By Michael1950
Flintshire,
United Kingdom 
i asked a few days ago about i need to re grout between my paving slabs,i have purchased "sharp sand ",i asked about the "mix" some of you have said 5 to 1 and others 3 to 1,what i failed to mention is that i scoop up the sand with a large brickie trowel and then the same proportion with the cement....so how many sand and how many cement doing it this way..i think previous mixes have been to weak or maybe too strong as hence the cracking and none now in spaces,there is no movement in flags.appreciate all help.....mike.
14 Mar, 2012
Oh dear. I didn't see your original question, nor the answers that went with it, but frankly, whenever I grout between slabs, I do a dry mix - 3 parts soft sand to one part cement, mixed together well. You pour water over the slabs from a can without a rose to get all the joints wet, wait till the water has dried off the surface of the slabs themselves, then brush your mix into the gaps, job done. If the weather is sunny and warm,you may need to water again with a fine rose on the can over the joints. Sharp sand is only used for mortar mix beneath the slabs when laying. Sorry.
As a note, whatever measure you use doesn't matter, as long as its the same measure used for both the sand and the cement. It's 3 to 1 of whatever measure you use. To get the ratios right, you could use an old bucket or container or a pot of some kind without holes in - brickie's trowel isn't exactly accurate, really.
14 Mar, 2012