Flagstones

How you repair your paver depends mostly on the base, be it mortar or sand. A paver is a surface used to pave a patio or walkway. The said surface can be paved with flagstones – irregular in shape and 2 inches think, pavers and tiles – thinner than the other 2 and geometrically shaped.


Make sure you wear your protective gear: safety goggles when necessary, work gloves and work boots, or at least not sneakers or open-toed sandals.

Now, if you’re repairing a sand based surface, you can simply remove the damaged or displaced pavers with a screwdriver or a pry bar, then spay water on the exposed area, tamp it, cover with a thin layer of sand, water and tamp again. The sand should be only slightly above the bottoms of the other pavers.

Install one of the pavers in a corner, tapping it gently with a rubber mallet to set it in place. You can use a level to make sure it is in alignment with the others. If it isn’t right, pick it up, add or remove sand according to needs, then put it back and set it by tapping it on the sides. Do the same for all the others, then sprinkle fine sand over the area and in the cracks, then rinse the entire surface.

If your paver is set in mortar, removing the desired pavers will be harder. Use a pry bar or a cold chisel, along with a mason’s hammer. Clear the mortar from the exposed surface and from the edges of the pavers.
Arrange the new pavers, make sure they fit in well – flagstones can be cut to fit in. The cutting can be done by tapping along the line several times with a bolster chisel and a mason’s hammer after you measure and draw with chalk the lines necessary. Do not forget to wear goggles and the procedure is best done on a lawn or a bed of sand. You should also achieve it in steps, tapping several times along the line, flipping it over a few times, gradually increasing the strength of the blow until it is severed.

Once that is done, mix one part cement for every 3 parts sand in a wheelbarrow and add water, a little at a time, until it has the consistency of mud.

Wet the surface and before you start working remember that you should not cover a big area at once. In a corner start covering with a 1-inch layer of mortar using a mason’s trowel – you can level it with a short scrap of wood, then place pavers checking to make sure they are level with the others – if not, tap them gently, or if it’s too low quickly pick them up, add mortar, then put it back. When done, properly fill the spaces with mortar using a pointing trowel.
Let it dry for 3-4 hours, then you can remove the excess with a stiff nylon brush. Also, you might like the idea of leaving a small surface unpaved so that you could plant a shrub or a small tree.

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