Denver Decorative Concrete & Custom MasonryLoose Flagstone-How to repair?
I have a flagstone entry…It is over twenty five years old. Basically in good shape except a couple of the large flagstones (1’x1.5′ x2 thick avg size) are loose. The cement between is missing or cracked and needs to be fixed.
How would I go about repairing the loose flagstones?
Not very original Stephen.
Now you’re lame twice.
Im gonna just say easiest way would be scrape out any old cement that’s left…. and mix up a bag of brand new cement….IF you can get the flagstone up by use of a pry bar without resistance, then do it…. pour the cement underneath it and lay the problem flagstone in position.
If you cant move the flagstone from the ground.. then grab a trowel and clean out the grout which, from what you say, is pretty much gone anyways. Spray the area down with the hose to remove dirt and such.
Wait till it dries a bit, then mix some cement and lay some brand new grout… just trowel over the top of the flagstone to mix the cement into the cracks… then remove and cement from the top of the flagstone with a heavy duty tile sponge.
Im gonna say it’s very similar to grouting tiles…. but you can be a bit more rough with it since it’s outside.
First remove the loose stones, level the soil underneath them, remove all the cracked or broken cement that is around the stones, then put a small amount of cement under them, making sure the stone and added cement will be at the same level as the rest of the stones, put the stones back in place (again make sure they’re level with the rest of the stones) next put cement around the stones to replace the missing or broken fillers or grout. Allow to dry and you should be in good shape for another twenty years.
With flagstone, if you’re going to use anything wet (e.g. concrete) then it should be mortar, not concrete or grout.
But there’s an easier method to fix and to lay flagstone. When we install flagstone patios or pathways, we lay the flagstone on a bed of compacted gravel and then fill the joints in with a material called Gator Dust. That’s the brand name. You can find it at local rock or flagstone supply yards. It’s basically crushed gravel mixed with polymer glue. When water hits it, the glue begins to bind to the gravel and it all bonds together eventually hardening into a firm set similar to mortar. It’s a very little softer than mortar would be. But the benefit to using Gator Dust is that it does not crack. If there is heaving and cracks from heaving, it is self healing. The other nice thing about it is you can just sprinkle some of it into a crack or joint, and water it in. Makes for simple repairs. See link below for more info.
You could mortar it in, but this stuff is just easier and looks just as good. All of the photos on our website (see link below) were done using Gator Dust, not mortar or concrete.
Call Obama’nation, according to you he can fix anything!
PS: You’re lame and need to get a life!
Any more questions?