What Is Polymeric Sand? How to Use It for Paver Installation

Polymeric sand blends fine sand with additives to lock pavers in place.

Using polymeric sand when installing pavers

The Spruce / Jacob Fox

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 3 hrs
  • Total Time: 1 day, 3 hrs - 2 days, 3 hrs
  • Yield: 10 x 10 surface
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $40 to $60

Polymeric sand is a mixture of fine sand combined with other additives. When mixed with water, it forms a strong binding agent that can be used to fill spaces between pavers, tiles, and more. This type of sand often comes into play at the end of a landscape paving project, including projects involving concrete pavers, brick pavers, and stone pavers. Knowing how to use paving sand helps to better secure the pavers into a uniform and durable surface.

Benefits of Polymeric Sand

Ordinary sand—the same material used to form a bed for setting pavers—can also be used to fill the joints between pavers, so why use polymeric sand? There are drawbacks to this product, such as the fact that it can stain your pavers. (To remove the stains, some suggest scrubbing with vinegar.) Nonetheless, the product is superior to regular sand in a variety of ways:

  • It improves durability. The binding agents in this product help to lock the pavers together. This will give your installation more strength over the long haul. 
  • Heavy rain will not wash away the sand. The silica and other binding additives in polymeric sand reduce the amount of water that can wash between the pavers and down into the base materials. This keeps the base foundation under the surface sturdy and intact.
  • It deters weeds. Weeds are amazingly resilient and can grow almost anywhere. While using polymeric sand doesn't guarantee that weeds will never grow in your new walkway or patio, it does help considerably. Ordinary sand is much more inviting than polymeric sand as a home for weeds.
  • It is resistant to ants. Ants will have a difficult time getting into and making homes in the spaces between your pavers if you use polymeric sand.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Leaf blower
  • Push broom
  • Vibratory plate compactor (optional)
  • Garden hose

Materials

  • Polymeric sand
  • Vinegar (optional)

Instructions

  1. Spread the Polymeric Sand

    Make sure to work when the pavers are completely dry before spreading the sand. Take these steps:

    • Pour several small heaps of polymeric sand over the patio or walkway.
    • Don't overfill. You can always add more sand as needed.
    • Fill so there is a 1/8-inch gap between the top of the paver and the sand.

    The goal is to completely fill the cracks between pavers without leaving excess sand on the surface.

    Pouring out polymeric sand onto the pavers

    The Spruce / Jacob Fox

  2. Sweep the Sand Into the Cracks

    • Using a push broom, gently brush the sand back and forth over the pavers to filter the sand down through the cracks between the pavers.
    • Brush in opposite directions to make sure all cracks are filled.
    • Add more sand, if necessary, until all cracks are visibly filled with sand without gaps.
    Sweeping polymeric sand into the paver cracks

    The Spruce / Jacob Fox

  3. Tamp the Pavers

    Ensure that the sand fills the entire joint by taking these steps:

    • Run a vibratory plate compactor or tap the pavers with a broom handle to settle the sand and ensure the joints are filled completely.
    • As the sand level drops, add more sand and repeat the sweeping and tamping process.

    Tip

    Rent a vibratory plate compactor from your local home improvement retailer.

    Tamping down pavers with a broom handle

    The Spruce / Jacob Fox

  4. Clear the Surface of the Pavers

    Do not skip this important step. Use a leaf blower or broom to clean excess sand off the top of the pavers to avoid staining. Make sure, though, not to blow sand out of the cracks between pavers.

    Tip

    A fine brush can also work if you don't have a leaf blower.

    Using a leaf blower to remove excess sand on the pavers

    The Spruce / Jacob Fox

  5. Water the Pavers

    • With a garden hose, spray water over the area but refer to package instructions as to exactly how much water the sand will require. This will activate the binding agent in the sand.
    • Make sure not to wash the sand out of the joints.
    • Let the joints dry completely for a day or two.
    • When dry, inspect the joints for any gaps.
    • Additional sand can be applied to fill any remaining gaps.
    Using a hose to spray water on the pavers

    The Spruce / Jacob Fox

  6. Wash the Pavers if Necessary

    Should you find yourself with discoloring stains due to polymeric sand on the surface of the pavers, take these steps:

    • Spray white vinegar over the stains.
    • Allow the vinegar to sit for about one hour.
    • Wash the vinegar away with soap and water.
    Cleaning the pavers with vinegar spray

    The Spruce / Jacob Fox

When to Call a Professional

Using polymeric sand requires a lot of attention to detail for the best results. The success of this step depends in large part on the pavers being installed properly on firm, flat layers of gravel and paver sand—a type of sand much different from polymeric sand. Narrow joints can also be tough to correctly fill with the sand and drainage on large projects can also be challenging to get right. If you have a large space, such as a patio or walkway, that's designed using pavers, you may want to call in a professional to handle the entire paver installation.

Purchasing Polymeric Sand

Home improvement stores and retailers selling pavers typically sell polymeric sand. This product usually comes in 20- or 40-pound bags, so it is relatively easy to handle. It is marketed under different brand names depending on the manufacturer.

Polymeric sand comes in a variety of colors, usually in different shades of gray and beige. Choose the color that goes best with your pavers. For example, a shade of gray looks good with flagstone pavers.

Common Mistakes When Using Polymeric Sand

Not Removing Excess Sand

Before setting the sand with water, the surfaces of the pavers must be free of sand because any excess will harden on the surface of the pavers and discolor them.

Poor Drainage

The water needs to be able to drain from the sand while it is curing, or the setup may fail. Curing can take weeks. The sand's instructions can help you determine how to best handle drainage when watering the installation. For very large projects, installers may drill small 2-inch weeping holes into the sand every few feet helps drainage.

Over- or Under-Filling Joints

Do not overapply the sand because the excess will be hard to remove and create an unappealing look. To avoid this issue, do not make the sand flush with the top of the paver.

You can accidently under-fill a joint by brushing or blowing away too much sand from the cracks. When brushing away sand from the surface of the pavers, use very light pressure so you don't inadvertently remove sand from the cracks. Put a leaf blower on the lowest setting if you're using the tool to remove sand from the surface of the pavers.

Improper Watering

Poor watering can cause failure of the installation. You will need to add enough water to fully activate all the layers of the polymeric sand. Too little watering will only activate the very top of the sand, creating a thin skin over unactivated sand. Overwatering, however, can cause the sand's polymers to form a weak bond.

Unsecured Pavers

Incorrectly installed pavers can move around, which will impact the polymeric sand in the joints. The sand is designed to slightly flex to accommodate micro-movements but it cannot handle larger movements of unsecured pavers. Though this type of sand rarely if ever cracks, large movements of unsecured pavers may make the sand crack.