I've got an existing exterior step on the side of my garage made from cement caps that were crumbling. So, I broke the old ones out and got new caps and am planning to mortar them into the same spot. I pressure washed the old spot but didn't try to chisel out any of the old mortar or anything. Can I just put new mortar over this and put the new blocks on? Do I need to do any other prep? Should the old cement be wet when I apply the mortar? Thanks!

I am planning to have the travertine stone deck around my pool cleaned I discussed having the joints filled with joint sand to prevent weeds from continuing to grow. The owner/worker was against it saying it would be difficult to get the sand out of all of the grooves in the stone. I don't want to damage the stone and not sure if I could use RoundUp (grass killer). I noticed the landscaper using the edger which could be contributing to various scratches here/there. Would sealing the stone help prevent the weeds? I don't want to create a slick surface but not sure what else to do here.