The Brew Cabin

Posted: **Sun Sep 21, 2008 9:42 am**

I'm starting to get more than a little concerned about these wet blocks now. It hasn't rained here since last Monday but the majority of the medium and small tegula blocks still look wet. It would only take another shower and i'd be back to square one. It's not just the fact that these wet blocks are making the drive look poorer than the job should be, it's the concern that with Winter approaching all we need is some hard frosts and these blocks may be damaged.

Does anyone think i should get back in touch with Marshalls and insist someone has a look?

Thanks,

Shaun

Posted: **Sun Sep 21, 2008 11:32 pm**

yes
anything you buy should be fit for the purpose, more detail here
LLL

Posted: **Mon Sep 22, 2008 10:02 am**

I've spoken with Marshalls again this morning. This time they have logged my call but still insist that in 99.9% of the time the blocks stop retaining water after a weathering in period of 4 - 6 months. They are going to send me a standard letter which explains this, but basically they're are saying it's down to the aggregate used and it will adjust in time. If it hasn't sorted itself in 4-6 months then they will send someone out to look at it and would be liable for any remedial work.

Doubt i can do much more..hope it does sort itself out as it doesn't much resemble their brochures with a load of wet blocks.

Posted: **Mon Sep 22, 2008 11:03 am**

ShaunR
Might be worth taking some photos of the paving now and in a couple of months time etc. You will then have something to compare, if it still looks like it isn't drying out.

Posted: **Mon Sep 22, 2008 11:08 pm**

make sure they dont drag it out past the year mark, why would they use different aggregate for different sized blocks?
BS
LLL

Posted: **Mon Sep 22, 2008 11:48 pm**

I will do LLL...they just said it's a natural product that can be sourced from different places, so takes time to adjust to it surroundings but will do with weathering. I'll see what their standard letter on damp blocks says when received but at least the discussion has been recorded now in case i need to go back to them.

There was a slight shower overnight and the drive was wet this morning but it's dried out pretty quickly today and all of the small / medium blocks are partially dry (but still very noticeable).

Roger - Yes, i'll take some pics as a record / comparison..thanks.

It would be good to get the opinion of Tony on all of this...to determine if they are just fobbing me off...anyone know where he is or if he reads this forum still?

Cheers,

Shaun

Posted: **Fri Oct 10, 2008 9:55 pm**

I always read, but I don't always have the time to reply and the last few weeks have been especially trying.

The mystery damp blocks within areas of Marshalls' Tegula are a known problem that was raised in the Brew Cabin over four years ago and has re-surfaced (no pun intended) in emails on a fairly regular basis ever since. Shows how much product quality control has improved in that time! If they weren't in a big sulk with me, Marshalls would probably get someone to post a comment, but as the Brew cabin is out-of-bounds for Marshallettes, it falls to me to tell you what I know.

I have some correspondence from a couple of years ago in which there's an attempt to duck responsibility for the ever-damp blocks that appeared on a driveway belonging to a private individual in southern England. The contractor had been unable to explain their presence, and so the customer turned to Marshalls and was disappointed, to put it mildly, at the lack of understanding and the sense of being fobbed-off that he encountered. I managed to get someone at the company to give the customer a more satisfactory answer and, if I recall properly, a promise to replace affected blocks if the problem persisted for more than 3 months. ISTR that a number of blocks were eventually replaced.

The problem stems from the use of natural aggregates. You can't guarantee 100% perfection with quarried products because every now and again, a dollop of crap is going to get into the system. This happens with all manufacturers. For some reason, certain batches of concrete are more porous than others and these retain moisture at the surface for longer than 'normal' blocks. When we first noticed this back in the summer of 2004, it was remarkable that all the affected blocks were of a uniform plum brown colour, whereas unaffected blocks would have the multi-colour tones of the familiar 'Traditional' palette. I could hazard a guess why this was, but it's immaterial to the current case.

Tegula is a premium product that commands a premium price. As such, it deserves premium back-up, and for the cost of a few replacement blocks, it would make good sense to offer customers replacement blocks there and then, rather than be perceived as 'fobbing-off' or evasive in any way. If I were still contracting. I'd actually replace the blocks meself and then pester the living daylights out of my Marshalls' Rep as to why this was happening and how I was going to be persuaded not to warn my customers about the potential problem with Marshalls Tegula, a problem that does not happen with some other tumbled products.

Posted: **Fri Oct 10, 2008 10:19 pm**

Hi Tony,

Many thanks for replying..interesting stuff!

Currently, the situation is this. The contractor turned up with keybond, so i thought it was worth a try and it was applied. This seems to of helped no end (maybe offering some sealant properties?). Eitherway, the blocks aren't as wet as they were originally..they do show signs of some dampness after rain but generally the whole drive is dry very quickly now.

I'm not sure if this will wear off after time or even if it's a conincidence and they have improved as Marshalls suggest. I guess all i can do is wait until after the Winter.

Do you think i should be pushing this issue with Marshalls now? I have a recorded complaint and have just sent a rather scathing questionnaire back regarding their Technical Helpline.

Thanks again,

Shaun

Posted: **Sat Oct 11, 2008 11:55 am**

I can't be certain, but it may be that the freshly-applied Keybond jollop is preventing or limiting evaporation from the surface of the blocks, which could be the reason for the improvement.

I'd give it another 2-3 weeks and then, if the problem persists, pursue the matter with the Tech S'port at Marshalls

Posted: **Sat Oct 11, 2008 12:06 pm**

Cheers Tony.. i think i'll take a couple of photos if you don't mind? Would you mind taking a look and commenting please? Where should i post them..on this thread?

Thanks again,

Shaun

Posted: **Sat Oct 11, 2008 2:40 pm**

Yes, please post some photos Shaun

How to post photos on pavingexpert

Posted: **Sat Oct 11, 2008 3:11 pm**

Hi all,

Please see below for a couple of pics. Note this is vastly improved but the issue only effects medium and small blocks. Positively the do tend to dry out much quicker now. We had some rain last night and the drive appears 90% dry, just the odd block with dome degree of dampness.

Cheers,

Shaun

Posted: **Sat Oct 11, 2008 5:26 pm**

That's nothing: honestly! It's nowt like the problem from 2004, or the other case that I related, where there was an obvious textural difference between ever-damp blocks and normal ones.

If I can access my photo archive from this pooter, I'll try to dig up the photies I took at the time.

Posted: **Sat Oct 11, 2008 6:44 pm**

Here are the images, starting with the blocks an hour or so after being laid....

....and then several days later following jointing and compaction....

...bear in mind that this was August 2004, a reasonably dry hot summer (unless you were in Boscastle), so you'd expect the blocks to dry out fairly rapidly.

This is a near a close up as I have, and it's not particularly good. I thought I had better images, but even from this you can see that the affected blocks are all the 240mm modules, are all a uniform plum brown colour, and have a rice-crispie cake texture with heavily distressed corners and arisses, revealing the suspiciously soft nature of the concrete....

...as you should be able to see, these are nothing like the blocks you have in your photo, which have a much tighter finish and show some variation in colour.

Posted: **Sat Oct 11, 2008 7:31 pm**

Holy crap, that's terrible!!! What was the outcome in the end?

The Brew Cabin

Marshalls drivesett tegula - porous blocks