[Joe_A]

Putting down a paver patio, I am using Masons sand to bed the pavers. Do I use the same sand on the joints or do I use a silica sand for the joints. I also want to use a Polymer sand on the joint do I use that as a finish coat or do I start right form the start using the polymer sand ? Thanks for the Help

[skahuna]

Use concrete sand for the base not mason sand
To finish I sweep in concrete sand tamp twice then sweep in the polymer sand tamp twice more then wet it down

[Stonehenge]

If you use sand for a bedding course, concrete sand is more coarse, so it's the one you want to use. For the joints, we use 100% polymeric.

[Joe_A]

I thought concrete sand and Mason Sand were the same thing ? I have laid down 100 sf out of about 1200 should I redo what I have done so far ? Have to see if I can find Concrete Sand ?

[skahuna]

i'm not sure what would happen with mason sand. concrete sand is coarse and has pebbles in it . you probably wouldnt know if you had a problem till you tamp it I think mason sand might move around some and you could end up with a wavy patio. you shouldnt have any problem finding concrete sand.

[Joe_A]

Thanks guys,,,, we pulled up the pavers and scooped up all the sand.... area was about 150 sf.....

[paponte]

Ok, heres a question for you guys. According to ICPI, and most manufactures they say to lay in concrete, and not mason sand. Let me ask you, does the concrete sane in your nexk of the woods have rocks in it also? or is it just a more coarse form of mason sand?

Pebbles are no problem, but the stuff we have around here has 3/4 -1" rocks in it.

[Paul]

ICPI has specs on the sand, if its not being screened right you have to find a new supplier.

[John Palasek]

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I've heard about the concrete sand thing too.

Hey, all I can say is that I've been using mason's sand for everything for about ten years now and I've never had a problem with any paver patio, or walk.

For driveway aprons, I set the edge pavers, (soldier course) in wet concrete at the street, the sides, (if there's no cobblestone or other border) and at the top of the apron to make a frame. I I then lay in about 4" to 6" of concrete, then set up a bedding layer of portland cement and mason's sand, (dry), and then I install the pavers as I normally would.

I used concrete sand once and I didn't really care for it and I went back to mason's sand.

Hey, it works, nobody complains and that's the bottom line.




-JP





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[Stonehenge]

I would say 3/4"-1" stones is definitely too large. This is what concrete sand looks like from one of our suppliers:

[paponte]

Yeah, thats what our mason sand looks like. Even get larger pebbles in it also.

Now that the cats out of the bag, I have been using mason sand also for years. At the ICPI classes I questioned the same thing, and thought it would vary greatly from region to region. There is just no way you are going to screed sand with large rocks in it evenly or neatly. I think you would be spending more time picking out rocks than you would be screeding. Heck, maybe even sell it for drainage stone.