pointing clay brick pavers

[bludger]

Hello,

I've a couple of areas of sand filled brick pavers. The joints sprout weeds and grass beautifully and I'm getting tired of raking them out.

I do kill them with roundup first but I have to be careful as there are nice shrubs bordering the pavers and the roots can be just under them. So I have to give a width berth to the rooting areas with the roundup.

Is there substitute for the sand which wouldl be a permanent solution? I'm thinking of, say, a resinous cement pointing compound, or something, which will stick in place. Ordinary mortar won't do it as the pointing gaps aren't wide enough and brooming the bricks would soon loosen the stuff up.

Some advice here would be appreciated.

 

[Thermo]

round up wont affect the roots under the paving, it is absorbed in through the leaves and drawn down to the roots, so as long as you dont spray the actual shrubs above ground its safe to use.

as for the block paving, it is a flexible surface and any attempt to point the gaps will simply end up in it breaking up over a short period.

 

[groviw]

The simple answer is to give it a good clean, resand the joints with fresh kiln dried sand, and then seal the surface with block paving or patio sealer. This will seal all the sand in place, prevent further weed growth and restore the colour back to your tired clay blocks !

 

[bludger]

Well Thermo, I didn't know that about Roundup. That will save me some work in the future.

I'll look into patio and paver sealer immediately, Groviw.

Thanks for your replies and information.