On 13 Sep 2006 12:29:27 -0700, "bruce" wrote:

Basically I need to know how well sandstone will hold up as the stone
used in a waterfall. The waterfall will be about 4 feet high with only
two or three 1 foot "free fall" drops onto basin shaped stones (mini
ponds if you will). The rest of the water will basically trickle down
the surface of the fall.

Not all the sandstone I have is the same, some pieces are harder than
others and I tried a sealer, but it was temporary.

I built a Tennessee sandstone water fall and it wasn't long (months)
before the water chose a path not of my design, so I built it again
thinking it would do better and last longer next time, since I had
some experience then. After 4 tries I finally gave up on the falls
and made a sluice out of PVC. (Ugly, but functional and positive, no
leaks.) I would choose a harder stone for my next waterfall, if I
could find the energy to build it.

I talked to one of the engineers about using their brand of retaining
wall stones for waterfalls and he guessed about a 10 year life, which
is much better than sandstone.

Regards,

Hal