Weather conditions for laying stone paving - Laying flags in the rain!?

[Jiggler]

Hi there
I'm a bit of a newbie and had no idea there was a forum on this site.

I use this site before during and after I undertake any diy work in the garden. Recently i undertook my biggest project to lay a stone paved patio over apprx 18m2 of my back garden.

It has been a long slog and has taken me a month of after work sessions and weekends excavating, hand tamping and laying curved block paved lawn edging (set in mortar) to border the stone paving!

I am now at the stage of laying my paving and have elected to lay on a 5:1 mix of dry sand and cement. I intend to point the joints with mortar when i am done laying.

Anyway, all was going well and then it started to rain. I was hoping to finish my patio this week but the weather forecast is for rain all week!

My question may seem daft but is it possible to carry on laying the patio in these damp conditions? I probably would not if it was really pouring but if it was drizzling and/or scattered showers would I have a chance or would i be best to wait for drier conditions?

Also, I did lay about 4m2 of the patio before the heavens opened and had an impulse to cover my work. Is this pointless or was i right to cover it to protect from the rain? Would such protection also be warranted in frosty conditions also?

Thanks

[ilovesettsonmondays]

hi ,i was also laying my patio yesterday .i left it to be honest when it rained .when frosty best to cover over night.you can lay in light rain .rain makes mess though .

[Jiggler]

are you laying your patio on mortar or dry bed? did u bother covering yours? I ask because its only on reflection that i thought i probably didnt need to cover it as i was lying it on a dry bed

[jojones55]

I think it is fine to lay in the rain as long as there will not be any puddles of water standing around the freshly laid flags. So you might need to use a plastic cover or even a temporary chanel to get rid of water.

[Jiggler]

Thanks for your responses.

i held off from laying in rain but laid in light drizzle and light showers. i think u guys were probably right. the only issue was walking in the mud created by the water. it made it twice as hard to keep the dry bed from becoming contaminated with mud from my boots-but it turned out alright