Repointing slabs

[Mike em]

Hi all,

Was thinking of repointing slabs in the garden and was wondering if I need to first remove the old mortar completely before putting new one or just the the main loose bits?
Many thanks

 

[John D v2.0]

Remove it all if possible or at least to a clean edge.
You might find it hard to match the colour for a patch repair.
Did the pointing fail due to bad pointing or because the base is not stable?

 

[Mike em]

Thanks, that's what I feared.
I'm not sure why the pointing failed, we moved in last year and if was already like that. Maybe it was just old, or just poorly done.
If you have any good tips how to quickly and efficiently remove old mortar, I would welcome them with open arms.

 

[opps]

Thanks, that's what I feared.
I'm not sure why the pointing failed, we moved in last year and if was already like that. Maybe it was just old, or just poorly done.
If you have any good tips how to quickly and efficiently remove old mortar, I would welcome them with open arms.

If the slabs rock when you walk on them, I don't think any mortar will survive (I might be wrong though).