sealing stone veneer in the rain

[nate0918]

I finished putting up stone veneer in a window well a little over a week ago and looking for advice on when/if to apply a sealer to it. I got it installed just before the rains have set in for the fall. I probably won't see frost until late October or early November here in Oregon. It's going to be solid rain until next June at the earliest. The stone is travertine tile in 6"x24" panels. I'm wondering if I should wait till next summer to seal it or wait for 30 days after the mortar has dried a bit and then apply. Or, do I need to seal it at all? It will be exposed to the elements year round but doesn't see much sun, I'm concerned if moss or something may start to grow and stain the stone. If need be, I could put up a tent around it and put in a heater for awhile. I'd like to finish landscaping around it but so far I have left it exposed to allow the mortar to dry. The plan is to have dirt, then bark chips up to the bottom level of the stone veneer around the outside edge. Any ideas?

 

[EbS-P]

Sealing is probably a good idea. Not sure it’s necessary this fall/winter.

I really like have a clear cover over mine. So much so I paid 500$ each for two that exactly fit the premade wells I installed. Corrugated clear sun tuff panels would be where I would start.

How well drained is the back fill. I’m wondering how much moisture you should expect to soak through to the inside stone. Sealing the tops is proof good idea.

 

[nate0918]

The window well is CMU block that I rolled with a concrete sealer on the outside. It's got about 1 to 1-1/2ft thick of 3/4" minus fill all the way around it that goes all the way to the base of the well. I lined the entire pit with landscaping fabric before I built the well and filled with gravel. Hopefully I'll see minimal water through the wall. If I can wait till next summer, I'd really like to finish the landscaping around it before its a complete mud pit.

 

[EbS-P]

The window well is CMU block that I rolled with a concrete sealer on the outside. It's got about 1 to 1-1/2ft thick of 3/4" minus fill all the way around it that goes all the way to the base of the well. I lined the entire pit with landscaping fabric before I built the well and filled with gravel. Hopefully I'll see minimal water through the wall. If I can wait till next summer, I'd really like to finish the landscaping around it before it’s a complete mud pit.

Getting a bit of a sloped grade and mulch down would be my first priority too. I’ve done nothing to mine for 5 months but let weeds grow. Looks terrible. But it’s been easy work

 

[nate0918]

Gotcha, I happen to be an excellent weed farmer myself. Hopefully I won't need to worry too much with staining the stone that's in contact with the dirt but hey, that's where we find most rocks, right?