DIY Bluestone Coping and Paver Patio Progress Thread.

So... who knew you were a master stone worker?! Man... that looks so good! I hope that she really appreciates all the hard work you did on this and successfully... if I may add. Awesome job!
 
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Looks good. If ur not busy I have a free form next week you could do, it's small paver coping should be a cake walk after this
Ha I think I am putting in my papers for an early retirement.

My only slight concern is what i did around the steps - half the surface of the stone is mortared down to the concrete but then i have the front half on little piers i made out of 1" pvc. I used SRW adhesive to glue the shims to the fiberglass and the stone - but the gap between the fiberglass and the stone is .4 inches. I am going to put backer rod in that gap under the front faces, then fill with more adhesive then then put some white poly sealant over that. You think these are going to pop?
 
Get some plastic shims amd break them off at the appropriate length to get them snug and fully under the lip so they wont show on a caulk job. Tape off the area top and bottom and caulk it. Premium tile caulk works well for this, I like sanded caulk for over an 1/8 inch. Use a sponge piece to smooth amd dont leave heavy edges wipe alot of caulk away or you will get a ridge when you pull the tape. That's how I do all my copong caulking. Takes forever if your OCD like me
 
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I bought marine grade 3M 5200 polyurethane marine sealant. how many shims do you recommend? Right now i have 3 per the large stones, end-middle-end.
 
3 should be good, maybe 5 if it's a long piece

DONT USE 5200!

you will never get it to lay nice. Waterproof iant an issue water never gets to the top. Silicone or tile caulk only. Trust me on this. I know my way around boats too 😉
 

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Oh this is for the white stair section, I forgot you didn't have liner over steps. I would do silicone it will match better. White sanded caulk will yellow a bit amd be off whitish. Use high grade stuff it will stay whiter longer. Can also glue on automotive molding if the gap is decent sized. It's a trick I learned from an old timer
 
Yeah it’s almost a half inch gap. Builder should have set the steps to the liner track height instead of wall height. that is why I stuffed it with backer rod because it’s quite a gap to fill. I’ll return the 5200 and get some white silicone.
 
Gotcha. The liner track is crucial when building the pool. Need to know if its cantilever style or not. If he knew ahead of time then he just messed up. I'll find the pics of the auto molding trick. If your not happy with the caulk job it's an option that looks great bit its work. Make sure you tape off the stairs amd coping really carefully if your picky and want a clean looking edge
 
I grouted about 10 joints today using type S mortar. I’m seeing a bit of shrinkage (separation from the sides of the stones and the grout line). I’m using a pretty dry mix and packing it in tight. Any suggestions to mitigate this. I stopped and reconvened later in the evening when temps dropped.

edit: looks like the joints i grouted last night while it was cool had no shrinkage at all - ill be doing the rest at night.
 
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I sealed them already. The joints I did look pretty clean. But I might tape for good measure based on your warning.
 
I am sure you know from the amount of work you have done, but getting the right water to mortar ratio and letting the mortar sit for a bit after it has been mixed helps (the water needs some time to fully incorporate). Also wetting the stone can help (not sure if sealing it beforehand isn't recommended).
 
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The tops have been sealed not the sides. I’m doing a pretty dry mix and packing it in. I didn’t bank the mix but I will for the rest as I have heard that that can prevent shrinking. But definitely the cool air at night showed no shrinkage as opposed to doing it during the day.
 
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