Signs a patio needs attention
- Slabs that have dropped or tilted, leaving trip edges and dips.
- Slabs that rock when you step on them, often with mortar crumbling out of the joints.
- Cracked or broken slabs, often around a drain cover or where something heavy has stood.
- Water lying on the surface, or running back towards the house.
- Weeds pushing through the joints, a sign the jointing, and often the bedding, has failed.
Sunken or uneven slabs
On Middlesbrough's heavy clay, a patio laid on a thin bed of sand or a few dabs of mortar will move. Clay swells when it's wet and shrinks in a dry summer, and anything without a proper sub-base goes with it. Patios laid over old drain runs or soft backfill next to the house are especially prone to dipping. Packing one slab back up to level rarely lasts. The fix is to take up the affected area, put right what's underneath and lay it again.
Rocking and cracked slabs
A rocking slab usually means the bed beneath it has broken up, or was never a full bed in the first place. We lift it, dig out the old bedding and lay it again on a full mortar bed. Cracked slabs are replaced. If the original slab is still made, we'll match it. If not, we'll talk you through the closest options, including moving a sound slab from a less visible spot and putting the new one there.
Lifting and re-bedding on a proper sub-base
Relaying a patio properly means:
- Lifting the slabs carefully and stacking the sound ones to go back down. A few usually break, so spares are handy.
- Digging out the old bedding and any soft ground beneath it.
- Laying and compacting a crushed-stone sub-base in layers, deep enough for the ground it sits on.
- Bedding each slab on full mortar, primed where the stone needs it, to tight, even lines.
- Jointing with mortar or a jointing compound that suits the slab.
Drainage and falls
Plenty of the older patios behind the semis in Acklam, Ormesby and Marton were laid dead flat, or with a fall back towards the house. Relaying is the moment to put that right: a fall of a little per metre so water runs off to the lawn, a border or a drain, and a finished level at least two brick courses below the damp-proof course. If the water has nowhere to go, we'll suggest a channel drain or a soakaway.
Repointing as part of a repair
Where joints have cracked or washed out, we rake out the loose material and repoint as part of the repair, so water can't get under the slabs again. On its own, repointing won't cure a patio that has sunk. It's the finishing step once the slabs are sound and level.
When relaying beats replacing
Relaying usually makes sense when the slabs themselves are sound and you still like them, particularly natural stone, which tends to look better as it weathers. It's also the answer when only part of the patio has moved. A new patio is worth thinking about when most of the slabs are cracked or crumbling, when no match can be found, or when you'd like a bigger or different patio anyway. See patio slabs, Indian sandstone and porcelain for new options.
What affects the quote
- The size of the area to be lifted and relaid.
- Why it failed: the bedding, the sub-base, drainage, tree roots or an old drain.
- How many slabs are cracked, and whether matches can be found.
- Access for barrows and materials, which matters with terraced back yards.
- Any drainage, steps or edging that needs putting right at the same time.
- Taking away old bedding and broken slabs.
We'll look at all of this at the free site visit and give you a written quote. See also what affects patio prices.
Questions people ask
Can you repair just part of a patio?
Yes. If only one area has sunk or a few slabs rock, we can lift and relay that section on a proper base. We'll also tell you whether the rest looks likely to follow, so you can decide with the full picture.
Can my existing slabs be reused?
Usually, if they're in good condition. Natural stone and good concrete slabs can be lifted and laid again. Expect a few breakages, so hang on to any spares you have.
Why does my patio hold water by the back door?
Usually because it was laid flat or with a fall towards the house, or because the ground beneath has settled. Relaying it with the right fall, and a drain where it's needed, sorts it out.
Will the repaired area match the rest?
Relaid original slabs will match. New replacement slabs can look fresher at first and tend to blend in as they weather. We'll show you the options before anything is laid.
Do I need to do anything before you start?
Just clear the patio of pots and furniture if you can, and let us know about any drains or cables you're aware of. We'll handle the rest, including taking the waste away.
Get a free quote
If your patio has sunk, cracked or started to rock, send us a few details and your postcode. We'll come out, find what's causing it and give you a written quote.
