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JOINT PAVEMENT STONE WITH FLEXIBLE HARD JOINT
Are you planning a stone project in the garden? Perhaps you are already at work and building your new patio or driveway in full swing?
Once your last pavers are laid, you need a good joint sand to finish your surface. Flexible Hard joint is the way to go! In our guide, we go through some tips and tricks to make your joints as maintenance-free as possible. Here we guide you to jointing tiles or paving stones with one of our by far the best jointing materials. Flexible Hard Joint !
Choose Flexible Hard Joint for your ground stone and tiles
There are different types of joint sand on the market. We recommend our Flexible Hard Joint in nine cases out of ten. All for the most maintenance-free end result possible. Flexible Hard joint hardens in contact with water, which means it keeps weeds and ants away from your paving. The joint sand becomes hard but at the same time flexible to be able to follow any movement of the surface. A fully hardened Flexible Hard joint means that ants and other vermin do not dig their tunnels as easily and that it is more difficult for weeds to take root. As I said, the joint becomes somewhat elastic, which allows movement in the ground without damaging the joint. As this type of joint is draining, you do not use it for paving stones and slabs on cast soles, but only when installed in set layers and bearing layers. If your installation of the tiles took place on a cast substrate, in these cases you join with a cement-based hard joint!
Follow our employees during the journey towards a finished result. Watch our instructional video on how to best perform your jointing with Flexible Hard Joint!
Use a soft brush, soil vibrator and leaf blower
When you have to join your surface of ground stone or tiles, you need (in addition to Flexible Hard Joint) a soft broom or brush, a lighter ground vibrator with a rubber plate and a leaf blower to help you. These three helpers will make a big difference in your jointing process and improve the result considerably. You use the brush to get the hard joint firmly into the cracks! If the brush head is too hard, there is a risk that you will sweep your Flexible Hard Joint out of the joints when you sweep across the surface. The soil vibrator helps the small grains down to a good depth. Gently run over the surface after sweeping and repeat this to ensure your joint is completely filled. The leaf blower then ensures that the dust from the joint disappears from the surface of the stone before it is watered and hardened.
Rent the equipment for your jointing with Flexible Hardjoint
You also need the ground vibrator for the preparatory work for your paving. They are available in different weight classes where you choose the appropriate one according to the size and scope of the project. The heavier the load the surface must handle, the heavier the ground vibrator you need! Make sure to use a ground vibrator that can pack your bearing layer. For the jointing of Flexible Hard joint, however, we recommend a lighter ground vibrator with a maximum weight of approx. 60 kg. Importantly, this is equipped with a fitted rubber sole that makes it more gentle on the surface of your ground stone. With the machine, you effectively vibrate down the grains of Flexible Hard Joint between the ground stones and get a proper filling after repeated and new joint strokes over the surface.
That's how much Flexible Hard Joint you need for your ground stone
Expect that a bag of 20 kg of Flexible Hard Joint is enough for an area of approximately 10-15 square meters. This is entirely dependent on stone size and how thick your tiles are. A thicker ground stone of course swallows more Flexible Hard joint.
See an access table for Flexible Hard joint to ground stone below:
| Flagstone | 210x140x40 | 2kg/sq.m |
| Flagstone | 210x140x50 | 2.5kg/sq.m |
| Flagstone | 210x140x70 | 3.5kg/sq.m |
Flexible Hard joint works for ground stone and slabs laid with small joint widths (up to 1 cm between the stones). The consumption can also vary depending on how much your grouting material goes up into the joint. It is important that you at least get your Flexible Hard Joint down about 3cm. Paving with smaller ground stones automatically gets more joints and requires more joints and a larger supply. In addition to the joint width you use, the consumption also depends on the thickness of the ground stone and the load the surface must withstand. If it is a driveway, we recommend a joint depth of Flexible Hard Joint of at least 4-5 cm and for patios and corridors between 3-4 cm, but you are welcome to fill the entire depth of the stone which is deeper than these specifications. The more accurately your jointing is done, the more stable the surface and the better the result.
Do you need help calculating your Flexiberl Hard joint or other materials for paving? No problem! Visit our stores, book a free consultation or visit and read more about our products at stenbolaget.se
Apply your Flexible Hard Joint step by step
Joining with Flexible Hardjoint is easy! Just make sure to be thorough and careful in the different steps. Consider weather changes and keep an eye on the weather forecast ahead during your grouting session.
ATTENTION! Flexible Hard joint requires that the temperature exceeds 10 degrees Celsius for at least 24 hours when it is assembled in order for the joint to harden properly.
So take this into account before you get started and join.
1. Make sure the surface is clean and completely dry
Flexible Hard joint is perfect to apply on a sunny and warm day. This makes the curing process easier.
Remember that your tiles and ground stones need to be completely dry when you start, as the hard joint hardens in contact with liquid. If you want to apply a new joint to an existing surface with paving stones, we recommend that you clean off all the old joint before starting your jointing. Be careful that no remnants of old joint sand remain. As we mentioned in the previous paragraph, flexible hairline requires a certain joint depth for a successful result. Even newly laid stone surfaces need to be clean and neat both on the surface and in the joints before you start.
2. Fill with flexible hard joint and use the soil vibrator to help
Pour the sand over your stone surface and sweep into the crevices with the brush.
Remember to brush softly and finely over the surface so that the grain of the hairline remains in the joint.
Brush diagonally across your joints so you don't sweep out everything you've already jointed.
When you then feel that you have filled the joint properly, then use the soil vibrator.
Work the machine back and forth across the surface to get the sand grains down into the crevices.
NOTE, don't forget the rubber plate! Usually this comes separately when you rent your machine.
And make sure you get a rubber pad once you're inside your local machine rental company!
Then repeat the procedure one or more times. Top with new sand, brush out until you have filled the entire depth of the joint and can ensure that it will not sink any further.
This can take a little more time on a thicker ground stone than on a thinner stone.
Work the joint sand diagonally across your surface.
3. Blow away the grout residues from the ground stone
Flexible Hard joint hardens in contact with liquid. To avoid joint residues that harden on the ground stone you have laid, you should therefore proceed carefully with the leaf blower over the surface. With a weak exhaust, this can remove the film of dust that has arisen in connection with the jointing. Be careful to remove the dust but keep it at a distance so as not to blow the joint away from the cracks. If this should still happen, you go back to the previous step and add sand where it needs to be improved.
4. Moisten the surface with a wide and not too hard jet
When the joints are filled and the stones are sand-free, it is time to water your flagstone surface. It is enough to moisten the surface, and you do this best with a wide jet of your water hose. By having a low pressure on the jet, you also avoid the mistake of flushing the newly laid joint from the cracks. Try to avoid pools and large puddles of water after watering.
After the jointing is complete, let the surface rest for a couple of days so that the joints can harden properly. In other words, don't overload your new driveway with the car right after.
Be patient, let your Flexible Hard Joint harden properly and then enjoy your maintenance-free stone surface!
Good luck!