27-01-2003, 12:14 PM
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Cut Flagstone Patio. Mortored or dry install?
(kellysheroes) wrote in message om...
We're planning on having a 1000 ft2 flagstone patio installed. We
have received estimates for both a dry install with rock/stone(?) dust
and a mortored install. What are the pros and cons of each. We live
in Northern Virginia by Washington DC. We do have a large, mature
sugar maple that will be approximately 6 feet from one corner of the
patio. Our concerns are these roots and heave. We want a very flat
surface which leads us to mortored, but are afraid of cracking in the
cement due to the roots. We believe that we can repair any root
movement in a dry install, but worry about the overall flatness over a
period of time. Thoughts?
Cost is the main reason most people go with stone on sand or stone
dust base, with sand or crushed stone fill in the joints. I
personally like it better because to me it looks more natural. It
allows the deck to flex and heave without cracking. Done right it will
hold up for a long time. It may not stay as flat as those set in
concrete, but if done right the heaving shouldnt be very noticeable.
Some people dont like the loose fill since it will be floating around
some, stuck to bare feet, or moved around with heavy rains
A sand or dust base with mortored joints never has made sense to me.
Because it has a flexible base but a rigid fill, the deck will flex
and heave which will without fail crack the joints
A stone deck set on a well engineered concrete base will usually stay
flat and will not have loose fill floating around. It looks a little
cleaner and maybe a little more formal looking. It should be quite a
bit more expensive.
This is the case in my area(north Texas), if you live up north, I dont
have a clue about what frost heave does to these things.
Hope this helps,
Bryan
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