I have an existing client who has asked me to clean and then repoint this patio. It was laid around four years ago on an unbound bed and with five blob 'technique'. It wasn't laid by me!
Joints are 40mm wide & deep, V-shaped. Egress with fingers under the edges of slabs is possible.
So, is it worth repointing, considering the shape of the joints and the potential problems underneath? Am I right in thinking that Romex is the same as Weatherpoint 365, i.e. only used on a full bed? And so it's a hands and knees job only?
My first post after much lurking. Cheers Tony for a fantastic web site!
Could use a brush in product like 365 or romex but it need to take out a 2nd mortgage as most of it would end up beneath the slabs.
Needs to come up and be relaid properly. If they don't like that answer and insist on repointing then I would only do it if i really needed the work and even then I would make sure they sign some sort of waiver making it absolutely clear that it is against your recommendations and will not be held liable for any problems.
Thanks Carberry, in terms of paperwork I would make it watertight with regards to non-liability but frankly I don't want to touch something that is going to fail anyway. Waste of my time and effort.
As for pressure washing, equally I'm extremely wary because of the amount of water going beneath the slabs subsequently undermining the bedding layer.
If it was ripped up and relaid what would be a going rate? I'm thinking in the £60sqm region. It's just under 70sqm area. Not a job for me but I'd like to give them a good idea of what they should be expecting from someone else who isn;t a cowboy.
Its stood up fairly well but whatever you do i would guess it'll do the same thing again in 5 yrs time. They wont want to pay to have it relaid, not so soon.
Ground Level wrote:Thanks Carberry, in terms of paperwork I would make it watertight with regards to non-liability but frankly I don't want to touch something that is going to fail anyway. Waste of my time and effort.
As for pressure washing, equally I'm extremely wary because of the amount of water going beneath the slabs subsequently undermining the bedding layer.
If it was ripped up and relaid what would be a going rate? I'm thinking in the £60sqm region. It's just under 70sqm area. Not a job for me but I'd like to give them a good idea of what they should be expecting from someone else who isn;t a cowboy.
Cheers.
Depends on the sub base that is there but sounds about right.
As Lpad says, you could repoint it normally but it would fail again soon.
Don't go near it with a pressure washer. As you rightly say it could undermine it and with the cold weather we're having you could end up with frost heave.
It depends do you need 3-4 days gun pointing them with a 3 or 4-1 sand cement specifying that you've recommended relaying and state reason given on the main site and British standards in writing this is and that you can't be held liable for the pointing due to the poor original installation
Leave it a week or and give it a going over with a stiff brush and some of the stain remover mix on the cleaning page wash off but not onto the grass.
Is it all the same looks like it was extended at done point
Giles
Groundworks and Equestrian specialists, prestige new builds and sports pitches. High Peak, Cheshire, South Yorkshire area.
Thanks Giles, I would be pleased to have the work - of course - but not if it is going to fail in a similar time span because of the original construction 'techniques' undermining it.
The patio was all laid at the same time - the significant colour differentiation is because it is northerly aspect and the darker areas are caused by the shadow of the house on the first half of the patio.
I was chased last night for the quote so I'll be breaking the news today & will report back.
Thanks for confirming my original opinion on the viability or otherwise of this repointing request.
Probably too late, but remember that you only need 25mm of a resin mortar within a joint on a patio, so you could partially fill the joints with, say, a barely-damp sand/cement mix brushed in and tamped down, then top-up with a good resin mortar. That way you should get somewhere around 8-10 m² per 25kg pail
