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Using polymeric sand as paver base?
Posted on 12/5/24 at 1:13 pm
Posted on 12/5/24 at 1:13 pm
I'm have a low foot traffic paver project coming up. An experienced landscape guy tells me that I don't need a deep gravel/sand base. He wants to just lay the pavers on a thin base of polymeric sand. My only experience with the stuff is for grout between pavers. Has anybody successfully used it for a base?
3
Posted on 12/5/24 at 1:24 pm to Tree_Fall
I think you need that deep gravel base and sand not to anchor the pavers, but to reduce & isolate soil movements below. Sounds like the polymeric sand base will glue them down to moving soil and buckle just as badly as no base
Posted on 12/5/24 at 3:34 pm to Tree_Fall
Sounds like a shortcut.
Posted on 12/5/24 at 3:43 pm to PerplenGold
quote:
Sounds like a shortcut.
An expensive at that. I think over time and weather the pavers would shift
Posted on 12/5/24 at 3:49 pm to Tree_Fall
quote:
An experienced landscape guy tells me that I don't need a deep gravel/sand base
Sounds like he's experienced in doing it the wrong way. Compacted limestone under a sand leveling course is critical to long-term stability.
Posted on 12/5/24 at 4:18 pm to BottomlandBrew
Don't use sand as a base. I can tell you from experience that rain and weight being on any pavers without a good base will shift dramatically. You have to dig all the topsoil out, compact the ground, add gravel and compact it, add sand and compact it again, then lay pavers. It adds considerable time and expense, but will last much longer. Also look into those metal edging pieces if you're laying all of these together and touching each other. It will help hold the shape of the pad.
Posted on 12/6/24 at 7:36 am to RaginCajunz
quote:
think you need that deep gravel base and sand not to anchor the pavers, but to reduce & isolate soil movements below.
Correct. I wound up with a bunch of extra paver bricks, made a little pad on an unsightly area on my fence line. I didn’t completely half arse it, but knew I didn’t spend enough time on the base especially around the edges and it already sagging.
It’s an interesting idea, it may help glue them together but compacted gravel makes a big difference. You will have better luck with larger format pavers.
I used something called gator dust I think for the sand grout. Expensive but it’s good stuff.
Posted on 12/6/24 at 7:51 am to TU Rob
quote:
Don't use sand as a base. I can tell you from experience that rain and weight being on any pavers without a good base will shift dramatically. You have to dig all the topsoil out, compact the ground, add gravel and compact it, add sand and compact it again, then lay pavers. It adds considerable time and expense, but will last much longer. Also look into those metal edging pieces if you're laying all of these together and touching each other. It will help hold the shape of the pad.
some truth here.
What you are missing is the most important part. some geotextile fabric to separate the sand or stone from each other or from the native soils. without this separator fabric, the sand will migrate into the stone. Or the stone will compact into the native soil. Yes, as you stated, rain will exasperate this process.
it is this process that is used to build roads, levees, etc.
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