Hi there,

I laid a patio last weekend using Marshalls Heritage Yorkstone paving
onto a weak dry sharp sand mortar mix over type 1 Mot. The mot was 4 - 6
inches deep and the sharp sand mortar was mixed 1 part cement to 10
parts sharp sand. No water was added.

Now, one week later I need to point the patio. The slabs themselves are
very solid with no movement in them at all. Should I use a wet mortar,
or a dry mix to point them? I have both building sand and sharp sand.
What sand should I use and what ratio? Dry or wet?

Thanks.

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Mark Allison, SQL Server MVP
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In article ,
Mark Allison wrote:

I laid a patio last weekend using Marshalls Heritage Yorkstone paving
onto a weak dry sharp sand mortar mix over type 1 Mot. The mot was 4 - 6
inches deep and the sharp sand mortar was mixed 1 part cement to 10
parts sharp sand. No water was added.

Now, one week later I need to point the patio. The slabs themselves are
very solid with no movement in them at all. Should I use a wet mortar,
or a dry mix to point them? I have both building sand and sharp sand.
What sand should I use and what ratio? Dry or wet?

The main choice is between a hard and soft mortar. The former will
last longer, discourage weeds better, but will let rain through
less well, and will damage the slabs if you ever need to take them
up for any reason.

I used 8 parts of sharp sand to one of cement, laid dry, and it is
a very soft mortar. Look at Cormaic's pages (hunt down the
uk.rec.gardening FAQ by a Web search) for other types.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
The main choice is between a hard and soft mortar. The former will
last longer, discourage weeds better, but will let rain through
less well, and will damage the slabs if you ever need to take them
up for any reason.

I used 8 parts of sharp sand to one of cement, laid dry, and it is
a very soft mortar. Look at Cormaic's pages (hunt down the
uk.rec.gardening FAQ by a Web search) for other types.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Thanks, I used a 1:4 dry mix of cement:soft sand in the end. I watered
the gaps first. We'll see what happens, looks OK.

Mark.