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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 12:12 pm
by Dominichowkins
Hi All
I am very much hoping someone can save my patio.
Last year we undertook a fairly substantial task (for an office bod) laying a large patio (circa 70m2)... this all went well until my Father in Law and Wife decided they were going to point it up one weekend while i i was away. It was a sterling effort and i was surprised they did it so quickly (1 day)....
Essentially i have been left with Mortar everywhere and multiple smears across the entire area... i have tried just about everything (acid on a small patch, pressure wash, wire brush) and am now thinking about sandblasting to get it back to basics and then re point.
Is sandblasting an option - the slabs are sandstone (Natural England from Travis Perkins)
Any thoughts or suggestions very much appreciated
I will upload some images when i work out how..
Dom
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 1:10 pm
by Dominichowkins
Ok cant find out how to post images and this topic is pretty useless without it..... help please.
Happy to email to a moderator if needs be?
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 6:41 pm
by dig dug dan
Pics would help.
you need to upload them to a photobucket site or the like, then lost a link to them.
Do you know what mix they used? What sand, what type of cement? They didnt brush it in and hose it off did they?
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2017 8:17 pm
by seanandruby
Dom, go to noticeboard on main page, there are instructions for uploading photo's on it.
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 8:19 am
by Dominichowkins
Here we go - hope this works
NO they didn't brush it in thank god
Being fair i have to say both my Wife and Father are very practical and have built all kinds of things (walls, buildings, etc) i just think this was a job requiring patience and detail and thats not their besyt trait.
The mix was something like 3 sand, 1 white cement and 1 lime
Thanks for your help folks
[IMG]https://www.dropbox.com/s/ko1ayamcy56t7 ... g?dl=0[IMG]
[IMG]https://www.dropbox.com/s/2lcqfxt8kgyig ... g?dl=0[IMG]
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 4:17 pm
by BenM
yikes!
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 8:07 pm
by lutonlagerlout
EEK! my eyes!!
that is one of the worst I have ever seen
mortar was waaaaay too wet for pointing
acid *may* take it off ,try a test patch first
beyond bad I feel for you fella
LLL 
Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2017 8:52 pm
by lemoncurd1702
I find rubbing the mortar using a piece of offcut paving works, but looks a mammoth task.
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 9:22 am
by Dominichowkins
Thanks guys - i have tried acid but no joy.
Will try paving offcut this pm
How about sandblasting?
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 9:44 am
by Tony McC
Dom's photies.....
Trying to clean mortar stains such as these with acid is fraught with problems. The *whole* of the flagstone has to be cleaned, not just the stains; the acid may well cause permanent damage to the stone; it will quite likely need several treatments; it may not get rid of every mark; and it may well leve a residual stain where other salts from the mortar have penetrated the sandstone.
When I do my professional assessments for the courts, faced with such an eyesore, I would normally recommend outright replacement. I only usually suggest sand/grit blasting when it's an expensive/hard-to-source/treasured stone because it brings problems of its own, not least of which is the bloody mess (and the cost!)
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 9:59 am
by Dominichowkins
Thank you Tony
ok so this is an official nightmare!! I cant afford to do a complete replacement - it would cost a fortune
If i was to try acid what product would be best to use?
Would i then need to seal it - again what product would be best?
Please can elaborate on the challenges of grit blasting - do you think it might break the slabs as sandstone?
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 10:26 am
by seanandruby
Feel for you m8.
It's a long shot but i wonder if diamond polishing discs would take it off? It couldn't look any worse :;):
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 11:17 am
by Dominichowkins
Thanks Sean
I have had a quick go attaching a wire brush to a drill head and that kind of worked but left some damage to the slab
Can you suggest a type of pad?
Sorry for asking but i am not familiar with these products
Starting a feel like there is now way to sort this...
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 11:20 am
by Dominichowkins
Also would a polishing pad leave a 'gleen' as opposed a matt look to the slab?
Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 11:27 am
by Azpects
Dominichowkins wrote:Thank you Tony
ok so this is an official nightmare!! I cant afford to do a complete replacement - it would cost a fortune
If i was to try acid what product would be best to use?
Would i then need to seal it - again what product would be best?
Please can elaborate on the challenges of grit blasting - do you think it might break the slabs as sandstone?
Morning Dom,
Brick Acid should take it off but it could cause further damage to the Natural Stone so avoid that. You could solve your first problem but create another with equally unattractive results.
We make a Mortar Stain Remover designed for removing excess mortar; with some hard work and elbow grease it will help to remove it
http://www.azpects.co.uk/product....er.aspx
We make sealers also but I'd recommend you're completely happy with your clean up job before proceeding with any sealing
If you'd like some advice from our technical team, you're welcome to give us a call on 01473 760777
