Patio Cleaning and Repointing in Southampton

Patio cleaning without damaging the stone

Most homeowners searching for patio cleaning want the green gone and the colour back. The quickest route is a high pressure jet wash held close to the surface, and it is also the one that does the most harm. Sandstone and other natural stone have a soft face that a narrow jet can etch, leaving tracks that hold dirt faster than before. The same jet strips sand and weak mortar straight out of the joints, which is why a patio can look worse a few months after a heavy wash.

We match the method to the slab. Porcelain and dense concrete take a firmer clean, natural stone gets a gentler approach, and the joints are treated as part of the job rather than collateral damage. Where the pointing is already failing, cleaning comes first so we can see exactly which joints need replacing.

Signs your patio needs repointing

Pointing is the part of a patio that wears out first. Look for these before deciding whether to clean, repoint or relay:

• Weeds and moss growing along the joint lines
• Mortar that is cracked, crumbly or has dropped below the slab edge
• Sand washing out of brushed in joints after rain
• Ants nesting in the joints and lifting fine soil on to the surface
• One or two slabs that click or move when you step on them

Raking out and repointing patio slabs

Repointing only lasts if the old material comes out properly. We cut and rake failed mortar to a sound depth so the new joint has something to grip, then clean out the dust before filling. Leaving a thin skin of old pointing at the bottom is the most common reason a repointed patio cracks again within a year.

The choice of new joint depends on the slab, the joint width and how the patio drains. Our guide to patio jointing compares a mortar joint with a brush in compound, and we talk you through that choice on site rather than using one product for every job.

When a patio needs relaying instead

Cleaning and repointing fix the surface. They do not fix a patio that has sunk, holds standing water against the house, or rocks across most of its area. Those faults come from the base underneath, and repointing over them only hides the problem for a season. If we lift a few slabs and find a thin or wet bed, we will tell you, and our guide to relaying an old patio explains what that job involves.