Relaying crazy sandstone paving - Trying to keep it looking old & worn

[M@tt]

Last weekend i basically started ripping up my patio as quite a few of the sandstone flags had started cracking and delaminating where the mortar jointing had failed over the years and water had got in causing them to split especially with the freezing weather we had over xmas and the like.

Parts of it the mortar appears very solid and blends in really well to the slabs and infact its hard to distinguish between the mortar and the slabs in places (which is the look we're really after as its a very old house c.1800 and the patio looked really old and well weathered(apart from the broken bits)) so rather than attempting to patch it i decided it would be easier to lift everything and re-lay it instead.

So i've started lifting the flags and salvaging what i can.

I've found the flags have been laid on a solid be of mortar but that half of the patio has been laid over a further base of concrete approx 40-50mm thick, the other half just appears to be earth/MOT subbase.

I guess i've got a couple of questions.

1) Once i've lifted all the flags what's the best plan of attack for this half and half subbase? is it best to rip it all out and then put a fresh subbase down?

2) I want the joinitng to basically not stand out from the flags or for it to look fairly old and weathered after not too long so that it doesn't stand out. What are my options for this? I have looked as the resins but i'm not sure if they will be suitable. I was keen on resins initially as i thought they would offer better waterproof protection for the future.

3) The patio levels actaully appear to be pretty flat(may even slope towards the house slightly) and im amazed we don't have more standing water (although the missing and slabs and cracks in the mortar probably help on that front). The only drainage is a drain under the kitchen window that the sink drains into so i was wondering if it would be prudent to fit some aco brick slot channels up against the house wall(keeping the drainage profileing to a minimum in keeping with the house) and feed that into the drain that way any water running towards the house would fall into that.
http://aco.co.uk/product_detail.php?id=11

I've included a few pics to hopefully illustrate what i'm trying to do

thanks for any advice

[rab1]

not of any help but i like that wall.

[GB_Groundworks]

You can use a 3:1 mortar to point then brush with either

Watered down natural yoghurt to encourage lichen and moss growth or inthe country side we use horse or cow muck water'd down instead.

Or jet wash the slabs clean

If you lay 100mm well compacted mot next to the concrete you'll be fine, I mean more than 1 pass with the plate compactor or if you want and have the time and money rip it out and start again. As it's your patio I'd leave it,



Edited By GB_Groundworks on 1301079452

[lutonlagerlout]

better to have a completely new subbase matt
details here

i would use easipoint mortar for this as they have a good range of colours

and to artificially age it i have use a poultice of 3 parts FRESH sheep dung and 1 part soot in the past
cheers LLL

[rimexboy]

a little of topic sorry for that the ageing tips are fantastic guys....

[London Stone Paving]

I was impressed with the ageing techniques as well. I would never have even considered to use yoghurt to encourage moss etc, but it makes perfect sense