Block Paving - Wet Jointing

[lj329]

Hi All

We had our old 1970s slab concrete drive replaced with a shiny block paving drive about 2 months ago, but because of the wet weather the pavers have never dried enough to sweep in the final kiln dry sand and actually finish the drive.

The company that laid the drive initially told me that the drive had to be bone dry to finish it off but now have come back and said it can be wet jointed with sand slurry.

Is this process valid and what does it involve?

Thanks for any replies as I have spent a lot of money getting this far and I don't want to ruin the drive for this last part

cheers

 

[^woody^]

now have come back and said it can be wet jointed with sand slurry.

Those turkeys got that one out of a cracker.

They should have put the sand in before they mounted their horses.

They could have ran over with the whacker while brushing the sand in. They still could.

 

[pilsbury]

Mid way block paving my drive (done a patio once before)..... and having watched loads of YouTube videos makes me “expert level” I think . Never once heard mention a sand slurry. This I think smells of ******.
I’ve been watching the weather like a hawk as I expect to finish the blocking this week and there is not a dry day in sight. This means to me the drive is out of action till the block surface is bone dry and the kiln dried sand will flow nicely into the cracks. But then again, if there is a small window to dry the block surface out, won’t the cracks still be damp and clag up the sand?

I’d leave the sand slurry if I were you and wait till they’re dry - whenever the hell that will be.

 

[cdbe]

I slurried my sand in, as I faced the same situation with no prospect of dry weather (and it needs to be bone dry or the sand just clumps up). I would say it's a recognised "last resort" as it's hard work and slow. I'm sure I found this on pavingexpert but in the forum (Brew cabin) rather than the main website.

Hosepipe, saturate the sand till it's liquid then brush around with soft brush, it slowly washes in, the sand settles and displaces the water which bubbles out - repeat until joints full!

Whatever you do it will need topping up as it settles over the following weeks/months - I used to have a plastic pop bottle filled with kiln dried and every few days would go round and "pour" a bit in any gaps.

 

[lj329]

Thanks, the Contractor is getting quite insistent and has referenced

http://www.pavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/ib3/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=8;t=8649

which is the info I think @cdbe is referring to.

There is also a Facebook group - UKPavingTalkGroup that mentions the technique:


The problem I have is that the Drive will take at least a decent week of weather to dry, which I doubt we will get until the spring, and in the meantime we are parking 3 cars all around the cul-de-sac and getting heat from all the neighbours, but i still need to make sure the job is finished properly.

I suppose the question is - Can it do any harm if it went wrong?

 

[^woody^]

Thanks, the Contractor is getting quite insistent and has referenced

http://www.pavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/ib3/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=8;t=8649

LOL. A contractor referencing a post on an internet forum to validate his professional reasoning. WTF?

You could do a lot of things but that does not make them right, his poxy method is still a halfarsed cowboy bodge.

The sand needs to be dry when it goes in, else it forms air pockets. A slurry, funnily enough contains water which when removed leaves errr air pockets.

All this should have been done once the blocks were laid as the sand stops individual blocks moving and tipping. But here we are.

Work on drives, roads, paths etc goes on in winter and even after summer rains. Anyone doing this type of work that requires a surface to be dry will have some propane burners to dry the surface. Voilà. They wont refer you to a random internet post to validate they poxy idea.

 

[^woody^]

Just a thought, could I boil an egg and time it with a slurry egg-timer?

Probley best stick to an omlette.

 

[pilsbury]

Anyone doing this type of work that requires a surface to be dry will have some propane burners to dry the surface. Voilà.

Now this was a thought of mine.... might finish my blocking Thursday but it is p1ssing down all day and also Friday. But Saturday morning it’s dry. I might be able to dry the surface, but won’t the gaps be wet and clag the sand as soon as some falls in leaving the base hollow?

 

[^woody^]

Now this was a thought of mine.... might finish my blocking Thursday but it is p1ssing down all day and also Friday. But Saturday morning it’s dry. I might be able to dry the surface, but won’t the gaps be wet and clag the sand as soon as some falls in leaving the base hollow?

I've done it with a small blow lamp on areas and it dries fast and nicely including in the joints. But for your size drive it may need a triple or multi head torch and large cylinder.

But even if the blocks are just a little damp, you can brush what you can in, then spread a thin layer of sand on before going over it with the whacker and it will go in. Just keep the whacker moving so as not to vibrate any gound moisture up the joints.

 

[pilsbury]

Got a mate with a propane cylinder and a roofing torch. Might have a bash with that.

 

[lj329]

Thanks all for the replies, I might try and hire a few patio heaters when we get a couple of dry days to speed things along.

 

[pilsbury]

Thanks all for the replies, I might try and hire a few patio heaters when we get a couple of dry days to speed things along.

Not patio heaters mate. Propane roofers torch.

 

[^woody^]

Great, sounds like a BBQ.

 

[Ian H]

I’d let your contractor do it how he wants if he’s guaranteeing it.

 

[pilsbury]

I’d let your contractor do it how he wants if he’s guaranteeing it.

I take it that you’re replying to the OP. My “contractor” is a bit of a wild card