Amateur flag pointing help

[HarryS]

Hello - I have read the topics on pointing and mortars in this forum and also the mortars section on this incredible site.
I had an Indian stone patio laid 5 years ago; I now need to repair a small amount of the pointing - only about 5 metres total.
Last autumn I repaired about 2 meters with a 4:1 mix. After the admittedly hard winter this is all cracked and looks worse than the stuff I replaced !:(
The flags are 20mm thick and the joints 20mm wide. Would the 2 sand + 2 grit sand + 1 cement be a better mix for this joint ? Any pointers to make a more durable joint would be appreciated. As it is only 5 meter repair job the Romex product suggestion in another post would be a tad expensive.

TIA
Harry

[lutonlagerlout]

if you could post a picture of the existing pointing,i could better advise you on the mix strength harry
although grit sand is strongest it looks pants
a mixture of plastering sand ,with a little soft sand and cement is best
also be aware that different cements dry up different colours
nothing looks worse than a hotch potch of greys
LLL

[jonnyboyentire]

How big is the patio in total?

[HarryS]

Thanks for the prompt replies guys - appreciated.
JohnyBoyEntire , the patio along with all the paths is about 40m². Which gives me, god knows how many metres of joints to repoint. I know it will all need doing in a couple of years , so I just want to complete a passable repair for now.
LLL - The pic below shows the original 5 year pointing on the right., and my 10 month pointing on the left !
Any advice would be welcome.
tnx
Harry

[lutonlagerlout]

the original looks a lot better than yours to be frank harry
personally I would wait then rake the lot out and repoint it
its about 2.5/3.5 days work but will look better
yours has failed
because
A the mix was too dry
B not enough cement
C joints weren't cleaned out deep enough

or all of the above
the original looks like about 4:1 soft sand : cement

cheers LLL

[HarryS]

LLL - Thanks for the advice , I think I will repoint all the patio next year. I'll make sure my mix is correct , as your post stated.

Cheers
Harry