Indian Sandstone "loose flags"

[1APM]

Hi,

I had an Indian Sandstone patio laid at the start of the year but at the time the weather turned and frost / rain spoilt the pointing.

We have raked and cleaned out all of the pointing which was very sandy but noticed that about a third of the flags can be easily lifted from their mortar bed. They were laid on a full mortar bed with a wet mix.

The contractors doing the repointing feel the flags should be left alone as they are not rocking, just not adhered to the bed. They believe the new pointing and the fact that the bottom of the flags are heavily riven and shaped to the bed will hold them in place.

I feel that perhaps we should try to re-bed any loose flags now in case they move and spoil the pointing. In many cases you can hear the flags are loose when you walk on them.

What do others think?

Thanks very much.

[Thermo]

they should be re-lifted and re-bedded, unless the contractor wants to keep coming back and re-pointing them. He took a risk laying it then and it hasnt come off. If a customer complains to us about a loose paving slab we re-do it, simple as that.

[1APM]

Thanks very much for your reply thermo.

As there are so many flags involved they believe that to cut out the bed properly will obviously disturb all of the remaining sound flags.

Today they have tried an idea which was to lift the flags individually. Clean out the sound bed, pva both the flag and the bed and re-lay the flags back in exactly their original position on a wet cement wash.

Do you rate a chance of success?

Regards

[Thermo]

they are talking absolute garbage. The existing cement bed needs to be chopped out, with a bolster and club hammer and removed and the slab rebedded on a mortar base again.

PVA is a water based product, so what do they think will happen to it? A wet cement wash will do s** all. Tell them to do it properly. How many have they got to re-do? It sounds like thye are trying to find the quickest and cheapest way of doing it. it wont work and they will be back to do it again (although i somehow think they wont!)

got any pictures of it?

[deko]

I've similar problem to 1APM but would like to know if it can be remedied using epoxy resin instead.

The patio was laid last september on a wet mix. However the weather turned against me and I didn't get time to point the joints before the onset of winter.

Now I've noticed some of the flags are creaking underfoot and a couple can be lifted clean off the base.

The flags are not rocking, just loose, so I was wondering if I can use an epoxy resin or similar to stick them back down, rather than hack away the existing base and rebed them.

Thanks
d.

[Thermo]

do it properly. take the up and relay them now, otherwise youll have the pointing to take out as well. exopy is a load of s***te. why do you think not many professionals use it?

[deko]

I feared that

Thanks Thermo

[Thermo]

wont take as long as you think