Slate paving - First time diy flag laying

[mark sharp]

I plan on laying 25metres squared of slate tiles, 20mm thick 600 by 600mm. After looking at this website I have the following plan in mind and would appreciate some one letting me know if this will be ok.

The slate is to be laid in my backyard which is presently fully covered with BS council/grey flags. The flags have been there for about 15 years and I am assuming the soil beneath will be nicely compacted. The flags already slope away from the house sufficient to drain away rain and are about 200mmm below dpc. So no further excavation is required.

I plan to remove these flags and lay the slate on a grit sand and cement bed (4-1dry mix) making sure that any free edges use one of the two methods described on the website for laying to a free edge. I plan on using a 50mm bed so will need roughly 1.6 tonne of sand and 400kg of cement.

The main thing I am unsure about is what is the best method of jointing. Being a bit lazy and having tried pointing bricks before and not being very good at it would it be ok to use the same dry mix as the bed for the Jointing ?

This my first time at attempting any flag laying and I am curious how long I should ecpect this job to take ?

Thanks for any help.

[seanandruby]

as you say your slate paving would be clased as tiles because of the thickness. you would therefore have to lay them on a stiff morter bed as described in the index under slate paving. good luck.

[Tony McC]

...and opt for a polymeric for pointing.

NCC in Chorley are now selling their GftK 840, which is ideal for patios, direct to one and all, in any quantity you want - give them a call on 01257 266696. I had a chat with them last week and they're hoping to have an online ordering facility live on their website within the next few weeks.

[mark sharp]

Thanks Tony.

I've been in touch with NCC and they can deliver the gft but the cost may be prohibitive. ( approx £145 )

I assume if I can't afford the gft then a stiff 4:1 mix will do the job.

I would have to use the method descibed on the site of using plywood to minimise and overspill/staining from the joints.

By the way Iam not ordering slate paving but am now going for sandstone.

Any advice appreciated.

[mark sharp]

Changed my mind again, will make sure I can afford gft.

[Tony McC]

The problem with all these polymeric jointing materials is that the initial material cost seems frighteningly high, but when you factor in the time they save, and the fact that they can't stain the paving, I honestly believe they are worth every penny (well, the ones that work are!)

[lutonlagerlout]

agree wholeheartedly,i used geofix on 7 occasions and every time it failed within a year,the decent ones (romex and gftk ,german of course) go off like iron and are so quick to use compared to traditional pointing you actually save money
to point 25m2 would take a tradesman a morning,a diyer maybe a day,but if it rains you are in trouble,if you spill any mortar you are in trouble and if you get the mix wrong you are in trouble
do it right,do it once
LLL

[mark sharp]

Have now purchased 4 tubs of gftk 840 from chorley same day delivery for a tenner.

What I need to now is can I point with the gftk when I've finished laying slabs or do I need to wait 24 hrs?

I only ask since I plan to lay slabs on the saturday but rain is forcast for the sunday.

Cheers

[mark sharp]

Phoned ncc today and asked the question posed above.

It's ok to use the gftk straight after laying the slabs as long as you are using a dry mix, or one that is only slightly damp.

Any wetter and there may be an adverse chemical reaction between the gftk and mortar.

I should add for anyone that is thinking of using ncc to supply gftk that they have been very helpful and always answered any questions.