Before I did my diy paving.. I watched too many paving experts like you, but you the only one actually doing this kind of tests👍👍

We use semi dry for a variety of reasons, as you say if the primer is put on nice and thick then sticking is no issue at all. Semi dry is cleaner, it is easier to achieve a proper full contact bed and is less prone to shrinkage, you also dont have surrounding slabs moving about with semi dry. You can also screed your beds as well making things much quicker.

The load on slabs is a downward force. When a patio is laid u do not pull them up for no reason.. they may pop off in winter if pointing in permeable.. ground workers would lay slabs on dryish mix, landscapers lay on wet. But wet comes up in the joints and when the next 1 goes on the previous 1 may move because of slump while the the next slab is knocked on.. try laying kerbs with wet gear, won't happen.. also wet gear will tend to crack on shrinkage, while drylean won't... as long as u apply bonding agent drylean is quicker to use and a lot less mess....

As most of us will agree, wetter the better 🤣.. But defo wet mix for laying, I’ve had similar issues with semi dry but premier is a must

Fair play making these helpful videos, top man.

Good way to learn! Thank you!

Still rather lay my flagstone in wet mix, helps me sleep better.. also joint it at the same time in frost freeze areas because it will attach to the base mix under your flagstone. If the joint is laid in at a later date, it could fail years later.

Been using semi dry for over 40 years no problems 👍👏🍪

Love the fact it didn’t go as expected but you still posted it. Not quite sure what you were trying to prove though. 😛

Less water can be a strong longer lasting mix as long as it’s compressed well … you can have to much water as well as not enough.. I use different mixes on different products..paving brickwork and edgers I make all different consistency’s ,, as long as it’s mixed well should set well tho paving with a dry mix will take longer to lay Id say but dry is great for edgers

I watched you build that retaining wall even though I wasn’t building one Now I’m watching you do this massive job and I’m eyeing up my dead grass and thinking of having a go at this great content boyo

Good stuff, as ever 👍

Thank you

Really enjoy ur content Scott. Always interesting with a lot of humour. I haven’t commented before but this video got me wondering. I always brush primer on with a wet mix and always get a good bond. What do you think the results would be if you brushed the primer on on a wet and semi dry mix? Be cool to see the results. Thanks for all your content.

wouldn't use a drier mix unless I was using a 1200 x1200 tile when it would make more sense to screed it, personally I will always use a wet mix as it creates more suction and is overall a better job for laying tiles individually but can use a screed and screed it out using a drier screed mix but laying tiles individually with a dry mix is nonsense it to only makes sense to use it as a screed in my experience 👍

Great video buddy. I'm going to have a go at laying a patio in the coming months. Is it feasible to do in winter? Or do you need to wait for more spring/summer weather? If so I've missed the boat there. Cheers again, from a fellow South Wales-er!

I’m a big believer in wet mix as I feel when you lay on it , the wet mix can spread when you bed and hit the slab down and I feel will dry together with the primer better, didn’t expect semi dry to work aswell but I feel wet is the one, also would you recommend a grabo for 900x600? Great vid mate

Cracking job geezer.

Semi dry will ultimately be significantly stronger.

Does the adhesion really matter? All you are doing is creating a thicker slab, lifting the mortar with it. As long as the slab has full contact with the bed and cannot move, jobs a good un.

Great video scott

I really like your tests

Love your videos pal but would slightly disagree with your test, after 6 hours wouldn’t be enough time to get a proper assessment of both mortars, don’t get me wrong I have used a wet mix for years without fail, but with a dryer mix you can get the compression force, with a wet mix you will be left with slight air pockets where the water once was because water isn’t compressive… I would love to see an actual real test where both are aloud to fully cure, and somehow test the strength rather than the grab abilities Pre cured

I had a few York Stone slabs in my garden for 30 years . When I last looked , they are all still there exactly as I left them ..... And guesss what , not a bit of mortar to keep them there . GRAVITY WORKS . Fall off scaffold and I will predict which way you will travel . 😅

Hi Scott, Scott here, what a great name. Anyway.... what ratio of mix do you use buddy!?

Do u always use sharp? Or change depending on depth... bigger the stone stronger the gear..

My at work does a completely dry mix lol

hello, what is your ratio of sharp sand to cement for porcelain slabs? Thanks

I’ve had arguments with my mate about him spreading the primer to thin. 👍🏼 thank you for sorting that for me 😄

Jonny boy says a dry mix but I couldn’t get a good bond I slurried the porcelain layed on dry mix left for 24hrs then pulled straight up Jonny boy I think is telling people to lay on semi dry so it fails and he can come in and put the job right

Block paving ain't stuck down with mortar . We use mortar on slabs to get things perfectly level ir in a true plane . Groundworkers lay slabs on sand because they are shite at compo work and it's too difficult for them (waiting for the comeback from dirt diggers). 😜

Hello quick question in terms of the sand could you use the sand they use in concrete yards when mixing concrete or would that sand be too course for porcelain slabs thanks

What is the mix ratio (cement, sand , water ) for semi dry & wet ? Thnx

So how do you get a semi dry mix?

There is no bond between the ground (dirt) and the cement wet or dry....the bond is between the tile and the cement. The surface you used for your experiment, the ground, is incorrect....that should have been stone, concrete or some other hard surface...

Interesting experiment. I don’t care I still think wet is better way to go. In this one case maybe the conditions were just right and semi dry stuck very well. In the tiling world you definitely don’t want your thin set to be too dry, you don’t get good adhesion. Maybe you’ll get away with it sometimes but in the long run your thinset has to be wet enough for the tile to adhere well to it.

A video on how to mix semi dry would be usful. Not many out there. Semi dry concrete I find hard to mix right. To make it fluffy like ready mix I struggle and I have a proper cement mixer.

The wet one is better as a landscaper. If you left 24 hours,to 48 hours, you’ll see the difference. The wet one is better.

obviously, wetter is better !!

What does it prove? Strength? BTW, Who lays stone like that?

What the hell is lava mix? Cheers

First 😜

A brickies ball.

I bet when you picked up the semi dry one you thought, ( yer bastard it's callin me a fuckin lier ) 😅😂🤪☮✊