Replacing old Patios joins

[Keitai]

Is the best way to chip out all the old grout/pointing then use a pointing gun and bucket handle?

On the photo below someone (not me) smeared it on the slabs. To avoid this is it best to use two pieces of wood then use the gun to put say 5 to one cement/sand mix? Or how about the bags of grow (in photo below)?

 

[John D v2.0]

You'll need to replace the slabs to get rid on the staining, unless you're happy to grind it off.
Then use a semi damp building sand to cement 4 to 1 mix, and pack it in and point with a pointing tool firmly.
Then sweep off the loose after an hour or so
Then keep it damp for a few days to cure.

 

[Keitai]

You'll need to replace the slabs to get rid on the staining, unless you're happy to grind it off.
Then use a semi damp building sand to cement 4 to 1 mix, and pack it in and point with a pointing tool firmly.
Then sweep off the loose after an hour or so
Then keep it damp for a few days to cure.

He should of sponged it off before it dried I guess to avoid staining

 

[HERTS P&D]

Are you doing this for a paying customer?

Andy

 

[John D v2.0]

He should of sponged it off before it dried I guess to avoid staining

No it should not have been such a wet mix and it could have been swept off. Any disaster like that would have to be flushed away wet before it cured and start again.
Also, the sand in your photo is nothing to do with pointing slabs. It's for flexible block paving

 

[Keitai]

No it should not have been such a wet mix and it could have been swept off. Any disaster like that would have to be flushed away wet before it cured and start again.
Also, the sand in your photo is nothing to do with pointing slabs. It's for flexible block paving

This is a patio I was labouring on for my mate, the pointing should be perfectly straight shouldnt it? And is the staining cos the mortar was too wet? I think only special cleaning chemical will remove it now. I'm asking because these two different guys caused stains and I've been asked to do some so wanna learn from their mistakes.

Water added but still crumbly (not like brick mortar) I guess

Might be safer to gaffer tape the edges

 

[John D v2.0]

in my mind the main problem with that is the joints are all over the place! Not sure if that's what you mean by straight, but it's not a pointing problem, the issue happened when laying the slabs initially.

 

[MisterBoy]

In a recent path we had laid, they used "Jointex" which seemingly was just swept/filled into the gaps and left to go off. No guns needed. Not if it could be an option for the OP.

 

[Keitai]

In a recent path we had laid, they used "Jointex" which seemingly was just swept/filled into the gaps and left to go off. No guns needed. Not if it could be an option for the OP.

I meant not lined up