Pointing a Patio in the Rain, Hot & Cold Weather
Pointing a Patio in the Rain
Can you point a patio in the rain? Depends on two things, how heavy the rain is and what you’re using for pointing. If you’re pointing with sand and cement mortar then it’s not the best time to point but you can point a patio if you’re using a jointing compound such as Joint-It or EasyJoint.
Traditional sand and cement mortar and light rain, it’s a no problem but heavy rain can wash off the cement from the mortar making it weak and break after it has been dried.
If you’ll be using brush-in jointing compounds like EasyJoint or Joint-It, definitely you can use them in the rain as the surface and jointing compound need to be wet while applying and the rain can make your work easier.
Pointing a Patio in Hot Weather
If you’re pointing a patio in too hot weather with traditional sand and cement mortar, there’s a risk in it. The pointing can dry up much quicker due to hot temperature taking the moisture out of the mortar early and loosen its strength.
The result eventually when it dries up will be cracked pointing. In this case, you’ve to rake out all the cracked/loose pointing and point it again.
I have a post on the reasons that may cause patio pointing to crack, pointing dried too quickly is one of them.
Even if you don’t use sand and cement mortar for pointing and go with brush-in jointing compounds like EasyJoint, does hot weather make any difference? The answer is yes!
When pointing with a brush-in jointing compound, it’s very important to keep the surface wet throughout the process to prevent staining. One person on the hose and one to sweep the compound into the joints, to be honest.
Because in hot weather, the surface, as well as the jointing compound, dry much rapidly allowing the oil inside the compound to stain the slabs. Hence, it becomes much important to wet the surface as frequently as possible, especially in hot temperatures. Check out how brush-in jointing compounds such as EasyJoint can stain the patio for more details.
Pointing a Patio in Cold Weather
Pointing a patio with sand and cement mortar or jointing compound in winter could mean nothing other than it taking more longer to set.
I’ve heard that if the pointing isn’t compacted properly, in winter months the water can sit in the joints and frost underneath the pointing and break it up.