How Would You Point This?

[EViS]

Finally finished laying 80m2 of Marshalls Woodstone paving on a mortar bed (3:1.5:1 sharp:building:cement) and its time to point. Due to the irregularity in this paving, the gaps vary between 2mm and 8mm. Seeing as this paving is extensively textured, brushing a dry-mix (or slurry for that matter) isn't an option. So, I see the options are:

1. Painstakingly trowel using a 4:1 building sand mix (with some plasticiser to help things along a tad). High risk of staining as the edges of every slab are different and in some cases stagger downwards.
2. Use a point gun with above mix. I haven't ever used a gun as they seem to get very mixed reviews, but might be just the ticket here.
3. Trowel using a dry polymeric sand. Probably the fastest method and zero risk of staining, but are these sands as good as using a standard mortar in terms of durability?

How would you guys go about pointing this type of paving?

Picture of paving (from Marshalls marketing material):

 

[joe-90]

just brush dry sand over it every now and again. You can't point up pavers.

 

[EViS]

These have been laid on mortar (3:1.5:1 sharp:building:cement) and do need to be pointed. Pointing is also recommended by Marshalls in their literature.

When you say 'pavers', are you referring to block paving which is butt-jointed? These slabs measure appox 900 x 220.

 

[r896neo]

ignore joe he doesn't know what they are.

Frankly dry brushing any mortar in is never an option other than uber **** paving on diy programs.

You will just have to bite the bullet and point traditionally. I have come round to using polymerics but as you say it would get caught in the fake splits and crevices.

You don't need to worry about staining too much as they are concrete after all and will have no adverse effects from using mortar acid as far as i know. BUT as always test on a discrete area or spare flag first

Personally i point by hand 4 plastering sand to 1 cement. I have found that guns are very prone to jamming if your sand has any grit in it.

 

[EViS]

Thanks for the reply mate. What's your opinion on the joints being so small (i.e. between 2 and 8 mm with a majority being around 3mm) and whether the mortar won't flake out after some time?

 

[joe-90]

Why did you lay them on mortar? What a waste of time that is - now the water can't soak between them and you'll get puddling.
I don't see mortar on your piccie.

 

[jdpjamesp]

Oops posted in error.

 

[r896neo]

Joe you clearly have no idea what these are? they are essentially 900 x225 flags and you can't lay a flag that size on sand.

Not to mention the fact that the mftrs instructions are to lay them on mortar.

What a waste of time it was for you to bother posting.

 

[EViS]

Took some pictures of the actual paving and the joints. Might be of more use for you guys to judge and advice upon as opposed to a manufacturers catalogue picture. Each picture has a £1 and 10p coin in a joint to provide some scale of the joint width ("where's wally" anyone?).

Narrowest joints (approx 20% of total area):


Widest joints (approx 20% of total area):


Majority of joints (approx 60%):

 

[r896neo]

With so many tight joints it looks like you'll have to use a slurry, either cement or polymeric. Or you could open the tighter joints up with a saw. This would leave probably very obvious straight edges.

A polymeric slurry will go off so fast that you'll struggle to clean the surface in time. A cement slurry would work but it requires a lot of attention and is not for the faint hearted as it can go badly wrong.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

If it was me i'd go for a slurry like rompox drain or gtfk and get a 3 people on the case with lots of various brushes and a hose. I hope you laid a good fall on them.

 

[joe-90]

Of course you can lay them on sand like you can any other flag. What nonsense you speak. Where do you think they will go to? Sink?

Take a look at the original picture.

 

[EViS]

With so many tight joints it looks like you'll have to use a slurry, either cement or polymeric. Or you could open the tighter joints up with a saw. This would leave probably very obvious straight edges.

A polymeric slurry will go off so fast that you'll struggle to clean the surface in time. A cement slurry would work but it requires a lot of attention and is not for the faint hearted as it can go badly wrong.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

If it was me i'd go for a slurry like rompox drain or gtfk and get a 3 people on the case with lots of various brushes and a hose. I hope you laid a good fall on them.

There's a 1:60 fall on the main area and a 1:80 along the sides. Thanks for the advice but a slurry across the entire area just wont work here, far too many crevices and holes in the slabs to get blocked up.

I take it that a polymeric applied by hand into each joint has no benefit over a traditional mortar?

 

[r896neo]

To be honest you will find it very difficult to point a joint less than 4mm with a normal dryish mix and may end up with half filled joints as its very difficult to iron it properly.

 

[EViS]

To be honest you will find it very difficult to point a joint less than 4mm with a normal dryish mix and may end up with half filled joints as its very difficult to iron it properly.

You can say that again! But unfortunately a slurry being brushed around is going to create a right mess on this type of paving IMO.

 

[ladylola]

I've made small pointing tools in the past by grinding down old table knives (the sort you eat with) for pointing work on tight ashlar stones. Takes a lot of time though to get a decent amount of pointing in.
To be honest though looking at the design I can't help but think pointing would look out of place on "wooden " blocks like you have.