When I cut concrete, I just propped the hose up between a couple of blocks to flood the area I was cutting. I have a wet saw for this sort of work, though. It needs a new motor, though. :-(
I see, though be careful that the edges don't overhang. Even then, they'll likely crack and pieces splinter off over time.
Hard to tell from the photo, is it the footer for the wall? ______________
It doesn't, necessarily. If hosing and brushing does the job, fine; if not, HCl. What you want is for the old concrete surface to be clean enough for the mortar you will use to lay the stone to bond well to it.
The water is coming from the little fish pond behind the concrete wall. I never noticed the seepage until now. I wonder if my digging disturbed something.
UPDATE: It took way longer than I thought it would ... but here is the cut flagstone laid out (except for the one middle stone) ... ready for mortar tomorrow.
Left half:
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Right half:
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I'm going to try to bring the whole step up about two inches ... so it will be a challenge to see if the mortar dries before I finish the job.
Chuck, I'm no expert on this but is it safe to build up mortar 2" thick? Is this going to be outside with freezing temps? I was wondering if it's better to use some kind of cement that can be about
1 to 1.5 inches thick and then place these stones on top of it with mortar. I realize if I'm correct, this is more work and cost but I'm concerned about the longevity / durability of your stones and mortar. Well just a thought and I may be wrong of course.
I don't know either! (I've never done any of this before.)
I 'assume' mortar is as strong as concrete (which is basically mortar plus aggregate if I understand it correctly). Does the aggregate give strength or does it just give it bulk for cost reasons?
As for freezing, it 'can' get to freezing out here - but rarely does. We get a dusting of snow, for example, once every few years. Generally it drops to freezing about 5 times a year, and always at night only. By morning it's warmed up and melted.
One reason I need depth is the stones vary in thickness, even though I tried (I really tried hard) to keep the thickness variation down to a minimum.
Another reason I 'want' depth is that there is the high spot at the left- most side that is a ledge about two inches above the rest of the step. I don't have to meet the two evenly. I 'could' have a small 1-inch step.
The problem is hard to describe so here's a picture of the small ledge that has two flagstones in it. I was planning on bringing up all 20 flagstones to that same level to eliminate the ledge.
I have no idea how deeply the footer goes into the ground.
For better or worse, I've already set the first two stones to the upper level (which previously existed, at a 90degree right angle to the shelf that I am tiling):
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My dilemma now is whether to raise the entire 20 tiles along the shelf ... or ... to have a small 2" rise for the first two stones.
That question brings up a point I had not mentioned prior.
Since I had dug down to the footer (which was 2 inches under the existing lawn), I now have the problem of the lawn being two inches higher than the shelf (if I don't raise the shelf).
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As much as I hate the thought of building a form and pouring a thin (maybe less than 2") layer of concrete BEFORE adding the thick mortar to accommodate the varying thickness sandstone ... it's looking like I have to add a base to raise the tiles.
I picked up a small cultivator from Lowes today. I will use that to dig up the lawn because it's currently HIGHER than the level of the sandstone shelf.
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