Coralina

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
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495
83
Has anyone had experience using coralina as walks or in other areas where there is foot traffic? Is it possible to keep the material looking good? What maintenance is necessary?
 

Tamborista

hasta la tambora
Apr 4, 2005
11,747
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Has anyone had experience using coralina as walks or in other areas where there is foot traffic? Is it possible to keep the material looking good? What maintenance is necessary?

Coralina requires two weekly trips to the salon, one weekly manicure, and regular Western Union doses, otherwise she is low maintenance.
 

jrjrth

Bronze
Mar 24, 2011
782
1
0
~We have Coralina along all the walkways and around La Picina, being it is a natural product and very Porous it requires care for cleaning. I beleive they have product out that is in a square tile form that is sealed and requires less care. It will be a labor of love to keep the more porouos natural tiles clean, however this does depend on the foot traffic and your location...sandy areas would be worse as it is a natural abbrasive that will wear down the tiles over time....well jeez we are on an Island that is condusive to salt air and sand...lol

~It does however look very nice~ I guess its a matter of how much work you want to put into it!!
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
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Our coralina is around the pool and throughout the casa.

Inside, after installation we had it sealed. Think rede wine spills.
Sealing the outside section makes it slippery, so don't go there.

Because of the porosity, it will develop mold/algae outside by the the pool.
Power washing or scrubbing with cloro or ammonia solves that.

In high traffic areas, it can get dirty if not sealed.

We are happy with ours.
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
495
83
Our coralina is around the pool and throughout the casa.

Inside, after installation we had it sealed. Think rede wine spills.
Sealing the outside section makes it slippery, so don't go there.

Because of the porosity, it will develop mold/algae outside by the the pool.
Power washing or scrubbing with cloro or ammonia solves that.

In high traffic areas, it can get dirty if not sealed.

We are happy with ours.

Two questions:

If sealing makes coralina slippery, can it be used in outdoor walkways ? We don't want people falling after a rain.

I can see where power washing with cloro and ammonia would keep the coralina clean, but what will it do to the grass and flowers on either side of the walk?

Thanks to all who have responded.
 

Ringo

On Vacation!
Mar 6, 2003
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Two questions:

If sealing makes coralina slippery, can it be used in outdoor walkways ? We don't want people falling after a rain.

I can see where power washing with cloro and ammonia would keep the coralina clean, but what will it do to the grass and flowers on either side of the walk?

Thanks to all who have responded.

We also have coralina around our pool, open deck, porch areas and most of the house. One coat of sealer on the pool areas makes it not so slippery but needs a new coat every year or so. A little diluted cloro, brushing and pressure wash once a year. Water the grass and plants after using the cloro.

We just re-sealed a flagstone deck and need to seal another one but I'm thinking of adding a fine pool sand since it gets more rain. Same sand that is used on pool steps so they are not so slippery.

Feel free to come visit us in Playa Chiquita Ken.
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
495
83
We also have coralina around our pool, open deck, porch areas and most of the house. One coat of sealer on the pool areas makes it not so slippery but needs a new coat every year or so. A little diluted cloro, brushing and pressure wash once a year. Water the grass and plants after using the cloro.

We just re-sealed a flagstone deck and need to seal another one but I'm thinking of adding a fine pool sand since it gets more rain. Same sand that is used on pool steps so they are not so slippery.

Thanks, Ringo. I am especially interested in your comments about flagstone since that is a something we are considering in place of coralina.

1. Is flagstone less slippery than coralina?

2. How will you apply the sand, put some in whatever you are using to seal the flagstone and stir it up?

3. What maintenance does flagstore require besides annual resealing?

Your suggestions on maintaining coralina are also much appreciated.

We will very likely take you up on your offer of a visit.
 

Ringo

On Vacation!
Mar 6, 2003
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Thanks, Ringo. I am especially interested in your comments about flagstone since that is a something we are considering in place of coralina.

1. Is flagstone less slippery than coralina?
Flagstone is rough making it a little difficult to set a chair or table so it does not rock. It's the sealer that makes both slippery.

2. How will you apply the sand, put some in whatever you are using to seal the flagstone and stir it up?
We are going hi-tech on this. Throw it on by hand while the sealer is wet.

3. What maintenance does flagstore require besides annual resealing?
Being that flagstone is not flat it tends to have a more a faster mold build up in shaded areas. The sun seems to take care of most of the mold problem on both coralina and flagstone. We have been behind on sealing our flagstone by about 4 years and have an unsealed flagstone driveway that is in the shade that we need to clean. So this is a good time for you to see the difference.

Your suggestions on maintaining coralina are also much appreciated.
You are very welcome. I hope it helps.

We will very likely take you up on your offer of a visit.

Just let us know when you all wish to visit. You have visited years ago but no problem giving you directions if you don't remember. Just PM me.
 

Ringo

On Vacation!
Mar 6, 2003
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My wife just returned from the pool supply place with a 50# bag of sand. Rather fine and almost white. The supply place said this is the same sand used in pool and water filters.

I'll do a test area with it in this afternoon or in the morning. So you can see that too Ken.
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
23,097
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South Coast
I wouldn't worry about the cloro damaging the grass. Many years ago when I was a girl we lived on Long Island in a house with a cesspool. When we repeatedly had problems with overflow my father got fed up and moved the washing machine hose through a basement window out onto our cement patio, and all the water flowed into the back yard grass. My mother was beside herself with worry that the detergents and bleach would kill the grass. We were all surprised when it looked better than ever those years. Nassau County eventually put in sewers.

AE
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
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Cloro - if it doesn't burn your skin, it won't hurt the grass

Keep it diluted and water the grass afterwards
 

Ken

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
13,884
495
83
Thanks for the additional information AlterEgo and William Webster
 

Castellamonte

Bronze
Mar 3, 2005
1,764
50
48
Cabrera
www.villa-castellamonte.com
Has anyone had experience using coralina as walks or in other areas where there is foot traffic? Is it possible to keep the material looking good? What maintenance is necessary?

We have coralina around my entire swimming pool, the pool alone is over 3600 square feet so I probably have 5000 square feet of coralina. It's wonderful! It does require maintenance although not nearly as much as some seem to think.

Indoors you will have more trouble, in my experience, because mold and such can grow in the dark crevices. Outdoors, Mother Nature takes care of most of that problem (assuming ample, direct sunlight).
 

Ringo

On Vacation!
Mar 6, 2003
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Hi Ken. How is your project going? I have some sample tests done, including some take home for you, and have learned that my throwing sand by hand needs some work so have bought some kitchen type sifting things to work with.

Perhaps you already have your project figured out? Let us know what you came up with.