Using paver sand to fortify your pavers is a great idea. In fact, in most paver cases, it is necessary. But how do you do it? If you want to ensure the strength and structural integrity of your pavers you need to sand them and you need to know how to do it right.
Here at Century Painting we have specialty training and tons of experience with paver sanding. In the following post, we are going to share a bit of our knowledge with all of you DIYers out there. Take a look at our cursory guide for sanding your pavers.
Materials
As with any good DIY project, you are going to want to arm yourself with the right tools and materials for the job. Luckily, for sanding your pavers, this won’t take much. Procuring the materials for this job is the easy part. You will need at minimum:
- Paver Sand – If you are covering an area of about 8’ x 10’ you probably only need a single 50lb bag of paver sand. But get more if the area is larger.
- A Push Broom – A stiff-bristled push broom works best
- A Garden Hose with Mister – You probably already have a garden hose but getting a nozzle with a fine mist setting will be critical in this guide.
- Safety Goggles – Safety first!
Steps
- Clear Debris – Before you begin sanding, make sure your pavers are as clear of debris as possible with a push broom. You can also use a leaf blower to make the job easier.
- Mix Sand – Make sure the bag(s) of paving sand are well mixed before opening them. You can mix them by laying them on the ground, grabbing one end and flipping them over onto the reverse side 5-10 times.
- Spread the Sand – Pour an even (or as even as you can manage) amount of sand over the paver joints. Then, spread the sand with the push broom so that the joints are filled as evenly as possible. This is the tricky part because ideally, you want to fill the joints between 1/4” and 1/8” below the surface of the paver or chamfer edge. So you don’t want the sand to be flush with the paver surface. You can repeat sweeping until you have the sand level down to about ¼”-1/8” below the surface.
- Mist the Sand – Using your nozzle’s mist setting, spray a gentle mist onto the pavers and joint sand to get them damp. You only want them damp so don’t overwater. Repeat this process every 15-20 minutes 2-3 times.
- Let Dry – Your joint sand should be allowed to dry for 24-48 hours.
Don’t Forget to Seal
Sealing after sanding is the best way to protect your pavers from joint erosion so be sure to have them professionally sealed after sanding. You can call on (704) 245-9409 us here at Century Painting for professional paver sanding and sealing in Charlotte, NC so get an estimate right now!
