Best way to point paving??

[Ian C]

I have been laying flags for about 10 years and the gun is the best method I have found. Quick and easy, the other methods take to long or blow out when washed. I am happy how I do it.

 

 

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well thats fine then, if it works for you all is good.

[Hodge]

a mate of mine slabbed my patio for me but i told him that i would point them, because i wanted something i could pressure wash without blowing everything out, the method i used was to make a strong sand cement mix to the consistency of thick gravy then add a good dollop of unibond and pour into the joints with a jug or pointing gun, it goes off like steel, they have been down about 8 years now and pressure washed every year. ive seen some guys brushing a dry mix into the joints, total waste of time.

 

The uni bond/ova is a good idea, I use waterproofed or ova in my mix as a lot of people don't waterproof there mirror and it fails after a while. The pointing should be there to finish the job not to hold the flags down as I have seen in the past.

 

 

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[brewpup]

Guns are crap. Been pointing loads of m2 of York stone over my 25 years in restoration and you won't beat getting on your knees with gauging trowel and a thin spline of wood and ramming scrunch dry 3-1 plastering sand - white cement. Strike the mortar both ways from edge of slabs to form shallow upstanding v . On normal slab still have mortar the same still ram with spline. But use joint iron or a shaped wood jointer. Guns do not get it solid. But is quicker. So would the phone calls saying my pointing has fallen out.

[Mick Stockbridge]

Brickies trowel and a six inch piece of garden hose.

[Hodge]

Guns are crap. Been pointing loads of m2 of York stone over my 25 years in restoration and you won't beat getting on your knees with gauging trowel and a thin spline of wood and ramming scrunch dry 3-1 plastering sand - white cement. Strike the mortar both ways from edge of slabs to form shallow upstanding v . On normal slab still have mortar the same still ram with spline. But use joint iron or a shaped wood jointer. Guns do not get it solid. But is quicker. So would the phone calls saying my pointing has fallen out.

 

I have never had a complaint about the pointing falling out from using a gun. I guess everyone has there preferred method.

 

 

 

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[brewpup]

The sub base has a lot to do with pointing stay in. A good compacted base of hardcore/ type 1 to a good depth Maybe 6 inches .And a 2 inch bed of mortar 7-1. Will with stand a bit of frost heave more than cutting your turf off.I always think.

[davetaz]

best stuff is Geofix jointing compound or something similar

[5 shires]

sometimes it depends on what kind of slabs you are repointing.deep or shallow riven or just smooth?

 

All landscapers have a preference how to do this and repointing is always harder to do as opposed to when laying new.

 

I always lay my slabs on a wet mix as I go along and by the time a couple of sq mtrs have been laid its workable to point up with out making a mess.

 

After 30 yrs doing this of course you get it dwn to a fine art but still not rocket science.

 

For repointing just make sure you take out as much as the old pointing as possible and to do this propyl takes ages but you need good depth for the new pointing.

 

The most important factor is the mix you use, i use a building and sharp sand smi wet mix just enough that when you squeeze some in you hand it holds together.

 

One more little tip is use some normal garden hosepipe cut into 6"pieces to use to press the mortor into the joints.

 

Forgot to say you want to do a 3 and one mix' 2parts sharp,one part building and one cement just make the cement a good one.

[muttley9050]

Guns are fine and definately not amateur. I use regularly to repoint brickwork but not slabs. Slabs I use semi dry 3:1 sharp2 soft 1 cement 1. Just wet enough to not stain slabs. Type of slabs depends how wet you can get away with. Wetter the better though. I use a coconut brush kept clean, bricklaying trowel and steel jointing iron( homemade from bucket or bin handle). If customer specifies birds beak pointing I use pointing trowel instead of iron. This costs more, and most don't want it. Repointing is 20mm bear minimum depth on slabs. 15mm on brickwork. If you use a gun, keep super clean mortar and have long tent peg to hand to clear blockages.

[burrell_]

put 3 buckets of sand in the mixer DO NOT PUT cement in till the sand is damp

point with a damp mix and dont let it dry out

point with pointin irons (make the out of steel bar)

U NEED TO GET THE SAND DAMP BEFORE PUTTIN CEMENT IN

add 1 bucket of cement and if u can get a hand full and squish it in ur hand and it stay hard thats good

the aim is not to point wet

push the pointing mix into the joints with the iron till its solid

hope that help im not great at explaining how to do things but thats the cleanest way