Lack of suitable joint spacers is driving me crazy (my 1st flagstone walkway)

It doesn't appear thet you are laying flagstones; it appears that you are
cutting stones into tiles and laying tiles.  NP, it is your walk.

I've never done flags but I have done considerable Saltillo tile (which is
pretty irregular).  I space them with my fingers and eyeballs.
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Lay the others then cut the last to fit the space.

--

dadiOH
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Here is the final laid stone.

It turned out that spacing them wasn't all that difficult. I did it by
eye as I gave up on my spacer ideas, all of which turned out to be
unworkable in practice.

Here is a pic of the final spacing:
 http://picturepush.com/public/7517997

You can get dowel rods, round or square, in almost any width from 1/16th to
1 inch or more at the box store. I used 4 of 3/8ths-inch to lay ceramic
tile. They worked out FAR better than the little foam crosses.

you don't need a spacer for the entire joint. you can cut 1" pieces of
your pencils and use them on end, one near each end of the joint.

i've never seen any pro use spacers with flagstone; they're usually too
irregularly shaped to use spacers. you appear to be making tiles with
your flag, so approach this the way a tiler would, not a flag layer
would. you can get plastic X spacers in the tile section in various sizes.

Up until you said that, I hadn't realized that you are correct.

My flagstones edges are cut so evenly that, in effect, they're tile.

I was just trying to mimic the original cuts.

Maybe I misread what the original cuts were ... so .... I'll snap a
picture or two of the originals and ask you if they were laid as tile or
as flagstone.

Maybe I mis-interpreted the straight cuts and even joints in the original
flagstone step that I am trying to mimic?

Would you say this closeup of the original flagstone shows they laid it
as "tile" or "flagstone"?
 http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/7483816/img/7483816.jpg

All I was trying to do was mimic the same style:
 http://www2.picturepush.com/photo/a/7483815/img/7483815.jpg

Any suggestions before I proceed?

you misunderstood. the material is flagstone. usually, flagstone is laid
in large uneven chunks.

<http://www.sitepalace.com/lazygardens/landscape/atrium_starting4b_small.jpg>

you're cutting your flagstone into very regular pieces, to LOOK like
tile. in that case, you're trying to get very even grout joints,
something that is not usual with most flagstone installations.

so, think like a tiler rather than a normal flagstone layer. use tile
spacers. you can purchase plastic tile spacers that are very regularly
sized, or you can make your own. if the pencil you're using is the size
joint you want, then just cut a couple up into small pieces and use them
on end.

Ah, I see.

I'm laying flagstone 'as if it were' tile!

Tile = Regular sized, regular pattern, & regular spacing
Flagstone = Irregular sized, irregular pattern, and irregular spacing

I bought a another twenty Home Depot pencils to use as spacers for my
'tile-like' flagstone layout.

But what was the ORIGINAL layout?
 http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/7483816/img/7483816.jpg

Were they laying that original stuff as flagstone or as tile?
  http://www2.picturepush.com/photo/a/7483815/img/7483815.jpg

Actually, today, after cutting all the sandstone to shape (as tile), I
laid out the remaining pieces as a (very rough) flagstone walkway.

The walkway needs quite a bit more work (it's just plopped down on the
grass at the moment) - but there's a clear difference in that there's
absolutely no need for spacers.

 http://www5.picturepush.com/photo/a/7493798/img/7493798.jpg

So, thanks for the advice!

Yes, they have been cut so they have straight edges.


Continue as you are doing.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
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Thanks. I've never done this before ... and I'm on my own ... so  ... I
do very much appreciate the advice!

That's EXACTLY what I did!

For better or worse, here's the final result, set in concrete & mortar:
 http://picturepush.com/public/7518004

Regarding the cracks on the existing end wall on the highest tier...

Stucco over block?  When/if you paint it, fix the cracks by rubbing caulk
into them before painting.  I've used both acrylic and urethane caulks,
acrylic for thin cracks (1/16 or so) urethane for wider ones.  Some of the
acrylic repairs are now about 15 years old, still good.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

I had mentioned offhand in one of the posts that these cracks are leaking
water slightly. Over time, I'm sure that will get worse.

Someone had mentioned, IIRC, 'hydraulic cement'.

I didn't yet have time to research how to fix the crack. I'm not sure
what 'caulk' is (I'm used to bathroom caulk but I wonder how that's
different than grout).

BTW, is it "stucco mix" that the yellow wall is covered with?

You need to fix the leak(s) on the *inside*, not outside.  When I suggested
caulk on the outside it was solely a cosmetic fix for cracks in the
stucco(?) before painting.
____________


Most people think of "grout" as a cementatious material.  One that gets
hard.  One that doesn't flex.  It CAN be other materials but not usually.
______________


I have no idea what it is covered with.  Is it a block wall that is covered
with a cementatious material?  If so, it could be "stucco mix"; around here,
lots of the stucco people use Type S mortar for stucco.  When I stuccoed my
garden walls a few years ago, I used thinset.



--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Ah, I see. Makes sense. Lots of sense. Thanks.


I see what looks like the outline of blocks ... so I'd say yes.


Sounds like a good plan for me.

It 'looks' like the same stuff...


Thanks for that hint.

I agree. It's not smooth and it's not rough. It's just in between.


I'll see if I can snap a picture.