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If you are laying flagstone over a concrete base, here are the working
procedures in sequence:
- The
stones should be about 1/2- to 1-inch in thickness-no more than
1-inch is required because of the support provided by the concrete.
Lay out the stones on the concrete surface in a small area and
match, mark, and cut to size, leaving from 1/2- to 3/4-inch, between
units.
- In
a mixing tub, stir up a batch of concrete. A good formula is 1
part cement to 4 parts sand with enough clean water added to make
a stiff concrete mixture. A good way to tell a "stiff" mixture
is to ball a small amount of concrete in a gloved hand. The mix
should form and retain a ball-like a snowball.
In another mixing tub, sir up a batch of what masons call "concrete
butter." This mixture is plain cement mixed with water to the
consistency of soft butter. Not runny, but extremely soft. You
should be able to hold a slice of it on a trowel.
- Fill
a bucket with water, and have a scrub brush or whisk broom handy.
- Lift
a couple of fitted flagstones from the concrete base. Then wet
this area with water, spreading the water with the brush or broom.
- With
a bricklayer's trowel, spread a 1-inch-or so thick layer of concrete.
Immediately reset the stones in the concrete, tapping them in
place and level with the handle of the trowel. The stones should
be embedded about half their thickness in concrete. After you
have set several stones, level them. The stones should, however,
pitch just a tad for drainage.
- Carefully
lift each stone that has been set. With a trowel, spread out the
cement butter over the concrete-sort of like buttering a piece
of bread. You don't need much butter-a couple of ounces is usually
plenty. The trick is not disturbing the concrete base into which
the stone has been fitted. You may want to pour out the butter
from a tin can and then trowel it.
- Replace
each stone after buttering it and tap it lightly into place with
the handle of the trowel. Check the stones again for level and
make any adjustment.
- When
a fairly large area of stones are in place, go back to the joints
between the stones and remove the concrete in the joints. Use
a pointed trowel for this; a tuck pointing trowel makes an excellent
tool and it is inexpensive to buy. The joint when you finish should
be the depth (thickness) of the stone. The bottom of the joint
should match the bottom surface of the stone. Remove any concrete
splatters on the flagstones.
- Let
the concrete set 36 hours.
- Sweep
the stones with a broom.
- Mix
up a batch of concrete grout. A good formula for grout is 1 part
cement to 1 part fine, clean sand. Add enough water to make a
stiff mixture. Better it is on the stiff side than the thin side.
- With
a bricklayer's trowel, fill the joints--a small area at a time--with
the grout mixture. Pack it in as tight as you can, keeping the
excess off the face of the stones at the joint line.
- After
you fill the joints in a fairly small area, strike the joints
with a concave jointing tool--the kind mason's use to smooth joints
in brick and block.
- When
you're finished, remove any excess grout from the face of the
stones. Let the grout set for 36 hours. Sprinkle it lightly with
water, keeping it moist during this time. You can now walk on
the surface. However, we recommend that you let the job set about
1 week before you walk on it. And, we advise that you keep the
grout moist with water from a sprinkler during this period. This
makes the grout much more durable.
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