We had a natural rainbow sandstone patio and path laid along with a block pave drive, normal patios at the back and behind the garage.

The bog standard stuff has been fine, but lots of the thin sandstone slabs have come loose and moved. The guy who laid it seems to think he told us that this would happen, and that it always does, we seem to think if its always happening, then he’s doing something wrong

Any experiance with this?

I don’t know

But if the Mrs keeps on, like she did yday… I be in need of a new patio 😈

If they were laid properly, then no, they would not come loose. I’d be interested to know what method he used to lay them? Screened dry morter mix? Spots of wet mix?

He’s telling me its a mortar bed, the ones I’ve lifter seem to be compacted sand with a thin layer of cement/mortar (I don’t know what I’m looking at really)

They shouldn’t move. They *can* if the base is not prepared properly but they shouldn’t. Preparation is everything. Is it a new build house?

No, it’s a 1930’s bungalow.

The guy who laid it seems to think he told us that this would happen, and that it always does, we seem to think if its always happening, then he’s doing something wrong

you’ve sort of answered yourself there haven’t you?maybe you should have got someone else to do it. did you get more than one quote? was he the cheapest? i’d be hard pushed to make a living if all my work started dismantling itself…

Nat sandstone is best laid on at least a 25mm bed of wet mortar ( sand & cement mixed at 4-1). Over a min bed of 35mm course sand screed, over at least 100mm mot type 1 (25 or40mm to dust).depending on use. More subbase if used as a drive, with reinforced boarders to prevent the screed moving
The flags shoild have a 10mm joint, fully pointed wiyh the same mortar mix as the bed.
I’ve done a fair few patios with this method, and only been back to a couple.
How thin is the mortar they are laid on?

Sounds to me like its been laid on a thin dry mix. There’s your problem!

maybe you should have got someone else to do it. did you get more than one quote? was he the cheapest?

Sorry. He’s now saying he said this, obviously had he said it at the time, I’d have worried.

He wasn’t the cheapest, he’s done my dads front and back, my nannas drive, her neighbours drive as well as someone else that we know, however that was all standard block paving. I’m a gas man, I didn’t know that this stuff would be any different.

How thin is the mortar they are laid on?

Until we pull some more up I’m not sure, as he’s been back after the first frost loosened the first few.

misread de tread– who knows about patois