How to mix grout for paving slabs

JAK57

Rather that paying a high price for ready mixed grout to put in between about 9 paving slabs, is there a way of mixing your own. What would I need and could I put the mixture between the slabs and lightly water in. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

FreeBear

Dry mix grouting rarely lasts very long. Often it cracks and goes crumbly in a year or two, and provides a good spot for weeds to grow. If you want to give it a go, get a small bag of dry ready mixed mortar from B&Q. brush it in to the joints and compact it in. Brush more in, and compact. Keep going until the joint is filled. Lightly mist the area a couple of times, say about three or four hours apart.

The alternative is to get the same bag of dry ready mix mortar from B&Q, and mix with water. Hose the area down well an hour before mixing the mortar. Then fill the gap, packing it in as you go.

For just nine slabs, it isn't worth going out and buying a bag of cement & sand or anything labeled as "grout" - If you really wanted to go down the route of mixing your own grout for applying dry, you will need to use kiln dried sand and mix four or five parts sand with one part cement. Keep mixing until it is an even colour, brush in as above.

societys_child

FreeBear wrote: »

. . you will need to use kiln dried sand andmix four or five parts sand with one part sand. Keep mixing until it is an even colour, brush in as above.

Oops, thats a very sandy mixture, I'd use 4 or 5 sand to1 part cement to make more durable

FreeBear

societys_child wrote: »

Oops, thats a very sandy mixture

Phhhht. Regressive blonde gene kicking in. Edited the original post

TomLikesSausages

If grouting do not undertake when there is a frost or heavy rain due. Screwfix sell a ready made solution for about £33 but that is probably not a viable proposition for a small job. I would use 3 parts of kiln dried sand to one of cement