We have a four year old pool with salt. Flagstone coping that is sydney peak. Waterfall is different stone, can't remember. No problems. We never sealed anything. Have been very happy.

We have exactly the same concern as we really want a salt water pool but have heard and read different opinions on the effects salt water will have on a nice stone deck (e.g. travertine). Any other experiences out there? (preferably a few years old) Are other stones recommended?

We have a 4 years old salt water pool with quartzite coping, flagstone lower deck and travertine upper deck. No sealing of any kind has ever been done. There have been absolutely no problems with any of the stone.

The sodium and chloride ions that are formed are larger than a salt molecule.

The chlorine will gas off if there is evaporation. Might leave a little sodium, but I doubt it.

Scott

I should add that weathering, be it from freeze/thaw, temperature changes, etc... on stone has a far greater effect than absorption/evaporation deposits.

The use of soft stones by a consumer as coping is usually discouraged because it won't last. As an extreme example, while very porous, talc, the softest measure on the hardness scape, isn't soluble in water but will erode rather quickly due to being bumped and scraped.

I sincerely doubt, unless some chemical reaction with what impurities are in the water happen, that any deposits like sodium, reformed salt, etc..., would create a meaningful stress on the coping, contributing to it's break down.

Poured in place concrete is slightly porous and so are most brick pavers, yet they will last and last. Some other materials, such as certain sedimentary and igneous rocks, fracture easily in the cold due to ice expansion. Typically, the harder and denser stones last longer. Tile is similar.

I have never knowingly seen damaged coping or stone work attributable to any deposits left from evaporation in salted pools. It's effect isn't that significant.

I have seen corrosion of metals, such as stainless, as a result of stray currents. I have used zincs to reduce, close to elimination, these reactions.

I have seen stone with a significant iron content cause rust stains and iron presence in water where the fill had none. I don't think salt has a lot to do with that. Iron is a metal, as is sodium and as such, is soluble in water.

What might be more useful is a chart of known durables.

Scott

I've built at least 1000 pools with salt water chlorine generation.
Here's been my experiences;
Kiln fire swimming pool coping bricks do fine and so do their pavers that match.
Harder/denser stones such as Oklahome Wister, Tennessee Crab orchard, Pennsylvania Lilac, Quartzite, etc... do OK.
Softer rocks like Arizona Rosa, Buff, Peach, Sedona Red etc... don't do well at all, this also goes for Mexican Travertine coping bricks such as Noche, Durango, etc....
Turkish Travertine does better than Mexican Travertine.
I suggest sealing soft rocks and travertine.
Slate coping bricks fall right in the middle, they're a coin toss.
Don't use any unsealed flagstone for waterline tile, they'll show poorly within a year or two.
When placed as patio decking dark flagstone, home bricks, and concrete patio pavers show chalkiness from evaporated salt due to splash out.

SWG's have been the rage for the past 10 to 12 years but are now seeming to fall out of favor with the buyers.
For the past decade 95%+ of my new starts have been salt. This year it's down to about 70%.

See ya,
Kelly

It sounds like a sealed travertine could work but quartzite would be better. I assume quartzite does not need any treatment/sealing?
If we go with a travertine (Turkish I guess), does anybody know how often it needs to be sealed? Also, does it need to brushed in order for it not be slippery? It seems that honed and unfilled may also work but probably a bit more slippery than brushed?

NO manufactured stone!

Quartzite is so hard and dense you probably couldn't seal it if you wanted to! It is also more expensive to buy and to work than softer stones but it is a great material. It would always be my first choice as long as I could afford it.
Our Turkish travertine upper deck is unsealed and holds up well here in Florida, but I filled the larger holes as they collected dirt and didn't look too good. It is sometimes a little slippery (mostly to toddlers) when very wet.

additional question to all the pool builders in regards to salt and flagstone. i have oklahoma flagstone for my coping and it was sealed when we started up. first, how often does that need to be sealed and second, does the flagstone spa spillover need to be sealed as well????

thanks for the input!

I have bitteroot flagstone, we have a solid ring around (1 inch widee) the hot tub (that overflows into pool) and we get rings at different water levels when the rain comes bc we didn't put anutomatic drain in (since it was against code) but I wish we had. I still love the flagstone look but I definitely think I was misled on which flagstone will work well with a salt pool.

I have a salt water pool and put in what is represented as quartzite ledger stone three years ago. It was installed at the water line as well as on the two foot wall above the water line but below the coping. Some of the stones above the waterline are now starting to disintegrate. Some of the stones are actually turning to powder! The stones were not sealed. Do any pool contractors have any advice on how to solve this problem? I live in Los Angeles. Just as a side note, a different stone company that makes veneer ledger products is saying their product should last approximately 10 years. One suggestion has been to remove the ledger at the water line and replace with porcelain tile. Also replace the ledger pieces that are deteriorating, and then seal. Will this prevent further erosion?

Thanks very much!

You might want to start a brand new thread with this question instead of tacking on to a 5 year old thread. It will be seen more and will better attention. Wish I could help you. We have Oklahoma flagstone and several pieces show terrible spalling from the chlorine pool.

schechter – I'm in LA and have a similar rock disintegrating prob. I will start a new thread

look for my posting on 10/2/15.

Here is the link to my recent posting regarding salt water pools and disintegrating rocks: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3413466/m=23/need-help-salt-sys-pool-is-disintegrating-decorative-boulders