paving stone nightmare

[greenboy78]

Help me please.

I have just moved into a property and have a reasonable sized backyard (all block paved). It is a standard type block paving that has been layed. However, due to my lack of experience in DIY or anything around the home and garden for that matter I am a little unsure on how to approach the situation.

The main problem is that it clearly has not been pointed. There seems to be a mud like mixture between the bricks that provides no support or adheasion whatsoever. As a consequence the bricks are uneven and littered with weeds.

Furthermore, when trying to pressure wash, this mud like substance seems to just blash up all over and has left gaping gaps. Again, making the situation worse!!

I have no idea what this substance is, therefore do not know whether to remove all of it or some of it and just add a dry mix mortor on the top? In hindsight I should have maybe asked the previous owner what the hell it is, however did not.

Another thought was to get a professional in to excavate and relay, I simply cannot afford this being a first time buyer with plenty of other things to be getting on with.

Im looking for the simplest most cost effective way of making this situation manageable (i.e easy to clean, no weeds and no risk of rising damp). My priority is not how it looks at present.

any ideas?

Thanks for taking the time to read.

Dave

 

[dextrous]

What are the distances between the blocks? If they are butted up against each other, the normal thing is to brush dry sand it, but if wider, then a dry mortar mix may have been used which doesn't always set hard properly since it hasn't been compacted, and what you have is, in effect, a mixture of sand, cement and, you guessed it - mud

 

[greenboy78]

Thanks for replying dextrous,

The gaps are between 20 and 30mm or thereabouts.

Pretty sure its is useless what ever the mixture is.

Thanks
Dave

 

[dextrous]

Am a bit confused - do you mean block paving or concrete slabs?

 

[bobby spray]

Hey m8. can you post a pic. then we can tell you what to do. If the gaps are 30mm it aint block paved which is butted and dry sand swept in.

 

[greenboy78]

Cheers lads,

It is block paving, here is a pic. take a look.

backyard

• greenboy78
• 8 May 2009
• 2

hope you can see it ok.

Dave

 

[bobby spray]

EEEEKK. Never seen that before. Most unusual. First off I would get the cr@p out of the joints.. all of it. Then I would use something lime a Romex patio sweep in type synthetic mortar. That is unless oyu fancy a few weeks on your knees pointing that lot.

 

[greenboy78]

Cheers Bobby,

Thanks for that info, you have confirmed what I had already been told. There are some gaps between about 5 and 7cm aswell, along with some butted up together, would this method still apply?

Untitled

• greenboy78
• 8 May 2009
• 1

Untitled

• greenboy78
• 8 May 2009
• 1

 

[dextrous]

Pigs ear of a job, as you are already aware. Since you are not in the current position of replacing or relaying it, but want it looking ok for a couple of years, I'd go for cleaning out a good 30-40mm of what's there (karcher it out), spraying weedol over it all, brushing sharp sand into the joints and watering them in with a hosepipe to help compact it, until you have about 15-20mm depth gap. Let this dry. Then fill with the synthetic mortar stuff already referred to. The reason why you should fill with sand first is because the mortar stuff will get to be quite expensive if you fill to such depths over such a large area.

 

[greenboy78]

Cheers guys,

Well, ive got the next 2 days to sort it, cant make it any worse than what it is i suppose. Will be taking both of your advice, thanks again.

Dave