# Slate patio repair



## aptpupil (Jun 12, 2010)

At my primary job we have a slate (1/4" thick) patio that is slate set in a mortar bed. there are two pours for the bed, one is the base (unsure how thick) and the second is the layer that the slate is set in (about an inch thick).
on occasion the slate will pop out and often times go missing. also there are plenty of bad patches from previous handymen. what i've been doing is jackhammering out the top layer of the mortar bed, cleaning the area, mixing up s type mortar with water + bonder/fortifier and then setting new 1/2" thick slate in its place.
two of the pictures below are bad patches that need to be redone.
the bottom picture is of a patch i did (you can tell it's new because the edges aren't worn like the adjacents tiles).
i've only done a few so far, but am certainly open to tips on speeding up the process (takes about 45 minutes per tile so far from demo to cleanup) or getting a better/longer lasting final product.
thanks.


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## Frankwhoa (Oct 20, 2010)

Nothing I can think of would make it any faster... sounds like you're chasing your tail. What I mean is that the installation probably has a critical flaw in it and simply replacing a few tiles here and there is only putting a band-aid on it. If most of the damaged tiles are in a semi line then the base bed is probably cracked. Best bet to pull it all up and start fresh if time and budget permits.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

What is your location climate? Freeze/thaw cycles?


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## aptpupil (Jun 12, 2010)

definitely spooning out the ocean with this one, but the whole patio is about 2,500 sf so there's no chance we're pulling it all up any time soon.
in bay area, ca so no freeze/thaw cycle; thankfully.
there is one spot (first pic) about 30sf in size that i think has a tree root under it. will taking out the base and redoing all that make it less likely to crack in the future? unfortunately this is in the "people's republic of berkeley" so there's no chance they're going to let us take out the offending tree to really fix the problem. any ideas?
thanks


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

Remove and replace using a dry method. Because the root will obviously continue to heave upwards, there really is no fix. Dry setting will make future repairs easier. 

I don't know the proper substrate for your situation but it would be fairly easy in the future to remove any stone that has shifted, add/subtract more sand, decomposed granite or whatever the base would be and replace the stone.


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## aptpupil (Jun 12, 2010)

good thinking. for the problem area that might be the way to go. thanks for the ideas angus.


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## CO762 (Feb 22, 2010)

angus242 said:


> Remove and replace using a dry method.


Funny, but I fell into a "rework" job like the above. Dry Dirt set run meets Mortar set main run...on the lowest spot, which happens to be by the house.
North, south, east or west, there's something good to be said for drysetting.
But it was the overall job and the mexican crew that did the main run, well, as HO said, "I couldn't talk to them". So they just did what the american "construction company owner" paid them to do and the HO didn't know any better and had no questions answered. 

Then she showed me her back, very large "porch" and it was the same, dry meets wet. I told her she should deal with it "next spring" and to call me. Hopefully I won't be here, but I'll find someone worth something and hook them up. 

Very tired of HOs that hire "handymen" or mexicans, have the wrong/bad the information. There's a whole world out there that's good, boring and of course, amusing. One can see a great mix of people at jobsites.


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## Frankwhoa (Oct 20, 2010)

*Tree Root*

Perhaps you can consult a tree expert and see about getting that root removed!?:jester:


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## aptpupil (Jun 12, 2010)

Frankwhoa said:


> Perhaps you can consult a tree expert and see about getting that root removed!?:jester:


like i said, unfortunately that's not an option. that would definitely be ideal before any fix was made in that area.


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## Frankwhoa (Oct 20, 2010)

Ah, thats too bad because roots look for water DAILY so any crack will only allow more water in and the root grows bigger in to the crack which widens it and more water gets in and the root grows bigger and bigger, etc. 

I predict the same issue, particularly long term and perhaps more so, with the dry set method. It would definitely allow for easier repair in the future but may quicken the ultimate end of either the tree, the root, or patio by allow substantially more water penetration to the root. 

Maybe removing several feet on both sides of the root and "sealing" up the crack and base on both sides with a waterproofer such as RedGard would stem any water seepage and slow the growth of the root (and the destruction of your patio) 

Just for clarification, I suggested removing the root not the whole tree!


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