i thought i'd chuck up a few pics of my patio i've been (slowly) relaying all thanks to the invaluable help and guides from off here.
Last weekend i roped in my dad to give us a hand and together we managed to get the random pattern pretty much sorted. There's just a couple of slabs that need trimming and edges tumbling. I was bloody knackered though by the end of it as them flagstones weigh a tonne!
I'm going to get someone in to finish actually bedding and pointing as i'm struggling for time them but i've sorted a pattern that i'm happy which took a day and a bit.
any way comments and suggestions very much appreciated
yeah i like the stone, it cost me £65/m2 from a reclamation yard in Chesterfield
when trying to work out the pattern i did start to draw a scale model of the patio and even cut out the flags on squared paper to scale but gave up after doing about 5 of the 62 flags i had as it looked like it was going to take me all day! Instead i just stated in one corner and worked away from that. There was quite abit of repositioning required as we neared the end and were left with a smaller selection of stones to choose from but i'm happy with the pattern we ended up with. I made sure i followed the "rules" which was to have not 4 corners intersecting and to also avoid any really long straight lines.
Carberry, yeah i'm planning on cladding that wall. I've already been over the surface with a knotted brush on my angle grinder to remove any loose paint. The plan is to sort of crazy pave clad it with bits of the original sandstone patio stone that i've taken up. Unless anyones got any other suggestions as to possible finishes to go for
also does anyone have any recommendation for what sort of pointing i should be asking for as basically i want something that matches the flags pretty well, doesn't stand out and will look prety weatherd/old in too long a time,ie i dont want it to look like its been freshly laid rather like its been there for a good while
when you point it flush the joints of with wet mortar
before its dry brush it with a hard brush to scarify the surface
then paint on some natural yoghurt
it will stink for a bit but will soon blend in
also use a mix of grit sand ,soft sand and cement for pointing
give it a coarser look
nice stone and very nice layout
LLL
almost chaps, its a 205 not 206 , currently its got no engine but its getting a supercharged GTI6 engine and should hopefully be running 4x4 running gear from a 405mi164x4, if you fancy having a read my project thread on it is here http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?showtopic=101833 also I've a couple of other car projects which are linked in my signature on that forum as well
LLL thanks very much on the pointing advice i'll be sure to pass it on to the contractor i get. Hopefully the guy i want is going to pop round this week to have a look ad give me a quote and an estimation of when he might be ale to fit it in.
what sort of thickness bed would these need to be laid on? and what strength mix?
i laid the first couple on a 4:1 grit sand/cement mix but i have a feeling this might be a bit too strong.
the problem i'm having is at present its not looking like i can find anyone i trust to do the work within the next month or so, so I might be forced to make a start myself. There are certain stones that are pretty bloody thick and so at present will stand higher than the finished patio level so i'm going to need to dig some of the hardcore out in those places but i want to be sure i have enough bedding matirial to support the flags. I laid & compacted a good thick base of hardcore so i dont think it will be a problem removing bits in places here and there
, currently its got no engine 