Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 12:12 am
Hi can anyone give me some advice on what to do next, as I have never lay a patio before and Im not too confident in starting.
My problems started back in May when (unknown to me!) i hired the local cowboy to install my 35m2 patio of indian sandstone. After 3 months of him trying to lay them I politley asked him to leave (and after blocking my traps with cement,breaking my hose gun and hiding it in my hanging basket,trying to spot bed the project with "4" dabs whilst we were on holiday and much much more
).
So heres my dilema. He removed the flags and left everything else.
I have removed all the mortar bombs left lying around and also got up all the "so called grit sand" he left to which now Im down to the 30mm or so of stone he put down.The grit sand is sort of blacky colour not like sand at all----is this ok?? Should I use this??
My plan was to compact the stone again and then lay the indian flagstones on a full bed of mortar which would be about 50mm thick (made of 2 parts grit sand/2parts soft sand and 1 part portland cement).Starting with my border of tegulas to act as a frame, and then lay the falgs inside this.
Am I talking out of my a**e here,will this be ok to do??? I know the advice is to lay on drymix of 10:1 but I really dont fancy doing it that way as it seems it will be alot easier to lay level on mortar.???? Also since coming back from holiday it has rained every day....can you lay flags whilst it is raining either on a full bed of mortar or on a 10:1 mix...????
Or even better is there anyone out there in manchester,who wants to come and do it for me......cowboys need not apply
Last but not least.....please be gentle
My problems started back in May when (unknown to me!) i hired the local cowboy to install my 35m2 patio of indian sandstone. After 3 months of him trying to lay them I politley asked him to leave (and after blocking my traps with cement,breaking my hose gun and hiding it in my hanging basket,trying to spot bed the project with "4" dabs whilst we were on holiday and much much more
).So heres my dilema. He removed the flags and left everything else.
I have removed all the mortar bombs left lying around and also got up all the "so called grit sand" he left to which now Im down to the 30mm or so of stone he put down.The grit sand is sort of blacky colour not like sand at all----is this ok?? Should I use this??
My plan was to compact the stone again and then lay the indian flagstones on a full bed of mortar which would be about 50mm thick (made of 2 parts grit sand/2parts soft sand and 1 part portland cement).Starting with my border of tegulas to act as a frame, and then lay the falgs inside this.
Am I talking out of my a**e here,will this be ok to do??? I know the advice is to lay on drymix of 10:1 but I really dont fancy doing it that way as it seems it will be alot easier to lay level on mortar.???? Also since coming back from holiday it has rained every day....can you lay flags whilst it is raining either on a full bed of mortar or on a 10:1 mix...????
Or even better is there anyone out there in manchester,who wants to come and do it for me......cowboys need not apply
Last but not least.....please be gentle