Masonry sealer for your stone carving

Spraying silicone sealer

Once you have finished creating your masterpiece you will need to apply a masonry sealer to protect your stone carving. This is because soft stone like limestone is very powdery, and it will leave a dusty residue on any surface where you place it. 

Also if you decided to have your artwork outside it is necessary to seal it because the stone is very porous and absorbs moisture quickly.

If it stayed wet for a long time the stone will go mushy and begin to break down so you need to have a good water sealant for limestone. Here is a photo below of of stone carving that has been sealed with silicone sealer.

Masonry sealer

What type of block sealer do I buy?

Purchase a waterproof sealer that is designed to use for exterior dwellings, buildings made out of brick and concrete - these are is great to seal limestone with. There are two types that you can buy (water based and solvent based).

Water based masonry sealer

If you are new to stone carving then the water based silicone sealer may be the best option for you. Normally it comes in a concentrate that you have to mix with water. Once mixed, I just use a pump spray bottle to apply it. Read the instructions for the type you get. You can buy silicone in a spray can but I wouldn't bother as it is cheaper in the end to buy the concentrate that you can mix yourself. 

Solvent based sealant

If you are from New Zealand or then AQUELLUX S Water Repellent For External Masonry Substrates is a fantastic block sealer for exterior sculptures, I usually use it for the large commissioned sculptures that I do for my customers but I wouldn't use it for smaller stone carvings that are to be displayed indoors as it is very fumy and it takes a while for the fumes to pass.

Shaugns Recommended Stone Carving Tools

Although the tools below are sold through Amazon. They are the same as the stone carving tools that I personally recommend to my students for carving with Oamaru stone.


Poratable Workbench

These benches are height adjustable which makes them perfect for stone carving. I own the Ryobi workbench and love it, but unfortunatlly it is only sold through Amazon's UK store for people that are wanting to buy it online.


Stanley: Surform Shaver

This is a must-have tool for shaping large areas of Oamaru stone


Riffler Files

These are smaller files that are designed for the parts of your sculpture that are difficult to get at. They are also an essential set of tools



Builders Pencils


Crosscut Hand Saw

This type of crosscut  hand saw is my recommendation for cutting Oamaru stone


Keyhole Handsaw

A very handy saw. Mosty used for sawing after a hole after it has been drilled into the stone.