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Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 8:03 am
by Tina
Hi. I need help! My new patio won't dry out its been down for a week now and there are damp patches in the corners. It's not rained for 3 days and everything else in the garden is bone dry! They start to dry towards the end of the day but by morning they are just as damp again!! They seem to be very porous and I was told not to point them until I've sealed them as they will soak the water and colour out and stain. But I can't seal them until they are completely dry and that's just not happening 
please help.
Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 8:08 am
by Tina
Forgot to say. They are brown blend Derbyshire paving slabs, Reconstituted stone. Laid on hardcore and a sharp sand and cement mix.
Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 8:48 am
by lemoncurd1702
Damp patches seem to be an ongoing thing in this part of the forum at the moment.
Photos would be a great help.
If you have difficulty uploading pics, put them on google or picassa or something and paste link.
Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 11:01 am
by lutonlagerlout
could be spot bedding,a picture will help us Tina
it is fairly damp for this time of year though
LLL
Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 2:20 pm
by Tina
Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 2:23 pm
by Tina
Thank you
I've sent a link for a photo, not sure if it worked though! let me know if it didn't and I'll try again
Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 6:33 pm
by lemoncurd1702
I think it may be the release oil from the moulds used to make the slabs.
They look like wet cast slabs which don't generally draw moisture.
It will weather out soon enough and don't seal until it does.
Can't see why pointing them would pose any problems though. Normally pointing comes as part and parcel of the job, seems they didn't fancy doing it.
Draw the colour out, what rubbish.
What are you going to point it with?
Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2016 7:22 pm
by Tina
I was going to use a sand and cement mix. Is there a better option?
Thank you for your help with this
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 8:18 am
by Tina
It's quite a big area so he told me to brush a dry mix of sand and cement into the cracks and wait for rain. Does this work? I'm not sure if I trust anything this guy says anymore!!
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 8:32 am
by rxbren
If that's the advice you have had I'd doubt any part of it has been laid right
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 9:04 am
by Tina
Oh dear, I hope that's not true. They seem quite solid. I think he had some quite old fashioned techniques ???
What should I use instead? Any advice will be much appreciated
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 9:05 am
by lemoncurd1702
Yes absolute rubbish advice. As I said it should be done by the contractor, but not that way.
When you look at the joints, how deep are they, i.e can you see the sub-base and just cement at the corners?
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 9:41 am
by Tina
I can see the sand and cement mix all the way along the joints. They are quite deep too.
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 5:37 pm
by lemoncurd1702
If the cement is roughly level with the bottom of the slabs, about 30-40mm then buy some Marshalls weatherpoint from a builders merchant and do what it says on the tin.
If there is a possibility that the grouting compound can disappear under the paving to a great degree, we'll need a different workaround.
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 9:44 pm
by dig dug dan
Easijoint is an alternative to the marshalls weatherpoint, as not all builders merchants stock it. Just avoid geofix