Repairing a cowboy patio build

Aeropars · Post: # 63126Post **Aeropars** Thu May 05, 2011 8:40 pm

Hello all.

A coulpe of years ago I got stiffed by a cowboy and he layed a patio on a bed of hardcore as you would expect. After a year the pointing has pretty much come up and is totally loose but on inspection its all pretty much sand.

Anyhow, I plan to repair it at the weekend and I have pulled out all the old pointing. Theres a few loose slabs which i'll re-lay but my main question is what to do with the pointing. Can anyone give me some suggestions?

Some slabs have been raised by about 5cm form the hardcore with cement and therefor theres a cavity underneath/between slabs.

Any help is greatly apreciated and avoid using ultimate landscapes in Leicester!

Lee

Post: # 63136Post **seanandruby** Thu May 05, 2011 9:56 pm

.........o dear hope it wasn't to painful :;):
if they are laid on hardcore with voids underneath you might want to investigate further, take some up and see what they are really laid on.

Pablo · Post: # 63138Post **Pablo** Thu May 05, 2011 10:11 pm

Hi Lee, If I was honest it sounds like it should be relaid on a mortar bed. If you point flags that are laid on a flexible base the pointing will quickly come loose and you'll be back to where you are today. No fancy mortar or method will fix the problem and in the long run relaying it will be cheaper because the flags will last longer. What sort of paving is it.

Aeropars · Post: # 63139Post **Aeropars** Thu May 05, 2011 10:15 pm

Thanks for the reply. I had a few up today and the slabs are laid on hardcore but then cemented in place. Imhappy that I can relay some slabs but then don't know what to do about pointing. It's never going to be perfect buthas to begetter than what it is now.

Aeropars · Post: # 63174Post **Aeropars** Fri May 06, 2011 7:59 am

Pablo wrote:Hi Lee, If I was honest it sounds like it should be relaid on a mortar bed. If you point flags that are laid on a flexible base the pointing will quickly come loose and you'll be back to where you are today. No fancy mortar or method will fix the problem and in the long run relaying it will be cheaper because the flags will last longer. What sort of paving is it.

Thanks for the reply.

The stones are some fabricated slabs. I have no idea on the exact make.

When you say a mortar bed, are you meaning a sand and cement mix? I'm not too familiar with the terminology. The existing patio seems to have had the slabs laid on sand and cement mix but it's really just. On the 4 corners of slabs. Idle inclined to agree on the relaying but this is really a temporary fix to make it look nice for a year or so while I save for a new one.

mickavalon · Post: # 63223Post **mickavalon** Sat May 07, 2011 7:24 am

Lifting them up and relaying isn't going to cost much, if that's all you've to do. the preperations done, get them up, clean any crap off, re-level and away you go. As long as the sub-base is formed well and the falls are correct you've only got to buy some sand and cement. Lay them on a solid bed and point with any one of the various products stated in the main site, depending on whats available local to you. Unless your talking a very large are, it's not going to cost a lot.