Hi all
our front walkway is created from several concrete slabs. From the appearance when they 'step' I guess they are 15cm or so deep. See photos:

https://i.postimg.cc/tgQWfqHq/IMG-20250208-093335.jpg https://i.postimg.cc/T24yFdrz/IMG-20250208-093349.jpg

On one of the slabs the surface has deteriorated in one area, so that
there is a 'crack', several inches across and two or three inches wide, exposing the inner (badly mixed?) concrete and stones. The second photo attempts to show this, but is not great, I'm afraid.

The crack is currently filled with pea gravel and dirt in an attempt to
stop it getting quickly worse. I'd like to make a better repair - any
advice on this please? I have mixed cement & concrete before but am not
very 'skilled in the art'.

Thanks, J^n

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 08/02/2025 19:22, jkn wrote:

Hi all
    our front walkway is created from several concrete slabs. From the appearance when they 'step' I guess they are 15cm or so deep. See photos:

https://i.postimg.cc/tgQWfqHq/IMG-20250208-093335.jpg https://i.postimg.cc/T24yFdrz/IMG-20250208-093349.jpg

On one of the slabs the surface has deteriorated in one area, so that
there is a 'crack', several inches across and two or three inches wide, exposing the inner (badly mixed?) concrete and stones. The second photo attempts to show this, but is not great, I'm afraid.

The crack is currently filled with pea gravel and dirt in an attempt to
stop it getting quickly worse. I'd like to make a better repair - any
advice on this please? I have mixed cement & concrete before but am not
very 'skilled in the art'.

Thanks, J^n

From experience thin skims of mortar or concrete are neither robust nor
do they adhere well., In all honesty replacing the slab is likely to be
the most satisfactory, but epoxy 'mortar' might produce an acceptable
repair.

Looking at the pictiurees it looks like the step was cast in place with
rather low cement ratio concrete or mortar. I would dig out as much of
it as you can and recast it using e.g. wooden edges to form the steps
and edges.

A 2:1 sand :cement ratio will give you something that will last for years


--
The lifetime of any political organisation is about three years before
its been subverted by the people it tried to warn you about.

Anon.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Sun, 09 Feb 2025 10:23:34 +0000, Chris Hogg <me@privacy.net> wrote:

On Sat, 8 Feb 2025 19:22:52 +0000, jkn <jkn+es@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

Hi all
our front walkway is created from several concrete slabs. From the >>appearance when they 'step' I guess they are 15cm or so deep. See photos:

https://i.postimg.cc/tgQWfqHq/IMG-20250208-093335.jpg >>https://i.postimg.cc/T24yFdrz/IMG-20250208-093349.jpg

On one of the slabs the surface has deteriorated in one area, so that
there is a 'crack', several inches across and two or three inches wide, >>exposing the inner (badly mixed?) concrete and stones. The second photo >>attempts to show this, but is not great, I'm afraid.

The crack is currently filled with pea gravel and dirt in an attempt to >>stop it getting quickly worse. I'd like to make a better repair - any >>advice on this please? I have mixed cement & concrete before but am not >>very 'skilled in the art'.

Thanks, J^n

I don't understand. You say the slabs are 15cm or so deep. What do you
mean by 'deep'? They are very unlikely to be 15cm thick, but equally, >unlikely to be only 15mm thick if that was a mistype. Do you mean the >'going', in staircase parlance, i.e. the distance from the front edge
of the lower step/slab to the front edge of the next one up?
^^^^^

back

My approach would be to clean off the grass that's encroaching over
the slabs on the LH side, so that you can get a better idea as to
what's there. 15cm is a bit small for the width of a slab. Has the
someone just laid the slabs and found he has an inconvenient 15cm gap
where the last two meet, and just bridged it with coarse concrete,
which is now breaking up? I would then make (or buy) a single
half-slab to fit under the edge of slab further away from the camera
and overlapping the slab nearest the camera, scraping out or adding
soil where necessary to keep all the slabs level.

________________
________________|_______
|___________|__________________
|___________________|

<----------> adjust overlaps as necessary.

I find overlapping slabs like this is a very good way of coping with
rising pathways.

--

Chris

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Sat, 8 Feb 2025 19:22:52 +0000, jkn <jkn+es@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

Hi all
our front walkway is created from several concrete slabs. From the
appearance when they 'step' I guess they are 15cm or so deep. See photos:

https://i.postimg.cc/tgQWfqHq/IMG-20250208-093335.jpg >https://i.postimg.cc/T24yFdrz/IMG-20250208-093349.jpg

On one of the slabs the surface has deteriorated in one area, so that
there is a 'crack', several inches across and two or three inches wide, >exposing the inner (badly mixed?) concrete and stones. The second photo >attempts to show this, but is not great, I'm afraid.

The crack is currently filled with pea gravel and dirt in an attempt to
stop it getting quickly worse. I'd like to make a better repair - any
advice on this please? I have mixed cement & concrete before but am not
very 'skilled in the art'.

Thanks, J^n

I don't understand. You say the slabs are 15cm or so deep. What do you
mean by 'deep'? They are very unlikely to be 15cm thick, but equally,
unlikely to be only 15mm thick if that was a mistype. Do you mean the
'going', in staircase parlance, i.e. the distance from the front edge
of the lower step/slab to the front edge of the next one up?

My approach would be to clean off the grass that's encroaching over
the slabs on the LH side, so that you can get a better idea as to
what's there. 15cm is a bit small for the width of a slab. Has the
someone just laid the slabs and found he has an inconvenient 15cm gap
where the last two meet, and just bridged it with coarse concrete,
which is now breaking up? I would then make (or buy) a single
half-slab to fit under the edge of slab further away from the camera
and overlapping the slab nearest the camera, scraping out or adding
soil where necessary to keep all the slabs level.

________________
________________|_______
|___________|__________________
|___________________|

<----------> adjust overlaps as necessary.

I find overlapping slabs like this is a very good way of coping with
rising pathways.

--

Chris

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 09/02/2025 10:25, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Sun, 09 Feb 2025 10:23:34 +0000, Chris Hogg <me@privacy.net> wrote:

On Sat, 8 Feb 2025 19:22:52 +0000, jkn <jkn+es@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

Hi all
our front walkway is created from several concrete slabs. From the
appearance when they 'step' I guess they are 15cm or so deep. See photos: >>>
https://i.postimg.cc/tgQWfqHq/IMG-20250208-093335.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/T24yFdrz/IMG-20250208-093349.jpg

On one of the slabs the surface has deteriorated in one area, so that
there is a 'crack', several inches across and two or three inches wide,
exposing the inner (badly mixed?) concrete and stones. The second photo
attempts to show this, but is not great, I'm afraid.

The crack is currently filled with pea gravel and dirt in an attempt to
stop it getting quickly worse. I'd like to make a better repair - any
advice on this please? I have mixed cement & concrete before but am not
very 'skilled in the art'.

Thanks, J^n

I don't understand. You say the slabs are 15cm or so deep. What do you
mean by 'deep'? They are very unlikely to be 15cm thick, but equally,
unlikely to be only 15mm thick if that was a mistype. Do you mean the
'going', in staircase parlance, i.e. the distance from the front edge
of the lower step/slab to the front edge of the next one up?
^^^^^

back

My approach would be to clean off the grass that's encroaching over
the slabs on the LH side, so that you can get a better idea as to
what's there. 15cm is a bit small for the width of a slab. Has the
someone just laid the slabs and found he has an inconvenient 15cm gap
where the last two meet, and just bridged it with coarse concrete,
which is now breaking up? I would then make (or buy) a single
half-slab to fit under the edge of slab further away from the camera
and overlapping the slab nearest the camera, scraping out or adding
soil where necessary to keep all the slabs level.

________________
________________|_______
|___________|__________________
|___________________|

<----------> adjust overlaps as necessary.

I find overlapping slabs like this is a very good way of coping with
rising pathways.

Hi Chris
I'm not sure where the misunderstanding is ... but the picture is
more or less as you show here:

________________
________________|_______
|___________|__________________
|___________________|

which each slab being approx 15cm in thickness (and perhaps 70cm wide).
The first photo was intended to show the 'step' between slabs.

The crack is in the middle of a slab, not between slabs. There is some
similar deterioration elsewhere, but this is the worst place.

HTH, J^n

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Sun, 9 Feb 2025 10:44:12 +0000, jkn <jkn+es@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

I'm not sure where the misunderstanding is ... but the picture is
more or less as you show here:

________________
________________|_______
|___________|__________________
|___________________|

which each slab being approx 15cm in thickness (and perhaps 70cm wide).
The first photo was intended to show the 'step' between slabs.

15cm thick? Really? 6in? How do you manage to crack them?

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 09/02/2025 11:47, Peter Johnson wrote:

On Sun, 9 Feb 2025 10:44:12 +0000, jkn <jkn+es@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

I'm not sure where the misunderstanding is ... but the picture is
more or less as you show here:

________________
________________|_______
|___________|__________________
|___________________|

which each slab being approx 15cm in thickness (and perhaps 70cm wide).
The first photo was intended to show the 'step' between slabs.

15cm thick? Really? 6in? How do you manage to crack them?

I have tried to explain, it is not a crack as such, but a part where the
slab has deteriorated such that there is the appearance of a crack or
fissure in the surface of a slab, with the underlying material visible.
I don't think this is tricky to understand...

J^n

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Chris Hogg <me@privacy.net> wrote:

On Sun, 9 Feb 2025 10:44:12 +0000, jkn <jkn+es@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

On 09/02/2025 10:25, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Sun, 09 Feb 2025 10:23:34 +0000, Chris Hogg <me@privacy.net> wrote:

On Sat, 8 Feb 2025 19:22:52 +0000, jkn <jkn+es@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

Hi all
our front walkway is created from several concrete slabs. From the
appearance when they 'step' I guess they are 15cm or so deep. See photos: >>>>>
https://i.postimg.cc/tgQWfqHq/IMG-20250208-093335.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/T24yFdrz/IMG-20250208-093349.jpg

On one of the slabs the surface has deteriorated in one area, so that >>>>> there is a 'crack', several inches across and two or three inches wide, >>>>> exposing the inner (badly mixed?) concrete and stones. The second photo >>>>> attempts to show this, but is not great, I'm afraid.

The crack is currently filled with pea gravel and dirt in an attempt to >>>>> stop it getting quickly worse. I'd like to make a better repair - any >>>>> advice on this please? I have mixed cement & concrete before but am not >>>>> very 'skilled in the art'.

Thanks, J^n

I don't understand. You say the slabs are 15cm or so deep. What do you >>>> mean by 'deep'? They are very unlikely to be 15cm thick, but equally,
unlikely to be only 15mm thick if that was a mistype. Do you mean the
'going', in staircase parlance, i.e. the distance from the front edge
of the lower step/slab to the front edge of the next one up?
^^^^^

back

My approach would be to clean off the grass that's encroaching over
the slabs on the LH side, so that you can get a better idea as to
what's there. 15cm is a bit small for the width of a slab. Has the
someone just laid the slabs and found he has an inconvenient 15cm gap
where the last two meet, and just bridged it with coarse concrete,
which is now breaking up? I would then make (or buy) a single
half-slab to fit under the edge of slab further away from the camera
and overlapping the slab nearest the camera, scraping out or adding
soil where necessary to keep all the slabs level.

________________
________________|_______
|___________|__________________
|___________________|

<----------> adjust overlaps as necessary.

I find overlapping slabs like this is a very good way of coping with
rising pathways.

Hi Chris
I'm not sure where the misunderstanding is ... but the picture is
more or less as you show here:

________________
________________|_______
|___________|__________________
|___________________|

which each slab being approx 15cm in thickness (and perhaps 70cm wide).
The first photo was intended to show the 'step' between slabs.

The crack is in the middle of a slab, not between slabs. There is some
similar deterioration elsewhere, but this is the worst place.

HTH, J^n

I don't/didn't understand what you mean by 15cm in thickness. That's a
mighty thick slab! 15cm is getting on for 6". I've never seen any that
thick. 2", or about 5cm is the thickest I've ever seen, and they were
old slabs. They're usually a bit thinner these days, but not as thin
as 15mm, so not a mistype on your part either.

It is likely the riser(vertical section of the step) is 15cm but the
remainder of the slab is a lot thinner probably only 50mm. I have seen
plenty of examples of paths constructed this way. I agree with TNP the only effective repair is to remove the cracked section using an angle grinder to produce a good edge in the sound concrete and hire a breaker to break up
the damaged section. Cracks like these usually occur due to ground
settlement under the path removing the concrete gives the opportunity to correct that with some hard core before re-casting the slab.

Richard

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Sun, 9 Feb 2025 10:44:12 +0000, jkn <jkn+es@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

On 09/02/2025 10:25, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Sun, 09 Feb 2025 10:23:34 +0000, Chris Hogg <me@privacy.net> wrote:

On Sat, 8 Feb 2025 19:22:52 +0000, jkn <jkn+es@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

Hi all
our front walkway is created from several concrete slabs. From the >>>> appearance when they 'step' I guess they are 15cm or so deep. See photos: >>>>
https://i.postimg.cc/tgQWfqHq/IMG-20250208-093335.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/T24yFdrz/IMG-20250208-093349.jpg

On one of the slabs the surface has deteriorated in one area, so that
there is a 'crack', several inches across and two or three inches wide, >>>> exposing the inner (badly mixed?) concrete and stones. The second photo >>>> attempts to show this, but is not great, I'm afraid.

The crack is currently filled with pea gravel and dirt in an attempt to >>>> stop it getting quickly worse. I'd like to make a better repair - any
advice on this please? I have mixed cement & concrete before but am not >>>> very 'skilled in the art'.

Thanks, J^n

I don't understand. You say the slabs are 15cm or so deep. What do you
mean by 'deep'? They are very unlikely to be 15cm thick, but equally,
unlikely to be only 15mm thick if that was a mistype. Do you mean the
'going', in staircase parlance, i.e. the distance from the front edge
of the lower step/slab to the front edge of the next one up?
^^^^^

back

My approach would be to clean off the grass that's encroaching over
the slabs on the LH side, so that you can get a better idea as to
what's there. 15cm is a bit small for the width of a slab. Has the
someone just laid the slabs and found he has an inconvenient 15cm gap
where the last two meet, and just bridged it with coarse concrete,
which is now breaking up? I would then make (or buy) a single
half-slab to fit under the edge of slab further away from the camera
and overlapping the slab nearest the camera, scraping out or adding
soil where necessary to keep all the slabs level.

________________
________________|_______
|___________|__________________
|___________________|

<----------> adjust overlaps as necessary.

I find overlapping slabs like this is a very good way of coping with
rising pathways.

Hi Chris
I'm not sure where the misunderstanding is ... but the picture is
more or less as you show here:

________________
________________|_______
|___________|__________________
|___________________|

which each slab being approx 15cm in thickness (and perhaps 70cm wide).
The first photo was intended to show the 'step' between slabs.

The crack is in the middle of a slab, not between slabs. There is some >similar deterioration elsewhere, but this is the worst place.

HTH, J^n

I don't/didn't understand what you mean by 15cm in thickness. That's a
mighty thick slab! 15cm is getting on for 6". I've never seen any that
thick. 2", or about 5cm is the thickest I've ever seen, and they were
old slabs. They're usually a bit thinner these days, but not as thin
as 15mm, so not a mistype on your part either.

--

Chris

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 09/02/2025 10:44, jkn wrote:

On 09/02/2025 10:25, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Sun, 09 Feb 2025 10:23:34 +0000, Chris Hogg <me@privacy.net> wrote:

On Sat, 8 Feb 2025 19:22:52 +0000, jkn <jkn+es@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

Hi all
     our front walkway is created from several concrete slabs. From the
appearance when they 'step' I guess they are 15cm or so deep. See
photos:

https://i.postimg.cc/tgQWfqHq/IMG-20250208-093335.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/T24yFdrz/IMG-20250208-093349.jpg

On one of the slabs the surface has deteriorated in one area, so that
there is a 'crack', several inches across and two or three inches wide, >>>> exposing the inner (badly mixed?) concrete and stones. The second photo >>>> attempts to show this, but is not great, I'm afraid.

The crack is currently filled with pea gravel and dirt in an attempt to >>>> stop it getting quickly worse. I'd like to make a better repair - any
advice on this please? I have mixed cement & concrete before but am not >>>> very 'skilled in the art'.

Thanks, J^n

I don't understand. You say the slabs are 15cm or so deep. What do you
mean by 'deep'? They are very unlikely to be 15cm thick, but equally,
unlikely to be only 15mm thick if that was a mistype. Do you mean the
'going', in staircase parlance, i.e. the distance from the front edge
of the lower step/slab to the front edge of the next one up?
                              ^^^^^

                                back

My approach would be to clean off the grass that's encroaching over
the slabs on the LH side, so that you can get a better idea as to
what's there. 15cm is a bit small for the width of a slab. Has the
someone just laid the slabs and found he has an inconvenient 15cm gap
where the last two meet, and just bridged it with coarse concrete,
which is now breaking up? I would then make (or buy) a single
half-slab to fit under the edge of slab further away from the camera
and overlapping the slab nearest the camera, scraping out or adding
soil where necessary to keep all the slabs level.

________________
________________|_______
            |___________|__________________
                       |___________________|

            <----------> adjust overlaps as necessary.

I find overlapping slabs like this is a very good way of coping with
rising pathways.

Hi Chris
    I'm not sure where the misunderstanding is ... but the picture is more or less as you show here:

________________
________________|_______
             |___________|__________________
                        |___________________|

which each slab being approx 15cm in thickness (and perhaps 70cm wide).
The first photo was intended to show the 'step' between slabs.

The crack is in the middle of a slab, not between slabs. There is some similar deterioration elsewhere, but this is the worst place.

HTH, J^n

Paving labs are not normally 15cms or 6 inches thick, more like 5cms.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

RobH wrote:

Paving labs are not normally 15cms or 6 inches thick

Think less paving slab, more poured section of path ...

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 09/02/2025 14:19, Andy Burns wrote:

RobH wrote:

Paving labs are not normally 15cms or 6 inches thick

Think less paving slab, more poured section of path ...

yes, exactly. That is why my first photo showed the edge of one slab, to demonstrate the supposed thickness. I think it very likely they were
poured in place. Apologies if 'slab' was a misleading term...

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 09/02/2025 11:47, Peter Johnson wrote:

On Sun, 9 Feb 2025 10:44:12 +0000, jkn <jkn+es@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

I'm not sure where the misunderstanding is ... but the picture is
more or less as you show here:

________________
________________|_______
|___________|__________________
|___________________|

which each slab being approx 15cm in thickness (and perhaps 70cm wide).
The first photo was intended to show the 'step' between slabs.

15cm thick? Really? 6in? How do you manage to crack them?

They are clearly not precast, but cast in place with a crappy 5 sand to
mortar.
Any subsidence will crack a concrete like that as will frost. If there
isn't enough cement to full the gaps between the sand it will let in
water ... and spall.

It's a piss poor job and needs completely replacing IMHO

--
“Some people like to travel by train because it combines the slowness of
a car with the cramped public exposure of 
an airplane.”

Dennis Miller

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 09/02/2025 12:30, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Sun, 9 Feb 2025 10:44:12 +0000, jkn <jkn+es@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

On 09/02/2025 10:25, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Sun, 09 Feb 2025 10:23:34 +0000, Chris Hogg <me@privacy.net> wrote:

On Sat, 8 Feb 2025 19:22:52 +0000, jkn <jkn+es@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

Hi all
our front walkway is created from several concrete slabs. From the >>>>> appearance when they 'step' I guess they are 15cm or so deep. See photos: >>>>>
https://i.postimg.cc/tgQWfqHq/IMG-20250208-093335.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/T24yFdrz/IMG-20250208-093349.jpg

On one of the slabs the surface has deteriorated in one area, so that >>>>> there is a 'crack', several inches across and two or three inches wide, >>>>> exposing the inner (badly mixed?) concrete and stones. The second photo >>>>> attempts to show this, but is not great, I'm afraid.

The crack is currently filled with pea gravel and dirt in an attempt to >>>>> stop it getting quickly worse. I'd like to make a better repair - any >>>>> advice on this please? I have mixed cement & concrete before but am not >>>>> very 'skilled in the art'.

Thanks, J^n

I don't understand. You say the slabs are 15cm or so deep. What do you >>>> mean by 'deep'? They are very unlikely to be 15cm thick, but equally,
unlikely to be only 15mm thick if that was a mistype. Do you mean the
'going', in staircase parlance, i.e. the distance from the front edge
of the lower step/slab to the front edge of the next one up?
^^^^^

back

My approach would be to clean off the grass that's encroaching over
the slabs on the LH side, so that you can get a better idea as to
what's there. 15cm is a bit small for the width of a slab. Has the
someone just laid the slabs and found he has an inconvenient 15cm gap
where the last two meet, and just bridged it with coarse concrete,
which is now breaking up? I would then make (or buy) a single
half-slab to fit under the edge of slab further away from the camera
and overlapping the slab nearest the camera, scraping out or adding
soil where necessary to keep all the slabs level.

________________
________________|_______
|___________|__________________
|___________________|

<----------> adjust overlaps as necessary.

I find overlapping slabs like this is a very good way of coping with
rising pathways.

Hi Chris
I'm not sure where the misunderstanding is ... but the picture is
more or less as you show here:

________________
________________|_______
|___________|__________________
|___________________|

which each slab being approx 15cm in thickness (and perhaps 70cm wide).
The first photo was intended to show the 'step' between slabs.

The crack is in the middle of a slab, not between slabs. There is some
similar deterioration elsewhere, but this is the worst place.

HTH, J^n

I don't/didn't understand what you mean by 15cm in thickness. That's a
mighty thick slab! 15cm is getting on for 6". I've never seen any that
thick. 2", or about 5cm is the thickest I've ever seen, and they were
old slabs. They're usually a bit thinner these days, but not as thin
as 15mm, so not a mistype on your part either.

I've cast slabs up to 3m! For fundations... It seems he has a set of
steps that were cast in place - cheaply.

--
"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow witted
man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest
thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid
before him."

- Leo Tolstoy

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 09/02/2025 14:12, RobH wrote:

On 09/02/2025 10:44, jkn wrote:

On 09/02/2025 10:25, Chris Hogg wrote:

On Sun, 09 Feb 2025 10:23:34 +0000, Chris Hogg <me@privacy.net> wrote:

On Sat, 8 Feb 2025 19:22:52 +0000, jkn <jkn+es@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

Hi all
     our front walkway is created from several concrete slabs. From >>>>> the
appearance when they 'step' I guess they are 15cm or so deep. See
photos:

https://i.postimg.cc/tgQWfqHq/IMG-20250208-093335.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/T24yFdrz/IMG-20250208-093349.jpg

On one of the slabs the surface has deteriorated in one area, so that >>>>> there is a 'crack', several inches across and two or three inches
wide,
exposing the inner (badly mixed?) concrete and stones. The second
photo
attempts to show this, but is not great, I'm afraid.

The crack is currently filled with pea gravel and dirt in an
attempt to
stop it getting quickly worse. I'd like to make a better repair - any >>>>> advice on this please? I have mixed cement & concrete before but am
not
very 'skilled in the art'.

Thanks, J^n

I don't understand. You say the slabs are 15cm or so deep. What do you >>>> mean by 'deep'? They are very unlikely to be 15cm thick, but equally,
unlikely to be only 15mm thick if that was a mistype. Do you mean the
'going', in staircase parlance, i.e. the distance from the front edge
of the lower step/slab to the front edge of the next one up?
                              ^^^^^

                                back

My approach would be to clean off the grass that's encroaching over
the slabs on the LH side, so that you can get a better idea as to
what's there. 15cm is a bit small for the width of a slab. Has the
someone just laid the slabs and found he has an inconvenient 15cm gap
where the last two meet, and just bridged it with coarse concrete,
which is now breaking up? I would then make (or buy) a single
half-slab to fit under the edge of slab further away from the camera
and overlapping the slab nearest the camera, scraping out or adding
soil where necessary to keep all the slabs level.

________________
________________|_______
            |___________|__________________
                       |___________________|

            <----------> adjust overlaps as necessary.

I find overlapping slabs like this is a very good way of coping with
rising pathways.

Hi Chris
     I'm not sure where the misunderstanding is ... but the picture is >> more or less as you show here:

________________
________________|_______
;             |___________|__________________
;                        |___________________|

which each slab being approx 15cm in thickness (and perhaps 70cm wide).
The first photo was intended to show the 'step' between slabs.

The crack is in the middle of a slab, not between slabs. There is some
similar deterioration elsewhere, but this is the worst place.

HTH, J^n

Paving labs are not normally 15cms or 6 inches thick, more like 5cms.

This is not a paving slab
--
Truth welcomes investigation because truth knows investigation will lead
to converts. It is deception that uses all the other techniques.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On 09/02/2025 11:47, Peter Johnson wrote:

On Sun, 9 Feb 2025 10:44:12 +0000, jkn <jkn+es@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

I'm not sure where the misunderstanding is ... but the picture is
more or less as you show here:

________________
________________|_______
|___________|__________________
|___________________|

which each slab being approx 15cm in thickness (and perhaps 70cm wide).
The first photo was intended to show the 'step' between slabs.

15cm thick? Really? 6in? How do you manage to crack them?

No support underneath (perhaps laid on eroding earth)?
No rebar in the slab?

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

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On 12/02/2025 22:20, alan_m wrote:

On 09/02/2025 11:47, Peter Johnson wrote:

On Sun, 9 Feb 2025 10:44:12 +0000, jkn <jkn+es@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

     I'm not sure where the misunderstanding is ... but the picture is >>> more or less as you show here:

________________
________________|_______
             |___________|__________________
                        |___________________|

which each slab being approx 15cm in thickness (and perhaps 70cm wide).
The first photo was intended to show the 'step' between slabs.

15cm thick? Really? 6in? How do you manage to crack them?

No support underneath (perhaps laid on eroding earth)?
No rebar in the slab?

No fucking cement in the mix...
--
"It is an established fact to 97% confidence limits that left wing
conspirators see right wing conspiracies everywhere"

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Thu, 13 Feb 2025 04:07:05 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 12/02/2025 22:20, alan_m wrote:

On 09/02/2025 11:47, Peter Johnson wrote:

On Sun, 9 Feb 2025 10:44:12 +0000, jkn <jkn+es@nicorp.co.uk> wrote:

     I'm not sure where the misunderstanding is ... but the
     picture is
more or less as you show here:

________________ ________________|_______
             |___________|__________________
                        |___________________| >>>>

which each slab being approx 15cm in thickness (and perhaps 70cm
wide).
The first photo was intended to show the 'step' between slabs.

15cm thick? Really? 6in? How do you manage to crack them?

No support underneath (perhaps laid on eroding earth)?
No rebar in the slab?

No fucking cement in the mix...

No hope!

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)