Allow 48 hours or more if temperatures are cool or a pressure washer has been used. For best results the sand should be dry to its full depth before sealing. It is always recommended to test the sealer of choice in a small area first.
Traditionally, concrete paver manufacturers have recommended waiting at least 90 days after polymeric sand installation to apply a protective sealant to a paver surface. Nowadays, a 30 day delay is sufficient to allow the evaporation of any remaining natural efflorescence contained in the pavers.
If us- ing polymeric sand, you can install it after the sealer application has properly cured for 24 - 48 hours. If polymeric sand is installed prior to sealing, be sure surface is dry for 24 hours before applying sealer.
A minimum of 24 hours drying time is required prior to allowing significant foot traffic and 48 hours for vehicular traffic on the paver surface.
First, wet the area where the pavers will be installed. Next, spread a layer of sand over the area and use a broom to work it into any cracks or gaps between the pavers. Finally, use a hose to wet the sand and allow it to harden. These are just a few tips to keep in mind when sealing pavers with sand.
Once the silica joint sand has been activated by the urethane in our Ure Seal h2o brick paver sealant, the 4 grain silica sand will become extremely hard, comparable to the consistency of concrete.
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.
The sand and paver area must be dry to complete this step. First, clean and sweep the newly paved area, in order to remove all materials and debris. Seal the area with a sand binding sealant, this will ensure that the joint sand will not disappear. This will also prevent the growth of vegetation between the joints.
Polymeric sand cures by drying. And in order to fully set, it needs to dry out completely. 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.
The prep work is the most time consuming: you must have a clean, dry surface and joints. Unfortunately with polymeric sand replacement, you can't just uproot any weeds and top it up. You have to completely remove all the pre-existing sand in the joints and start fresh.
The first thing you need to do is remove ALL of the existing sand down to the bottom of the paver. Polymeric sand works best when used at full depth. A pressure washer works well or you can get down on your hands and knees and use some sort of tool that will dislodge the sand.
Make sure the surface is dry, and that rain isn't in the forecast for at least the next 24 hours. Clean the paver surface removing debris and stains. Sweep with a good broom, or using a leaf blower, being careful not to blast the sand out from between the paver joints. Pull any weeds growing between pavers.
You can protect the joint sand from washing out by sealing the paver surface. Sealing restores the beauty of your pavers. The paver sealer also serves as glue between the joint sand particles hence holding them together, and preventing the sand from being washed away when it rains or during pressure washing.
DISASTER #1:
Water needs to drain from a paver application in order for the polymeric sand to perform like it's supposed to. Polymeric sand becomes quite stiff after it has cured and doesn't really bend once it's completely dry. Remember, however, it's designed to soften up and become flexible when wet.
After installation, a hard rain on polymeric sand that has not fully set up could result in polymeric sand all over the top of the pavers. You want to make sure your surface is dry prior to installation and no rain is in the forecast after completing the job for the specified period of time.
Unsealed interlocking pavers & brick are subject to staining, fading, sand loss, and can sometimes develop weeds and mildew growth. With proper sealing and maintenance your pavers will be more likely to have a long lasting, beautiful and durable life and appearance.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Polymeric Sand has many benefits, however, the biggest drawback is that it can be easy to mess up, especially if you don't follow the manufacturer's instructions.
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.
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.