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Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 5:18 pm
by Nigel Walker
I have been invited to a demonstration day for EASIPOINT
Apparently it is a specialist pointing mortar applied with a gun injection system. Spefically designed for pointing flags with various width joints
It comes in a variety of colours and strengths.
I am gonna go and have a look anyway cos they are giving free food and drinks !!
Just wondering if anyone has used it or have heard of it
I dont know if it is ready mixed and reacts with air ,or if you have to mix seperate parts, or if it is like Geofix.
Has anyone else noticed an array of Geofix type stuff coming available. The local BM has one made by Sika and I have seen others advertised in trade mags. I wonder if they are better than Geofix
Cheers all
Nigel
ps I got positively soaking wet this afternoon. Rain running down my builders butt !!! The Joys of Summer
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 12:18 pm
by Tony McC
I know Easipoint fairly well. The product is excellent, but it's not particularly easy to apply - but then, for me, none of the gun-injected mortars are!
Their mortars are probably better suited to commercial applications, rather than drives and patios. I specify their products (along with one or two others) when asked to suggest a cementitious mortar for setts, and we used quite a lot of the Easipoint on a job I monitored in Blackburn last year.
It comes as a ready mixed powder which you mix with water and then pour via a can or use the gun-injector. Once set, it is incredibly tough and bonds like an epoxy resin, so you have to be careful with any spillages or snots. As John has said, it isn't particularly cheap, but you have to consider that it was designed for use on trafficked, commercial pavements where the risk of joint failure is far more expensive.
On the subject of mortars and polymeric sands, I have been trying to get a group of manufacturers to agree to fund a new page looking at the benefits that various different products can achieve. I have a verbal OK for a polymeric, but it has to be sanctioned by the parent company over in Germanyland, and I've a provisional OK from a couple of pre-mixed high strength mortar manufacturers. I've a couple of loose ends to tie up, including additives and dosing systems, but I might just have resolved that in a phone call yesterday.
GeoFix gets a regular slating mainly because it's used for the wrong type of job. As John say, in narrow, 6mm joints between regular flags, there's no problem, but it tends to get used for wide joints, between riven flags and, worst of all, between setts, where it's totally bloody useless. Feb MBT DeGussa or whatever they're called this week won't withdraw it because, when it's used correctly, it's fine - they have no control over its misuse. However, they could and should do a damn sight more to get across the message that is is not suitable for wide joint pavements and they should stop their so-called clued-up sales bods from bullshitting people into believing it will be OK to use with setts.
I'm very interested to hear feedbach on the new-ish Sika jollop. Reports so far are a bit of a mixed bag, with some contractors loving it while others reckon it's a waste of time and money. I haven't had the opportunity to use it yet, so feedback is essential.
Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 11:07 am
by Tony McC
Sue Cleugh at Easipoint has asked me to post the following on her behalf.....
Hello
As someone who works for Easipoint it’s great to see you are talking about the product and we are pleased to see some of you have already tried it.
It’s good to see that you find Easipoint performs well and, yes, colour consistency is one of the many advantages of using a factory-blended mortar. As the ease of use, we sometimes find that people take a little time to adapt to the gun-injected method, but once versed in a few do’s and don’ts find it easier, cleaned and quicker than traditional jointing methods.
For instance, a key recommendation is that you don’t overwater the mix and it is vital to leave it to stand for a good ten minutes prior to application, that allows the special additives to get to work and improve the “pumpability� of the mix. Local authorities who regularly specify Easipoint find that productivity is speeded up substantially, costing them less in labour and making the overall package very cost-effective.
If in doubt, we have a technical support representative who will gladly visit site or your premises and give you a full demonstration.
It’s also worth noting that Easipoint is more than a range of gun injected mortar, we also have SettPoint, an pourable mortar for wide joints in setts and Granatech, which can be slurry-applied to small element paving.
We hope you enjoy the demonstration in Carlisle (and the free butties). If you need any further information later on, by all means give us a call or see the Easipoint website at www.easipoint.co.uk