Ideal Mortar Mix for Pointing Guns to Point Patios

I’ve watched almost all the videos on YouTube on pointing patios using mortar guns or pointing guns just to know what is the best mortar mix for a pointing gun to point a patio and share here with you.

If you have got the right mortar mix, the pointing gun can work a treat. However, if you don’t focus on getting the right mortar mix for the gun, it can be a pain to operate and get anything done. So the correct mortar mix is the absolute key for pointing guns to function well.

The 4:1 soft sand and cement mixture with plasticiser works for most people. Plasticiser is a must when creating a smooth mortar mix that’s suitable for pointing guns. Plasticiser creates a softer and creamier mixture without using much water so that it can flawlessly come out of the gun and doesn’t cause any blockage.

Pointing Gun Keeps Blocking

If your problem is that the guns block up even when done with the correct mixture, then you may try sieving the sand and cement first to remove the larger particles to prevent blocking up the gun, especially if your gun has a smaller nozzle. Most pointing guns are recommended to use only with soft sand because the mixture will flow far easily from the gun. Check out this article to know why sharp sand should be avoided in mortar guns.

Obviously, if the mortar is dry, you’ll end up blocking the gun. Mortar with excess water can also block up the gun because the gun will only squeeze out the water and be left with dry mortar causing the blockage. Hence, always start with an adequate amount of water for the mortar because you always add again if required. The mixture should not be too thick and also not too thin at the same time.

Even if you have the correct water quantity in your mortar and still only the water is getting out of the gun before anything and the rest of the mortar is stuck inside just try another with mortar mix that isn’t made with water. This time you’ll be going to use SBR instead of water. The rest of the contents are the same as building sand and cement in the ratio of 4:1.

You can see the following video on YouTube that shows how to make the mortar mix with SBR instead of water, and how it works with a pointing gun.

Ready-Mix Mortar for Pointing Gun

I read all the specifications of the popular pointing guns like Roughneck and PointMaster as well as many other guns on the market. Using pre or ready mix mortar with the guns was nowhere mentioned.

Some people prefer ready to use mortar for many reasons and ready to use or ready-mix mortar could work with pointing guns and here’s how. As per the instructions written online where you buy them from or on the packing, it’s mentioned that it just needs water and really that’s the only thing you need with ready-mix mortars if you’re pointing with a trowel.

When using a pointing gun with the ready-mix mortar that’s only made up of water as per recommendations, the gun can block up. However, However, if you want the ready-mix mortar to work perfectly with your pointing, also add plasticiser to the ready-mix mortar with water. It’ll give you a much smooth mixture that’s ideal for a pointing gun.

Keeping the Gun Clean

Clean gun is another secret after the right mortar mix to make the pointing gun perform consistently. If you let the mortar dry out inside the gun by not cleaning it after using, the gun will be harder to use next time.

Also, giving a little cleaning between every 3-4 fills to the gun is what you can do. Just keep a bucket of water and a small cleaning brush with you. After every 3-4 fills, open the gun and dip it into the bucket. Give a little cleaning to the nozzle and inside the gun with the brush and you’re ready to fill in the gun again.

In Summary

Pointing guns can be really handy to have, and it can speed up the process of pointing a patio once you really get a hang of it. Many people think that they wasted £20 or £30 whatever, for the pointing and it’s really of no use because it’s clogging up. But the right mortar mix is all you need to make the gun work easily and it will be worth it.

Initially, making the right mortar mix for the pointing gun can take time, but once you really get used to creating consistent mortar you’ll really appreciate what a pointing gun can do.