Sealing an old patio

[lorme86653]

Hello,

Just finished jet washing my patio, and can believe how much dirt came off it, however, I can now see gaps of about 1-3mm around many of the flags.

I wouldn't of give this a second thought, but a friend of mine recommended that i fill the gaps with fine sand, and then seal the patio.

So, has anyone got any tips on stabilizing the sand? As most of the sealants I'm looking at don't seem to do it. The products I'm looking at are:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-path-patio-driveway-sealer-5ltr/49885

http://www.diy.com/nav/build/buildi..._sand/B-and-Q-Kiln-Dried-Sand-Natural-9273147

thanks in advance, all advice is greatly appreciated![/url]

 

[r896neo]

What is it? if its block paving use kiln dried sand but only do it after a dry spell of at least 2 days

 

[lorme86653]

Yes it's block paving, I've been told elsewhere to dry mix sand and cement at a ratio of 4:1, but to use sharp sand...

Would you still recommend using kiln dried? I've got no idea about this kind of thing.

 

[r896neo]

That is totally wrong. Sharp sand is too course and because it is not super dry will not flow into the joints.

Try it and see what happens.

Kiln dried sand is like that in an egg timer so will literally flow into the joints as if it was a liquid but you must wait until the blocks are totally dry otherwise the sand will hit the moisture between blocks and stick halfway leaving voids underneath.

Putting cement in it is pointless.

The dry mix of sharp sand cement is a cowboys way to repoint mortar joints between flags but those are usually at least 10mm wide. A completely dry mix of sand and cement has zero use for proper pointing of any kind