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The question I have is if the joints need raking out and repointing is that due to a poor mix, too much direct cleaning ie pressure washing, or pointing completed when too hot or too cold, if so whats the likely hood that the paving has been laid on a poor mix and rather than waste time and money pointing investigate the laying material first and then guage whether pointing is the correct answer...
the patio is only two years old,and has been partially repointed once.put the pointing looks to be of a poor mix.
i have spent the last six weeks trying to seal the slabs,my company hasnt got the know how to lift and reset the patio,we could repoint the joints but. i have heard and seen pointing done last autumn pop out over the winter.
i think what paul says is right as i am busy for the next six weeks i will leave it till februaury.
On a slightly different note i passed another patio to a landscaper 10 weks ago to point,which he still hasnt done which has cost me the sealing job as it is now to wet to seal indian stone with acrylic sealant,that why i thought i may as well take on this job to do in the spring and gett my snagging money back before the summer.
if the existing pointing keeps failing I would be using one of the resin based pointing materials
Marshalls Weather Point 365 that can be used in the rain
or
GFTK vdw 840 plus from NCC Streetscape
both are very good products
I'm not sure what your worried about? pointing can be done right through winter as long as you heed the weather forecasts. I Don't use mortar in anything below 5.C and obviously dont point during prolonged rain or heavy showers. Aside from that it'll be fine. As long as its not frosty for 24 hours the mortar will cure fine. Just finished a repoint today in fact.
I have just been asked to rake out & re-point 130mt sq of Indian stone, been pointed up by 3 other company's & failed, when I went to the job I found it was the front of house were they park the cars on the paving, the reason the pointing is failing half the flags are rocking been laid by a plasterer I think, dot & dab. The gaps between the flags are 25MM-30MM
Told client all should be lifted & re-laid they thought I was taking the pi55 so I thanked them for the chance to quote & walked.
Also prior to full investigation I got a price for NCC streetscape wow nearly £2K materials.
Streetscape is good stuff but to expensive for this type of job.
Pointing can be completed all year round, apart from when its below 5deg. Same as brickwork, below 5deg the water molecules in the mix will freeze and form crystals, the gear would then cure, the crystals will melt leaving small air pockets in the motar, these will then fill with water, freeze and blow the joint. There are several 'air-cure jointing compound' products on the market these days, Geofix, pavefix etc, these are frost proof and if installed correctly form a SERIOUSLY tough joint. We use these on a professional level and the finish is excellent. Stonemarket have just launched their jointing product which goes in wet, left overs can be stored and used at a later date.
As above, if the paving is loose then don't bother jointing, it'll just work its way out again.
Paul @ POC Landscaping
what would you recommend to point calder brown slabs looks like it was done with a dry mix of sand and cement before
geofix is total rubbish, does not last more than a year
if you looking at polymeric grout look no further than marshals weatherpoit or gftk840+
using the ready made stuff speeds job up no end, and can be used in rain
the stonemarket stuff is the same as marshals weatherpoint 365, stone market is owned by marshals all from same factory different lable