space between bricks for patio

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ambaldwin

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We hired a contractor to do our patio. They laid the used brick on the patio in a herringbone pattern but we are concerned the space between the brick is not adequate. Some are less than 1/4". none are more than 1/2 ". They will put the mortar in today and the contractor assures us this is adequate space. We have walked the neighborhood and all the other used brick patios/driveways have at least 1/2- 3/4" mortar. Is this ok. Help. They want to proceed

patio 2. brick.jpg

patio 2 brick.jpg
 
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I thought you were going to say the gap was too big. All the patios I have seen the bricks are butted tight together and then filled special sand to lock them in.
 
JoeD -

Those are 2 different methods of paving a patio.

The most common is with interlocking concrete paver with cast spacers that are butted as tight as possible over a 1" sand setting bed and compacted gravel and masonry sand is spread and they are vibrated to even out the surface and create the paver surface strength.

The second method is traditional clay pavers that are too irregular to butted tight, so mortar is used and they are usually over a concrete slab.

One is more adaptable to cold climates and the other suffers from water penetration and frost depending on the climate.

Guess which is which.

Dick
 
These are on a concrete base and will be filled with mortar- unless the spaces for mortar are too tight. Are the spaces too tight for mortar?
 
Sorry ... my patio floors were laid with regular spaces and I used a grout bag to apply the cement, then struck off the gaps with a rounded tool. They could do this with your pattern but some of those gaps are too small. I would have spaced them more. Tough choice to make. Maybe he could show you work done elsewhere where this was the pattern??
 
Sloppy job, done by someone in a hurry who has no pride in workmanship. You're the one who has to live with it, so if you're not happy, don't pay the guy.
 
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