Mortar guns - any good for patio pointing?

[NoSpam]

Confession time ... several years ago I laid a 40 sq.m. patio using

600x600 slabs and thought it would be a good idea to fill the 12mm gaps with pea shingle rather than mortar. History has shown the pea shingle to be a bad idea so I've finally decided to point the slabs with mortar.

What's the best/fastest pointing method? There seem to be two types of manual mortar guns, one type is like a mastic gun (with either metal or plastic nozzles) the other is just a plunger in a tube - are they any good?

Seems to be a debate about sharp or soft sand - advice?

D

[EricP]

Mix the mortar dry and dump onto the flags. Brush out with a broom, finish with a hand brush and then gently mist coat with a hose pipe to wet the cement.

[NoSpam]

That was my first thought, but from a quick search on t'web it seems that it doesn't give as good bonding as wet pointing, hebce the interest in the mortar guns.

[Stuart Noble]

The problem with that is that you get voids, and a mist spray doesn't add enough water to make the mortar sink. IME better to mix the mortar just slightly damp

[The Medway Handyman]

Tomm'y Top Tip off of Groundforce;

'Water' joints with watering can (no rose) on sunny day. Wait till surface of slab adjacent to joint is dry, then brush in mortar & force down with brick jointer.

[Stuart Noble]

Makes sense, but did we get a sunny day last summer?

[Mark]

That's the way to do it...... :)

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