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Flagstone Questions March 4, 2006Here are some flagstone questions that we received for this week. You can hear the answers using a podcast. I'll explain further below. Questions: David asks: We typically use a colored mortar for our joints to get a good color match. Can we add a coloring to the Portland and what type of material should we use.
Joes asks: Dear Flagstone Experts, Two more questions for you. First, How many bags of portland and how many tons of sand should I order for 500 sq.ft. flagstone patio which will be layed over concrete? Second, You mention in your DVD that flagstone costs approx. 15 dollars per sq.ft. to install. Is this meaning labor only? I recently purchased your flagstone DVD and it has been a tremendous help. Thank You. I have one questiom for you. I am constructing a 500 sq. ft. southbay quartzite patio this spring in N.Y. It will be installed over existing concrete in your recommended portland. My question is: Should I be concerned with temperature? If the temperature is in the 40's and colder in the evenings, should I be adding any product to the portland, and if so, can you please let me know? Thank You,Joe W. John asks: After watching your video I have a question. I would like to lay a flagstone deck. How thick of does the flagstone need to be, if possible, so that I may not need a concrete pad underneath. I would rather not spend the extra money to pour a concrete pad. I do not like the sand in the joint method. Is it possible to lay the stone in sand and just mortar the joints? I have seen a job that a friend did and it has been almost two years and no sigificant cracks have appeared. He layed the flagstone in compacted sand and mortared the joints. The flagstone was between 1.5 and 2 inches thick. Thanks. john
Richard asks: Hello Hans I purchased a DVD from you and I liked it very much I have been a tile installer for the last 22 years and I have done flagstone work on and off through the years and I did learn some new ways in doing flag stone from your video I seal my stone first with a penetrating sealer before I cut it or cement it down so I don't have a hard time with the clean up I am in the process in doing a 2900 sq ft installation right now and I would like to e-mail you some pictures of the project if I could Respectfully: Richard D Kandiyeli Mike asks: Sorry for all the questions, but you have been so helpful so far and I appreciate it very much. I just have a few morequestions. 1. How many tons of 1 1/4 irregular flagstone, sand, and bags of cement would YOU order for 1000 sq ft? I am just wondering if my estimates are anyhwere close to what you would get. #2 How important is it that I buy the $100 Carbide Chisel over the $10 Masonary Chisel at Home Depot? #3 My B. Materials proffesional told me to use Plastic Cement? I am sure I should use type I-II though...I cannot find either of your two brands here in So. Cal, I found another brand at Lowes...Riverside brand Portland I-II. Well thanks again for all your help and for the suggestions for the spa. I am ready to order the supplies now and hopefully I can order them tomorrow. I will take pics of the project and send them for your site. Thanks again!!! Mike Monica asks: Can I use a wet saw to cut flagstone? I will be installing apprx 1100 sq ft of irregular w/a lot of cuts (around existing round flower beds) and am trying to go easy on myself. The biggest pieces are about 3'x5' of which would not be cut and would be layed first, all remaining smaller pieces (6"-24") would be the pieces that would need to be cut. Also, do you have prefence between polymeric sand and stone dust to fill between the cracks? I want something that is stable and will not move, almost the same as mortar would do. Thanks for your help
To Listen To The Answers to the Flagstone Questions Click Here. This is a Link To the Podcast!
It is saved in a .mp3 format, so every player should play it. If it is too slow, you may need to download it to your computer.
If you have problems, feel free to e-mail me!
David and Hans
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