With regular sand, you should re-sand your pavers at least once in two years. Polymeric sand is usually good for about ten years, so re-sanding costs are saved when using this type of sand. However, this is a very basic estimate, and it actually depends on the conditions faced by your paver, such as weather.
If you use regular sand, you may have to re-sand pavers every two years. But, other indicators may mean that the time has come.
Brick pavers absolutely, 100% need to be re-sanded prior to sealing. The sand in the brick paver joints serves MANY integral purposes.
Resealing your pavers is the best way to keep them looking beautiful for years to come. We recommend resealing every 3-4 years.
Polymeric sand is the most popular and useful filler used under brick pavers. It is a mixture of fine sand, adhesive and is most widely used in paver joints. Typically, polymeric sand lasts for up to 10 years. But if you use high-quality polymeric sand, it can last for approximately 15 years.
No, new product won't adhere to the old. You have to remove the old polymeric sand and then apply fresh product for the best result. How to replace polymeric sand between pavers? Inspect the pavers to make sure the sand in the crevices is at least 1/8″ below the top of the pavers.
It also causes cracks and gaps, because the sand hasn't fully bonded the entire depth of the joint. OVER-WATERING can lead to the polymers separating from the sand during activation (this is the "foam" you'll see when you've over-watered), reducing your bonding strength. In extreme cases, your sand won't harden fully.
Pressure washing can remove set-in stains and grime from the pavers, but it may also wash away some of the sand. While it washes away quite a bit of general purpose sand, it can only remove ½ to ¾ inches of stabilizing sand.
Premium joint sand is the best choice with it comes to refilling and restoring your missing paver joint sand. Compared to polymeric sand, premium joint sand takes less absorption and drying time which makes the restoration process faster and more efficient.
Regular sand for paving is prone to erosion, damage from weeds and can make your pavers hard to wash without risking the loss of any jointing sand between the stones. Using polymeric sand, however, prevents weeds from taking root and holds pavers firmly in place thanks to the durability of its seal.
Pour the sand onto the pavers and sweep it into the joints. Using a broom handle or some other blunt object, tap on the pavers. This will cause the sand to consolidate. Sweep more sand into the joints until the sand is within 1/8” of the top of the paver.
Can you power wash pavers? Power washing (also known as pressure washing) is also a very effective method by which you can remove dust deposits and various stains from your pavers. Just make sure that the water jet is not directed directly at the joints between the paving stones.
Yes, pressure-washing pavers with polymeric sand are typically safe. In reality, pavers filled with polymeric sand can benefit significantly from pressure washing to keep them clean and well-maintained. There are, however, specific possible hazards associated that need to be taken into account.
Pro Tip: It's very important that you lay no more than 1” of bedding sand. Any more will promote settling or wobbling—two things you don't want pavers to do. Once your sand is in place, you'll use a 10'–12' strike board to “screed” the sand.
You can choose to fill the cracks between pavers with a polymer sand. This filler, once wet with a hose, turns hard, almost like mortar. It will make it tougher for weeds to take root. Or, plan to seal the patio once it's complete.
Estimating the Paver Sand
The final paver sand depth needs to be 1 inch and you need to account for sand filtering into the paver base and into the joints between the pavers. Make your calculations using a sand depth of 2 inches or 0.1667 feet.
MJS Materials writes that typically paver sand is called leveling, all-purpose, or paving sand. It's made up of coarse grains and SF Gate writes that it's a preferable material for creating the thick bedding that you lay your pavers on top of.
Paver sand is similar to playground sand, but the granules are mixed with a silica additive to make them more course and binding. As the name suggests, paver sand is often used for leveling pavers in constructing walkways and patios.
In contrast to stone dust, concrete sand provides superior performance over time. It doesn't eat away at pavers, it affords excellent drainage, and it compacts well.
Initially, some water will seep into the joint sand for the first few weeks but soon silts and dust in the air will fill any voids and water will then shed off the paver surface just like any other pavement.
Dish soaps are ideal for this job. While they feature surfactants that are able to remove tough grime like oil and grease, they are also safe enough to use on paving stones without compromising their integrity or appearance.
When looking for alternatives to polymeric sand, you will also want to find high quality materials. There are other products, such as EnviroSAND, EnviroSTONE and EnviroPATH on the market that are able to stop water erosion from occurring.
When properly installed polymeric sand is very weed resistant. There are many factors that can lead to early failure of the sand such as not getting sand deep enough into joints, applying too much OR to little water to activate, paver systems that hold too much moisture, hills, and a lot more.
If your polymeric sand didn't harden up, it's pretty much guaranteed there's a moisture issue. If the joints remain wet after the installation, they will remain soft until they dry. So getting one initial complete drying "set" is very important to the long-term performance and lifespan of the product.