Grouting Pavers around a Pool

[Art Martin]

Hi All,

I'm need to grout the pavers around my pool area, which I have mortared down on a concrete slab.

Is a "premixed grout mix" or just "sand/cement/plasticiser" the more commonly used option to ensure minimal cracking and a good finish. I'd imagine that the premixed grout mixes are generally just sand/cement mixes themselves...

Any recommendations of brands. I'll have to visit the specialists, but bunnies seems to stock "tile" grout, which may or may not be appropriate for pavers.

Also, does anyone have a know of a good mix to make a nice off white/light grey grout. I.e something like 3 parts "white" brickies sand with 1 part normal gp cement?

Thanks as always.

[Bleedin Thumb]

The trick with grouting pavers is to get the pavers as saturated as possible before you start. I have even put the sprinkler on them overnight before attacking them.

Use 50 50 white brickies sand/ beach sand blend and off white cement at 3 or 4:1. and fairly wet sloppy mix. Use a soft broom to spread it ensuring it goes all the way in the joins.

Once it has started to harden but before it dries out spounge it off - thats when you really have to work. Keep replenishing the water in your bucket.

[silentC]

Just to offer a contrary view, we dry grouted some late last week. You want everything as dry as possible. Then it's 1:4 cement to beach sand, spread thick, broomed in, then vibrated, then broomed again, then vibrated etc until no more holes appear when you vibrate. Then you sweep off the majority of the excess being very careful not to sweep it out of the gaps - sweep at 45 degrees to the courses. Then with a very fine misting hose, you carefully wash the excess of the face of the paver. This wets the grout at the same time. Then leave it for a couple of days to dry. The residue comes off easily enough over time, or you can hit it carefully with the pressure cleaner, being careful not to blow holes in the grout. Or you could clean it off by hand with some hydrochloric acid in water and a brush.

This might not work well near a pool though, as you're likely to end up with sand and cement in the pool, depending on the set up.

[Planned LScape]

The dry method probably wont be best in most cases, as the copers overhang the pool and the gap inbetween the pavers will not hold the dry mix.

I generally grout with a sloppy mix, keeping surface wet (not too wet otherwise loses strength), and use some of the grout to the side which has lost some moisture to pack into the undersides of the overhanging pavers with a handful in a glove, stays in better then

[autogenous]

how wide have you made the joints?

What type of bricks are they? clay, cement, rough, smooth?

Off white will colour white sand the colour of the the cement clinker which maybe duck egg blue or green if there is a lot of cement content.

Use plasterers sand to get a creme joint with off white

Brickies sand ha s a lot of loam which leaches in the filling process onto the bricks which is harder to remove.

Use white cement, lime and washed white sand if you want a stark white colour 1:1:5 sand

Wet bricks (damp) but not soaked

Mix a small amount of mud stiffer than toothpaste almost crunchy but still workable

Hold gloved finger over pull edge of joint, Push in with flat stick thinner than joint till totally full, roll and wipe off excess on edges when a bit dryer with a wet but not soaked sponge/hard foam mattress.

DO a practice somewhere else to get a feel for it prior to starting.

If the joints are 5mm and under then your going to have to do a sweep in with a dry screed type mix.

[Art Martin]

Thankyou everyone for the advice.

As always, much appreciated.

[Art Martin]

Just as an update.

I used 1 part off white cement with a 4 parts sand (50/50 white brickies/beach sand) with a bit of plasticiser thrown in.

Came up a great light colour, but not too white. Perfect for light coloured pavers!

Thanks all!

[Bleedin Thumb]

It might be worth thinking about sealing the paving if you want to keep it looking good - or you can water blast it once a year.

[Compleat Amateu]

Second the last comment about sealing the bloody things.

Previous owners re-paved the pool (thanks guys, saved me heaps), but didn't seal them ... took me a while to work that one out, now progressively cleaning the stains with hydrochloric acid, then sealing.

Note that the sealing solution (I'm getting mine from Amber) is real expensive, there may be a cheaper solution but I NEVER want to do this again ....

Cheers