals in question are coming from the concrete itself, not from the Sierra Stone. In order to restrict the formation of efflorescence on you step, you would also be required to seal the step with a concrete sealer annually, which usually costs about $250 as well. This puts you in the identical position, whether you have Sierra Stone or a new step. However, we have also been advised that your step is of a large enough size that to rip out and replace it would cost significantly more than $1,000; especially when the disposal fees for the existing concrete are factored into the replacement.
Our original offer to you still remains intact. If you accept our offer, then you will have received a $300 rebate and $500 of free maintenance for a total $800: the vast majority of your original investment. Apart from a surface stain on a portion of your step, the Sierra Stone remains intact and you have enjoyed the benefits of it for the last 5 years. To receive a refund of over 90% of your original costs due to a surface stain that applies only to a portion of your project, and after 5 years, of use is more than fair, sir.
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I will accept Sierra Stone's offer of the $300 rebate to end this debate. I do not accept their statement that likens this situation to buying a new car and driving it through a puddle then returning it. This explanation is ludicrous! I am disappointed that they will not be required to change their advertising to properly reflect the limitations of the product they are selling. The bi-annual maintenance as stated ($250 ) is pretty high at nearly 1/3 of the original cost of installation. So I will take my $300 and put it toward a new step which even if it costs me $2000 will prove to be a better deal than maintaining the current one for the next ten years.