Tips for pointing flagstones - ?

At 5mm wide, I'd either use just kiln-dried sand, or kiln-dried sand + cement (applied dry). Then just brush it in, and let ground moisture set the mortar.

Why and what on earth for? I don't mean to appear negative but I cannot understand your reason for doing this. 5mm (

All you need to know (and more besides!):

Mathew

OP here ...

First: Thanks Mathew - I know about Paving Expert, but he is the encyclopedia, and I was after tips based on practical experience (yeh yeh yeh: nobody more experienced than the PE! But as I said he is the encyclopedia).

Secondly, thanks Phil for a fantastically useful answer!

Thirdly, thanks the other guys, who suggested "just brush in sand". I must say I am tempted: I am liking the thought of that easy solution, and doubly easy because very simple to rake out again when it needs doing again (and again)!! :-D

But Fourthly, I think i will go with Phil's excellent advice. I wanted to put mortar in, because I do have a slight fall on the patio, I am going to add a new drain to the "falling edge", and (in recent years) this patio has sometimes become flooded to a depth of 3" and more: I don't think a simple loose sand packing would be a good idea in those circs: draining off into the new drain will be better.

(/Apologies for that last, long, terribly constructed sentence./)

John

I have a very large stone patio & paths all pointed up by 'professional' company whole lot has failed.

Probably going to relay with Resin ... here is how to clear out and repoint:

I will probably use an even better product VDW800 (if I can swallow cost) This will even take vehicle traffic .. not that I have any, but wheelbarrows & kids bikes etc.

In article , Rick Hughes wrote: ....

Good grief -- great videos! And that resin looks like great stuff: I see it's German :-( [are we British supposed to be pleased that 'our finance industry is second to none'??? pah! ]

Thanks Rick John

I will be using the product on my own patio & paths due to total failure of sand/cement pointing.

It's made in Germany but there is a UK distributor, unfortunately a 'sole distributor' so you can't look for cheaper prices.

OP here -- just want to say that I've been doing my pointing this afternoon, and followed Phil's advice to the letter (below): it went very well, in particular the "dry" mix, which made things SO much easier (and cleaner), and also the wood strip (14" by 3" bit of 3-ply in my case), for banging the mic into place.

Cheers again Phil - a big help. Thanks also to Rick for the pointer to Paving Expert's resin mix videos -- didn't use resin but (you know what?) I never thought of using my angle grinder to clear the old mortar before I saw that video! :-D

John