Paving question

40701085

Folks
I am laying riven sandstone flags which also have a sort of roughened edge, ie they are not a smooth finish edge so cannot be "buttered" with mortar.
I wonder how could I mortar these joints cleanly without dirtying the flag with my novice pointing, as some of the joints are quite tight. Would a grout bag work with mortar (finding it hard to get a shop that stocks them)? Large enough area to do so would prefer avoiding the masking tape scenario.

I know I could brush in sharp sand between the joints but would really prefer to mortar the joints if at all possible. Any ideas?

Thanks all

ART6

You could make a dry mix (ie: no water) of fine sand and cement (say, about 3 to 1 mix). Brush it into the joints and tap it down with the edge of a batten or similar. The slight moisture of the sand will be sufficient to set the cement off, but being dry it shouldn't mark the surfaces of the flags.

martin46585

you could try a very wet 'slurry' mix of sand/cement in a watering can if the joints are an inch or above, or best bet you could grout them with a mortar gun, looks like a big silicone gun which you fill with cement grout and apply to the joint, probably the best finish and least messy...

40701085

Good ideas there, will give them a try - cheers for the input.;)