Hi,
Thanks for the great site which has encouraged me to dig up my old and uneven patio to replace it with a new one this weekend. If this goes well, I may try block-paving next!
For the patio I am using Marshalls Chancery paving, and I'm planning to put this on an dry sand-cement screed layer (as suggested on your site) and do the pointing with ordinary mortar. My only worry is that the weather forecast for the rest of the week isn't particularly good. I work weekdays and may not have another free weekend for a month. So if its drizzling Saturday/Sunday should I go ahead as planned or postpone it till a sunny day?
Thanks in advance,
Tony
Laying Flags is Wet Weather
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84-1093879891
You can work in light rain, but if it's pis...err... raining hard, you're better off in the alehouse! ;)
Try to avoid tracking cementitious bedding onto the flags while you're working, if they're wet, and leave the pointing for a dry day. If you have a roll of polythene or visqueen, you could use that to sheet over the work and protect it from the worst of the weather.
If you do get cement on the surface of the flags, swill them down with clean water before you pack up for the night. It's a damned sight easier to get rid of cement while it's fresh, rather than waiting for it to set and bond, especially with them Chancery, which aren't exactly cheap!
Let me know how you get on, and, if you take any piccies, let me see them, as there's another avid reader of this Forum who is considering using Chancery for their patio area, and just needs to be convinced that they will look ok. :)
My missus has an uncle that shares your name. Amazing fact number 12254! ;)
Try to avoid tracking cementitious bedding onto the flags while you're working, if they're wet, and leave the pointing for a dry day. If you have a roll of polythene or visqueen, you could use that to sheet over the work and protect it from the worst of the weather.
If you do get cement on the surface of the flags, swill them down with clean water before you pack up for the night. It's a damned sight easier to get rid of cement while it's fresh, rather than waiting for it to set and bond, especially with them Chancery, which aren't exactly cheap!
Let me know how you get on, and, if you take any piccies, let me see them, as there's another avid reader of this Forum who is considering using Chancery for their patio area, and just needs to be convinced that they will look ok. :)
My missus has an uncle that shares your name. Amazing fact number 12254! ;)
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TonyPrescott
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Thu Apr 25, 2002 11:30 pm
- Location: Sheffield, UK
Hi Tony,
Thanks for your advice. Despite the forecast the good weather seems to be holding in Sheffield with only the odd shower.
Having prepared the bedding layer, I have been trying out my Chancery slabs in the space. I am trying to fit my patio between a concrete wall and a pre-existing row of natural stone slabs (themselves adjacent to the house wall). Turns out that the flags I have chosen exactly fit the space which is nice, however, this doesn't leave room for mortared joints. Do you think I can get away with using butt jointing with the Chancery slabs? This would save me the hassle of trimming one flag in each row to create a bit more room. If you think its worth the extra effort to create space for mortar joints, do you have any specific tips for removing a thin slice from the edge of a slab (I am using a small angle-grinder to do the cutting)?
Incidentally, I am using Chancery slabs in one half of the patio and re-using some of the natural stone that was there previously (the flattest bits!) for the other half. So the final result should be an interesting mixture...
Tony
Thanks for your advice. Despite the forecast the good weather seems to be holding in Sheffield with only the odd shower.
Having prepared the bedding layer, I have been trying out my Chancery slabs in the space. I am trying to fit my patio between a concrete wall and a pre-existing row of natural stone slabs (themselves adjacent to the house wall). Turns out that the flags I have chosen exactly fit the space which is nice, however, this doesn't leave room for mortared joints. Do you think I can get away with using butt jointing with the Chancery slabs? This would save me the hassle of trimming one flag in each row to create a bit more room. If you think its worth the extra effort to create space for mortar joints, do you have any specific tips for removing a thin slice from the edge of a slab (I am using a small angle-grinder to do the cutting)?
Incidentally, I am using Chancery slabs in one half of the patio and re-using some of the natural stone that was there previously (the flattest bits!) for the other half. So the final result should be an interesting mixture...
Tony
-
84-1093879891
From my experience with Chancery, even if they are laid 'butt-jointed' there is still a 6mm or thereabouts gap that needs to be pointed.
Personally, I think tight joints will always look like tight joints and it's one of those things that will catch your eye every time you look at the finished paving. If it really does look 'tight', then it's got to be worth slicing an edge of the flags to get an even joint, but the determining factor is, "Can YOU live with it?"
If you do need to take off a thing slice, an angle grinder or cut-off saw is the only safe way to do it with these cast flags. Make sure you wear goggles!
Personally, I think tight joints will always look like tight joints and it's one of those things that will catch your eye every time you look at the finished paving. If it really does look 'tight', then it's got to be worth slicing an edge of the flags to get an even joint, but the determining factor is, "Can YOU live with it?"
If you do need to take off a thing slice, an angle grinder or cut-off saw is the only safe way to do it with these cast flags. Make sure you wear goggles!