RE-Pointing Patio Advice Please

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The house I have just moved into has a patio that's in good condition apart from lots of areas where the pointing is missing from between the slabs.

Am I right in thinking that I can mix the sand and cement dry and pour it dry into the gaps? Then, go over with a watering can to add water to the mix?

Being ham-fisted, if I try to re-point with a wet mortar mixture and a trowel it will be a right mess.

If I can use the dry method, what sand/cement mix do I need? Any other advice appreciated.
 
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The dry method doesn't really work very well. And a watering can is too vigorous and will wash the mixture about a lot - if you do it that way just leave it to set naturally from dampness but it will still be a weak pointing and will crumble away. Also it is quite difficult to keep the dry mixture from getting onto the faces and it is very difficult indeed to brush the cement dust off them if you do.

Wet is best and not hard to do. Mix up a fairly wet mix (not pourable though) of about 6:1 soft sand to cement. get a small amount on a trowel and use another small trowel to feed 'strips' of the mortar off the side of the trowel into the joint. Finish with a jointing tool. Take it steady to start with until you have the knack of keeping it from getting onto the faces of the slabs.
 
It sounds like they've been laid badly so whatever you do it probably won't last that long. If I were you I'd wait until the mortar starts to go off - and then trowel it in with a pointing trowel That way you won't smear it everywhere.
 
A couple of offcuts of hardboard either side of the joint while you trowel it in and ahape it will help to prevent too much smearing
 
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A couple of offcuts of hardboard either side of the joint while you trowel it in and ahape it will help to prevent too much smearing
lol at hard board, if you birds beak the pointing you shouldnt have a stain on it

I suggested hardboard to protect the surrounding area from wayward mortar, and to act as a spot board - what is wrong with that?
 
Tip for you dex,knock up a mix 3 sharp 1 soft and 1 cement , Add water So the mix is just dampish , Use a bricklayers trowel to poke the mix into the joints,Then use a quality pointing trowel pressing the mortar along the edge of the slab about 2mm deep on a angle ,same thing other side of joint untill you have a small peak ,have a bucket of water handy So you can dip your pointing trowel in and go over what you pointed, but this time it will leave a nice smooth finish, leave a few hours and your be able to brush off loose Mortar with soft broom with out leaving any stains,and the pointing Looking Like i done it :)
 
Top tip indeed cowboy - tend to use a wetter mix myself which has a habit of staining unless I use my little spotboard as described.
 
try mortar gun from screw fix very easy to use and very neat
 
Tip for you dex,knock up a mix 3 sharp 1 soft and 1 cement , Add water So the mix is just dampish , Use a bricklayers trowel to poke the mix into the joints,Then use a quality pointing trowel pressing the mortar along the edge of the slab about 2mm deep on a angle ,same thing other side of joint untill you have a small peak ,have a bucket of water handy So you can dip your pointing trowel in and go over what you pointed, but this time it will leave a nice smooth finish, leave a few hours and your be able to brush off loose Mortar with soft broom with out leaving any stains,and the pointing Looking Like i done it :)

Laid a wee patio area over the past couple of days for the BBQ. Pointed it today using the above advice and it went really well.
 
Tip for you dex,knock up a mix 3 sharp 1 soft and 1 cement , Add water So the mix is just dampish , Use a bricklayers trowel to poke the mix into the joints,Then use a quality pointing trowel pressing the mortar along the edge of the slab about 2mm deep on a angle ,same thing other side of joint untill you have a small peak ,have a bucket of water handy So you can dip your pointing trowel in and go over what you pointed, but this time it will leave a nice smooth finish, leave a few hours and your be able to brush off loose Mortar with soft broom with out leaving any stains,and the pointing Looking Like i done it :)
nice 1 pants, glad to help , I was taught by the neatest landscaper bricklayer in south london and a good bit rubbed off on me :)

Laid a wee patio area over the past couple of days for the BBQ. Pointed it today using the above advice and it went really well.
 

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