A 6' X 12' paver patio from the late 70's or something. Pavers are 12"x12" X 1.5", not very level or perfect etc. There's soil in the gaps that are 1/4" to 1 1/4" wide and up to 1" deep. I don't know if sand, gravel and weed block material or just dirt is under everything.

wanting a permanent maintenance-free way to keep the weeds out, no round-up spraying, ruining the soil underneath forever with salt, no pre emergents etc.

There's no tree roots near the patio to worry about, but frost heave is possible for a lot of the year.

redoing the whole patio is not an option.
I considered polymeric sand. There are polymerics that say they work in joints up to 4" wide, but the product I can get says these 1 1/4" gaps are too large.

this video uses 1 part Portland type I/II cement to 2 parts masonry sand as a dry mix and presses it hard into the joints and then sponges everything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEM0cwDzMro&list=UUUw1S23nlmkUWsCso9HhBAg

Should I add bonder? Should I fill the gaps with sand up to a certain depth and then add mortar or whatever's suggested? Some joints are flush to the top with soil, so how deep should I dig them out to allow for the filler?

maybe even a flexible masonry caulk over backer rod and then dusted with cement for aesthetics, would probable be 10 tubes but no mixing needed and I just want this done.


thanks.

 

I agree with the 2 sand to 1 Portland. That should work.

 

How deep does it freeze in your portion of Alabama?

 

I find it hard to believe there's no masonry w/ w/o additives that will fill these without cracking (as told elsewhere), so I'm going with the polymeric and checking around to maybe find something that withstands larger gaps than the product I read.



I originally told them sand will come right out and tred everywhere and polymeric isn't guaranteed to withstand such gaps but they opted to gamble with polymeric anyway.



Thanks

 

Is it too much work to mix Portland & sand?

 

What Product To Fill Dirt-filled 1 1/4" Pavers Gaps? - Landscaping - Contractor Talk

they're saying the gaps are just too large for masonry to not crack.

 

Here's another idea. Cut some slices of pavers with a wet saw & insert them in the larger gaps. Then use the Portland & sand mix.