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Paving & Courtyards
Stone, concrete and tiles for courtyards, walkways and balconies that stand up to the weather.
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The joints in my stone courtyard have gone dark. Does it need relaying?Not necessarily. If the stones are sound, the joints alone can be redone, which binds the floor together again and completely changes how it looks.The pavement outside my house has broken slabs and weeds. Patch it or redo it?If only a few slabs are broken, just those can be replaced. When most are broken and weeds grow everywhere, it usually makes more sense to redo the whole stretch, for example in new concrete.After rain, water sits on my balcony, mostly by the door. What's wrong?Usually the falls: the floor doesn't slope towards the drain, or it has hollows. If the drain is clear, the slope only changes if the layer under the tiles is redone.Weeds and moss grow between my paving slabs. Is pulling them out enough?For a while, yes, but they'll come back. They grow where joints have opened and damp lingers, so the lasting fix is to close the joints or redo the broken stretch.For a yard or sidewalk, which is better: concrete or slabs?There's no single right answer. Concrete gives one continuous surface with no joints for weeds. Slabs and stone look better and can be repaired piece by piece, but their joints need care.
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Terms
Concrete curingLooking after fresh concrete in its first days: keeping people off it and stopping it from drying out too fast, so it hardens properly and doesn't crack.Falls (drainage slope)The gentle slope built into flat roofs, balconies and bathroom floors so water runs to the drain or gutter instead of pooling.Grout jointThe gap between tiles, slabs or stones, and the material that fills it. Grouting means filling these joints, which locks the surface together and keeps out water and dirt.Hollow (debonded) tilesTiles or slabs that have come away from their base. They sound hollow when tapped lightly, and often rock or crack.KerbThe row of stone or concrete along the edge of a sidewalk, which separates it from the road and holds the paving in place.Pressure washingCleaning a surface with a strong jet of water from a machine. Before waterproofing, insulation or painting, it removes dust, dirt, lichen and loose material so the new layer bonds well.Reinforcement meshA mesh or fabric, usually glass fibre or polyester, set into render, a coating or liquid waterproofing to hold it together and stop cracks from opening.ScreedA layer of sand-and-cement mix or lightweight concrete poured over the slab to create falls and a solid surface for the next material.Slip-resistant surfaceA floor, tile or paint with a textured finish that doesn't get slippery easily when wet. It's needed on balconies, courtyards, steps and around showers.Stone pavingA floor of natural stone slabs, irregular or cut, in courtyards, walkways, terraces and on steps. The stones are bedded in mortar and the joints between them are filled.Tile adhesiveA ready-mixed cement-based mortar, sold as a powder and mixed with water, used to stick tiles to walls and floors. It is spread with a notched trowel.
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Paving
Restaurant Courtyard: New Joints for the Stone Paving
A dark stone-paved restaurant courtyard got new white joints that bring out the pattern of the stone.
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Paving
A New Concrete Sidewalk
A broken sidewalk overgrown with weeds and moss was relaid in concrete and painted grey.
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