A Beginner’s Guide to Installing Polymeric Sand
In last week’s blog post, we discussed why you should choose polymeric sand rather than regular sand for maintaining your brick and paving stone driveway, walkway, and patio. If you’re still debating between selecting polymeric sand or regular sand, click here to read that post — point number two is for you!
If you already know that polymeric sand is the sand best suited for your needs and want to know the proper way to install it, you’re in the right spot. Today we’re going to walk through how you can install polymeric sand all by yourself.
Select a quality polymeric sand.
Don’t choose cheap options that contain portland cement. Not all polymeric sands are created equal. Since the creation of polymeric sand in 1999, many variations have developed. If you head to the store today to pick up your polymeric sand bags, you’ll find dozens of options to choose from. This is where is gets a little bit tricky! Buyers are often drawn in by the lower price points ($8 - $16 per bag). These sand bags are able to sell at a lower price point because they indeed are lower quality. The lowest price-point sand bags are typically mixed with portland cement. While this portland cement lowers the cost and speeds up the setting time, it’s compromised polymers leave a grayish, washed-out looking haze on your pavers and bricks. That haze is somewhere between incredibly difficult and impossible to clean off. The end result is that you saved yourself some money, but ruined the appearance of your bricks or pavers in the process.
Do choose polymeric sand bags with CLEAR polymers. Quality polymeric sand bags formulated without portland cement will be priced higher than the cheap, lower quality options we just mentioned. They typically sell for anywhere between $20 and $40 per bag. That price point is 100% worth it to avoid that frustrating cloudy appearance that we just mentioned.
Spread and sweep the polymeric sand.
Do not apply your polymeric sand if there is even a chance of rain. More on this in point number four!
Do aim for an even application. Disperse the polymeric sand by pouring it directly from the sandbag onto the application surface. Then, take a thick bristle angle broom to spread the sand while simultaneously clearing the surface and completely filling the joints (cracks).
Compact the sand.
Do not skip the compacting step. Sand that has not been compacted will have air pockets in the joints. This increases the likelihood that after the hardening process, cracking will occur.
Do use a protective layer inbetween the compactor and the surface being compacted. To avoid damaging the surface of your pavers, we do recommend placing a thin layer of plywood or even a thick piece of carpet inbetween the surface of the compactor and the surface you are compacting. This allows the vibrations to be effective without risking damage to your materials.
Set it with water, very carefully.
Remember step two’s warning: Do not apply sand if there is even a chance of rain. This is because it’s water that causes the loose, soft polymeric sand to harden and set. As you can imagine, a rainfall on your unset polymeric sand application will cause an un-cleanable mess. The rain drops will cause the sand to splatter, and because the sand is now wet, it will bond to anything and everything that it is touching, including your beautiful paving stones or bricks.
Do apply a careful amount of water. The water application will lock your polymeric sand in place. The sand needs to be wet very carefully. Too heavy of a water application will wash away the polymeric sand and create a lot of cleanup for you. To weak of a water application will result in the sand not hardening and setting properly. To wet the sand perfectly, apply a fine mist to it until the water starts to just barely bead and sit atop the surface. Give it a few minutes to allow the beads to soak in. Repeat until your last application produces beads a top the surface that do not soak in, signaling to you that the sand is fully saturated.
Enjoy clean, long-lasting results.
Want to make a simple phone call and skip steps one through four? Our team of professionals is always ready to serve you. Call LandEx Co. today for a complimentary quote, exceptional service, and beautiful results.