Thin pointing.

[bigwest]

I'd be grateful if anyone has any thoughts/suggestions on the following. We are preparing to lay a slate patio for a client. They have decided they would like to follow the pattern from the kitchen floor tiles out to the garden.

I've agreed this would look nice but my only issue is that the kitchen tiles have thin joints (about 5mm). I've only ever either butt jointed or laid slabs with 10mm gaps.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I have seen grout used but am wooried about potential staining. Or maybe one of the brush in products?

cheers

[Bob_A]

This was talked about the other day by the pro's, i'm just a diyer so not got the experience to advise.
vdw 805
It won't be cheap but it can be used for joints down to 3mm.

GftK products seem to be highly regarded and are supplied by NCC Streetscape.

[GB_Groundworks]

remember you need to be 150mm below damp as well, incase they wanted a continuos floor from kitchen to patio.

[Pablo]

Or just slurry point them with standard mortar. Cheap very strong and won't discolour like the polymerics will.

[Bob_A]

Do polymerics discolour then?
Or to be more precise does Romex amd GftK discolour?

[dig dug dan]

oh dear. is someone on here recommending gftk? ???



Edited By dig dug dan on 1259533656

[Pablo]

Do polymerics discolour then?
Or to be more precise does Romex amd GftK discolour?

Yes they look like mud after a few months the very high end heavy duty ones aren't so bad but cost a fortune £90 per 25kg +. Used polymerics for a few years but even the good stuff like Romex and Gftk looks rubbish now. Good mortar pointing is hard to beat for looks and durability. Don't think they're worth the money and the labour saving usually ends up being minimal because I'm fussy about leaving the joint looking well stuck which means doing it all by hand anyway.

[pcdoc]

If your worried about mess/staining, you could use a mortar gun and inject the mortar in. The mortar guns are only about £20 and should save on mess.

They are available from screwfix and ebay (search for "mortar gun"- theres one with a nice video).

Hope thats helpful.

-Michael.

[Tony McC]

I have to disagree about discolouration of the Romex resins (not the polymerics) and the GftK slurries: I've been playing with them for several years and I've never known them to discolour.

The do accumulate surface detritus, the same as any jointing material, but this can be washed off returning the resin mortar to its original pristine state. I've seen GftK mortars in-situ on commercial projects ( a marketplace in Moers, Germany) that are over 10 years old and the colour is practically the same as new material.

Neither of these materials rely on artificial colour or dyes. The colour comes from the aggregate, which is either quartz, basalt or a mix of the two, and so practically immune to discolouration. The aggs are bound in a UV-stable epoxy resin. When I have looked at alleged cases of discolouration, it has *always* been surface detritus, either algae (greenish) or everyday crap (browny-black), and a quick scrub with a stiff brush and warm soapy water has remove dthe surface contamination in minutes.

[Bob_A]

Tony I'm a bit confused about resins and polymerics. I thought they were the same
I'm thinking of getting Romex Easy for my lightly trafficked patio. Is that a resin or polymeric and does it discolour?

[lutonlagerlout]

i think the reality is somewhere in-between
all paving and joints discolour in this sceptred isle we live in, i tell people time and time again ,just to brush their patio once a week and give it a clean with soapy water
But inevitably in the winter months piles of leaves etc get left rotting gently on the surface
After using easipoint recently i would say that IMHO that is the superior finish,the colour is consistent and 2 blokes can do roughly 80m2 of paving in a day, it goes off rock hard and looks good
i like the romex terrasse too but it does tend to get dirtier faster than mortar,and i wonder about its longevity
LLL

[bigwest]

An array of views there! I'll have to have a loser look at the different products mentioned, guess that's one problem with the romex type, can't really mix a wee bit up to test.

On another point, can anyone suggest any ways of making sure the lines of the interior floor line up exactly with the exterior.

Obviously I'll set it out with lines but that's going to be awkward with the doors surrounds etc in the way. Just wondered if there was an obvious way to ensure accuracy.

many thanks for all the help so far.

[Bob_A]

An array of views there! ................

Well I gotta say I'm more than a little suprised 'cos up to now I'd heard only good things about Romex and GftK.
As my project is a one off I'll probably damn expense and go with one of them.
To me using this type of stuff was never about saving money or installation time but using something that's easy to use (less skill), less messy and lasted a long time. Even if it means taking the time to strike the stuff in and getting the possible finish


Just want some reassurance that I'm doing the right thing now!

[Tony McC]

Polymerics and resins: Basically, the polymerics are premixed and start to cure on contact with air and/or moisture. Resin slurries are two-part epoxy resins that have to be mixed on-site and it is the reaction between the resin components (binder and hardener) that causes them to harden.

With the two product groups being discussed, Romex supply the aggregate in a paper sack along with two containers of resins, the binder and the hardener, while GftK supply the aggregate pre-coated with the binder in a pail, and a separate container of hardener.

Bob - I really don't think you have owt to worry about!

[Bob_A]

Cheers Tony.