Joint balancing and alignment

[Tony McC]

As long as you are patient and meticulously clean, then Dangerpoint would be fine. but bear in mind that SBR will accelerate an initial cure/hardening of the mortar so you will get a very limited working life.

To counter this, the usual response is to mix just a bit at a time, but this often leads to variation in the mortars colour, as it's difficult to be consistent with the ratio of sand to cement. In such cases, it's better to prepare a dry mix of the sand and cement, at least a bag of sand at a time, and then just wet a small portion it with the dilute SBR as required, maybe a quarter bucket, and use that before wetting-up the next bit. That way, it *should* be a consistent mortar.

The brush-in product your mate used may well be one of the one-part polymerics that are, not to mince words, just crap. A good 2-part resin mortar will cost maybe 80-100 quid per 25kg, and, with that type of paving, you should be getting 12-16m² per 25kg. I'm not sure hgow big is the area you have but the photie suggest a couple of 25kg tubs would be ample. 200 quid??? When you consider that would see you completing the jointing, without any staining or any great effort, in around 30 mins, maybe 200 quid seems a good investment?

For some people, when they've spent, say, 5 grand on paving, and then invested umpteen weekends and evenings getting it laid, 200 quid can seem like a real bargain. Why spoil the ship for a ha'p'orth of tar? (A reference there for the younger readers!)

[lutonlagerlout]

I agree with the above,if you go for dangerpoint I would gauges your sand a cement by volume using a small bucket or pail, from my experience sand and cement is ok on Riven indian stone,just need to get the mix right,and if its hot like today have a mister at hand,you dont want it drying out before the sand and cement is cured
I prefer the 10kg pails of gftk 2 part as less potential for a disaster
LLL

[Left handed]

DANGERPOINTS looking like a winner. Zero water just SBR.

I'm confident I've got it right, done 1/4 of patio and no staining but feck me it firms up quick based on the fingernail test.

Ill bore u all to tears once I'm done to let you know it went (its feeling good).

Thanks fellas

[lutonlagerlout]

super stuff looking forward to it
LLL

[Tony McC]

From Left-handed.........


Right, proper explanation - here's what I did.

Remove any debris from joints and if needed make them deeper using 6mm woodwork chisel to knock out any bedding, minimum joint depth 1", average 12mm wide.

Hose out joints to make sure there no junk at all AND make sure flagstones aren't thirsty.

Mix ratio one 25kg bag building sand plus a 7 litre bucket filled with cement from B&Q's painting and decorating aisle was maybe just a bit stronger than 3/1.

Mix thoroughly dry contents with drill in flexi bucket. Take maybe a quarter of mix and put in new bucket, keep adding just SBR (no water) a little at a time and mix thoroughly till its at a point where mix is a consistency that won't bleed into flagstones.

Pack into joints with tuck pointer them smooth with brick jointer. Sweep up crumbs once they whitened.

Hey presto - job done! And its clean!!

I get why pros opt for all weather methods but I'd do DANGERPOINT again if I had to. Saved a good few bucks.

Think my body felt worse after pointing rather than laying the flagstones though.

Thanks again

[Left handed]

Should of explained better. I washed out out joints and soaked area night before pointing. Flagstones were dry through pointing process.

I love the smell of SBR in the morning......