Crazy paving improvement
Discussion
We have sandstone crazy paving around our house - it s been down since the house was built in 1925. It s on a sand (now sandy/soil) bed and I don t know if it ever had anything between the slabs .probably just sand!
Weeds grow up between the slabs. My wife has just dutifully weeded it all, but I d like to tidy them up and grout them in. The slabs are quite variable thickness, so it isn t like re-laying modern standardised thickness Indian sandstone and having lifted a few in the past to get a broadband cable laid, I can attest that it can very quickly become difficult to relay them so they all fit exactly as the did originally!
The path only gets foot traffic, and I just want them to look better. I d appreciate any suggestions on how to approach it. Currently thinking of the following, in order of increasing intervention:
1) Lift and level only those that are wobbly or sunk (most are fine) then use some brush in grout.
2) working on maybe a couple of square metres at a time, number/photograph them and then remove. Dig out and put new sand bed down. Then remove-lay and grout. Could maybe add a weed-proof membrane.
3) As above but lay on sandy cement bed.
Has anyone done similar? Option 1 obviously the least work, but I don’t know how long it would last.
Thanks
Weeds grow up between the slabs. My wife has just dutifully weeded it all, but I d like to tidy them up and grout them in. The slabs are quite variable thickness, so it isn t like re-laying modern standardised thickness Indian sandstone and having lifted a few in the past to get a broadband cable laid, I can attest that it can very quickly become difficult to relay them so they all fit exactly as the did originally!
The path only gets foot traffic, and I just want them to look better. I d appreciate any suggestions on how to approach it. Currently thinking of the following, in order of increasing intervention:
1) Lift and level only those that are wobbly or sunk (most are fine) then use some brush in grout.
2) working on maybe a couple of square metres at a time, number/photograph them and then remove. Dig out and put new sand bed down. Then remove-lay and grout. Could maybe add a weed-proof membrane.
3) As above but lay on sandy cement bed.
Has anyone done similar? Option 1 obviously the least work, but I don’t know how long it would last.
Thanks
Edited by johnnyBv8 on Friday 30th May 22:48
Option 1, just repair what you need to. If you take too much out it just won't go back properly. If it's lasted 100 years then hopefully it doesn't need too much reconstruction.
If you need to control weeds then grout will help but not 100% guaranteed as eventually things just start from the surface instead, some sort of weedkiller applied periodically is usually the easiest method to keep it clear.
If you need to control weeds then grout will help but not 100% guaranteed as eventually things just start from the surface instead, some sort of weedkiller applied periodically is usually the easiest method to keep it clear.
A “quick” fix might be to scrape out the worst of the soil between the slabs (or carefully jet wash it without completely undermining them) and then refill with rocksalt…
https://www.rivarsandandgravel.co.uk/news/rock-sal...
https://www.rivarsandandgravel.co.uk/news/rock-sal...
One tip from a poster on here. Builders foam, which I used on some wobbly flags and a step.
All solid, nothings moved in the last couple of years and the brush in grout has stayed stuck too. Regarding the brush in grout try to force it in as much as possible and smooth it with a piece of hose or similar.
I like crazy paving in the right setting, hang onto it.
All solid, nothings moved in the last couple of years and the brush in grout has stayed stuck too. Regarding the brush in grout try to force it in as much as possible and smooth it with a piece of hose or similar.
I like crazy paving in the right setting, hang onto it.
JoshSm said:
Option 1, just repair what you need to. If you take too much out it just won't go back properly. If it's lasted 100 years then hopefully it doesn't need too much reconstruction.
If you need to control weeds then grout will help but not 100% guaranteed as eventually things just start from the surface instead, some sort of weedkiller applied periodically is usually the easiest method to keep it clear.
If you need to control weeds then grout will help but not 100% guaranteed as eventually things just start from the surface instead, some sort of weedkiller applied periodically is usually the easiest method to keep it clear.
Huzzah said:
Regarding the brush in grout try to force it in as much as possible and smooth it with a piece of hose or similar.
I like crazy paving in the right setting, hang onto it.
Now just choose the colour of the grout.I like crazy paving in the right setting, hang onto it.
I’ve just re-laid some almost identical crazy paving at a park I volunteer at. I too had the great idea of numbering/photoing them but that idea lasted 5 minutes, far too much of a faff for the area I was doing. I lifted them up and re-bedded them on a 6-1 grit sand/cement mix, laying them in a new pattern. I made the joints a little wider than yours to give me a little leeway, as I had a fixed area and a set amount of stone. For pointing, I mixed 2.5 grit sand, 2.5 horticultural grit and 1 cement, pointed them flush then the next morning I I took a wire brush to the joints to gently scrape away the sand/cement, leaving the horticultural grit slightly exposed, looks quite good with a wider joint. Belt and braces would involve geotextile, crusher run and a Wacker plate, not sure how keen you are!
If you're going to lift them then the debate is whether to put them back. We had a large area that was in good condition but looked very dated where it was and had been laid pretty much at the damp level. I had it lifted, crushed and dumped back down as part of the base and gravelled the area.
If all your grout is loose or now soil then in terms of a quick fix, I'd be tempted to high pressure hose the area, getting rid of all the 'grout' and then brush in a dry mortar mix and mist with water for a few days.
If all your grout is loose or now soil then in terms of a quick fix, I'd be tempted to high pressure hose the area, getting rid of all the 'grout' and then brush in a dry mortar mix and mist with water for a few days.
johnnyBv8 said:
Thanks all for the advice. I m not usually a fan of crazy paving, but I think it suits the age of the house and would seem a shame to get rid of it.
It's nice stone rather than the usual free damaged council slabs. Make sure you test the chosen mortar colour before filling as how the completed patio looks will essentially be defined by whether the mortar blends in and looks nice of like turkey teeth under UV.
Might be worth lifting all the edge pieces and digging down to give those ones a proper foundation.
It looks like you might have some coloured stone if you clean off the black stuff. I think with crazy paving a contrasting mortar looks best. Maybe use yellow mortar with grey stone?
I've been meaning to jetwash mine and have it repointed. There's a small section of driveway that I want to expand as well. I just need to find someone who can do it and blend it all in.
I've been meaning to jetwash mine and have it repointed. There's a small section of driveway that I want to expand as well. I just need to find someone who can do it and blend it all in.
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