Pointing repairs

Does anyone offer pointing repairs on patio cleans?

im going to quote for one of my regular window customers and I know that there’s a few areas where the pointing is a bit crumbly so would definitely need fixing either by myself or someone else.

Pointing is something I have ever done before but after a bit of YouTube research it doesn’t look too tricky and could be a reasonable earner as most patios need a bit of repair.

For those that do do repairs do you use a wet mix, dry mix that’s wetted in the joints or a semi dry mix that’s smoothed off with a pointing iron?

Apparently they use a ready made mix that comes in a 10l tub and costs about £20 to £25.

The problem with pointing is the staining on the slabs. You should always do it on a sunny day, with wet mix and it quickly dries. Then all you do is brush off the excess on the slab. If you don't then it stains it and you won't remove it and it looks terrible. The answer is always attempt it on a hot sunny day. Maybe the month of May then.

Staining is my only concern really, I thought of taping each side of the slab before applying, not sure if that would work but I can’t see why not.

Any ideas of which mix is best? 

Moor said:

Staining is my only concern really, I thought of taping each side of the slab before applying, not sure if that would work but I can’t see why not.

Any ideas of which mix is best? 

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A 4 parts sand to 1 part cement mix will be fine 

Moor said:

Staining is my only concern really, I thought of taping each side of the slab before applying, not sure if that would work but I can’t see why not.

Any ideas of which mix is best? 

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People are laying Indian paving slabs and pretty expensive. Staining can come from the side as well. John Grant and son in Scotland sell it but don't know what the mortar is called. When I done one, I used building sand and cement but in the middle of summer. That's the trick, do it in the summer and its easy. Do it now and it will be a nightmare.

2 building sand and 1 cement and it sets quicker.

scottish cleaning service said:

People are laying Indian paving slabs and pretty expensive. Staining can come from the side as well. John Grant and son in Scotland sell it but don't know what the mortar is called. When I done one, I used building sand and cement but in the middle of summer. That's the trick, do it in the summer and its easy. Do it now and it will be a nightmare.

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If you do it with nust sand and cement mixed dry with minimal water so that it’s all crumbly then brush it in the joints then trowel it down firmly then go over the patio with a watering with a rose on it gently water it in no staining and a good joint 

Sounds like sand and cement is the best option for repairs, unless it’s coloured pointing. Looking on YouTube shows a fairly dry mix of sand sand cement that’s packed into the joint and then pointed and wetted, looks the easiest option for me.

Pjj said:

If you do it with nust sand and cement mixed dry with minimal water so that it’s all crumbly then brush it in the joints then trowel it down firmly then go over the patio with a watering with a rose on it gently water it in no staining and a good joint 

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No chance, all you do is spread the stain. Think why you would do it in the middle of summer?

20 degree heat, slabs are hot, so all you do is trowel in a wet mix. The heat from the slabs will dry out the mix fairly quickly and all you do is dust off with a soft brush. That's why all those jobs get done in the summer.

The middle of summer is always preferable but not always possible, if I take any pointing jobs on I’m definitely going to have to do some in the spring or autumn.

scottish cleaning service said:

No chance, all you do is spread the stain. Think why you would do it in the middle of summer?

20 degree heat, slabs are hot, so all you do is trowel in a wet mix. The heat from the slabs will dry out the mix fairly quickly and all you do is dust off with a soft brush. That's why all those jobs get done in the summer.

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Never had had a problem doing it like this I’ve laid plenty of patios over the years from concrete slabs to Indian sandstone never had any staining , if you are putting a dye in the mix then yes you would have to be more careful but this is the way most builders do it 

Pjj said:

Never had had a problem doing it like this I’ve laid plenty of patios over the years from concrete slabs to Indian sandstone never had any staining , if you are putting a dye in the mix then yes you would have to be more careful but this is the way most builders do it 

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Aye, you have experience. I remember my first pointing job, came back next day to clean it and couldn't get the excess off. Newbie is better sticking to hot weather.

Experience is the worst teacher, it gives the test before it gives the lesson.

I’m going to go with sand and cement, I will probably duct tape each slab edge to be sure of no staining until I’m more experienced.

I appreciate it’s easier when it’s hot but if I’m doing a patio in the spring and it needs a repair I can’t tell them I will be back in the summer to fix it, I just need to be careful.

Personally I don't like the idea of "having a go" at something so would opt for the brush in products, I use Geofix as its pretty much foolproof and if your not sure then you cant go wrong with it. just brush it in, no wetting, no potential for staining and you get a good coverage with each bag from a repair point of view. repointing a whole patio with it however is very expensive. what ive found with sand and cement is that it is strong and does the job but your not going to be able to match the colour of the existing joint and it will look clearly repaired, also the joints once they have separated at the edges are no longer viable anyway as water/frost/ice will be getting into and under the paving. if its a really dodgy one then i don't offer to repair it at all, Im not a builder/landscaper anymore and I tell them that it'll clean nicley but the jointing wants replacing after im done, when asked if I do that I say no as im not about to chisel out every bit of mortar and potentially have to re-lay stones if the whole things looking like its going to fall apart. to each thier own but you may open a can of worms for yourself offering repairs as well as cleaning (unless of course thats part of your trade)

I’m not looking to “have a go” I’m looking to see if adding this service is viable. If I am to do this I will of course practice first on a few cheap paving slabs from B&Q before doing it to anyone’s property.

The main problem is everyone has a different opinion on what’s best so it’s hard to make an informed choice, I like the fact with products such as geo fix it’s brush in, compact and it’s done but there seems to be lots of reports of it not setting, a small repair would also mean a wasted bag. Sand and cement would be able to be mixed as and when needed but has the potential of staining, masking the area would fix this issue and my wife is an operating theatre nurse so have access to unused left over drapes which are ideal for this. 

I’m not looking at repointing a whole patio just small fixes, any more than a small fix would be declined.

Moor said:

I’m not looking to “have a go” I’m looking to see if adding this service is viable. If I am to do this I will of course practice first on a few cheap paving slabs from B&Q before doing it to anyone’s property.

The main problem is everyone has a different opinion on what’s best so it’s hard to make an informed choice, I like the fact with products such as geo fix it’s brush in, compact and it’s done but there seems to be lots of reports of it not setting, a small repair would also mean a wasted bag. Sand and cement would be able to be mixed as and when needed but has the potential of staining, masking the area would fix this issue and my wife is an operating theatre nurse so have access to unused left over drapes which are ideal for this. 

I’m not looking at repointing a whole patio just small fixes, any more than a small fix would be declined.

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Dont get me wrong mate, I didn't mean to put you down or anything, just my take on repointing. never had a problem with geofix not setting, also its what councils tend to use when pointing up new paving in shopping areas etc so its pretty safe to say its reliable, so far as wasting a bag thats a non issue as you'd be charging the customer the material cost. Do it how you see fit its just my experience from using both that the least hassle and easiest way for repairing is to use a simple product that cant leave you with more problems than when you began, however your right on sand and cement being cheaper, just so much more that can go wrong for my liking so I keep it simple. 

No offence taken mate, I want to offer the best fix at a reasonable price so all advice is welcome. How much coverage does a bag of geofix do?