The best sand for brick patios is a fine, small grain sand that is either white or tan. It has to be clean and well graded. The best sand will form a hard surface and will provide excellent drainage because it is permeable enough to allow water to pass into the soil below. A well-maintained brick patio will last for years, with very little maintenance required. However, sometimes the bricks become cracked or sunken due to erosion, which can lead to a loss of structural integrity. If this seems to be happening to your brick patio, you have a few options in terms of repairing the damage.
Brick patios are a beautiful addition to any home. They’re simple, classy and provide unique walkways for your yard. However, when making these pathways it’s important to use the right type of sand. The wrong kind of sand can cause problems in the structure and even lead to water damage in some cases.
I’ve put together this guide so you can learn about what types of sand work best for brick patios and why you should use them over other options on the market. This will ensure that your patio looks great while lasting as long as possible without excessive maintenance throughout its life span.
Polymeric Sand – Best Sand For Brick Patio
Polymeric sand is the best sand for brick patios. Polymeric sand is widely available at almost all home improvement stores, and can be purchased in bags or by the bucket. Polymeric sand is a very fine sand that is easy to work with, and it will stay put once you’ve applied it to your patio surface.
Most people prefer polymeric because they find it easier to apply than regular play sand, which tends to get messy when wet or when two different types of materials are mixed together (like bricks). Also, polymeric doesn’t leave behind any residue like other types of materials might when they’re removed from the surface of your patio after years of use.
Masonry Sand – Best Sand For Brick Patio
Masonry sand is a type of sand that is used to fill gaps between bricks. It is not as fine as polymeric sand, playground sand or white sand. Masonry sand has a grain size between 50 and 100 microns (0.05 mm). Polymeric and play area sands have a grain size of 30–60 microns while white sands have a grain size of 0.05–10 microns and concrete sands tend to be from 40–120 microns (0.04mm – 0.12mm).
Playground sand is good for kid-friendly patios since it’s softer than concrete and won’t scratch kids’ knees! White sands are used for aesthetic appeal because they look like beachy seashells when they’re wet! Concrete sands help cement your patio together so you don’t have any cracks between the bricks after heavy rains.
White Sand – Best Sand For Brick Patio
The most durable and popular sand for brick patios is white sand. It’s a great choice for your home because it can withstand the weather, particularly rain and snow. White sand can be raked, swept or vacuumed to keep your brick patio clean in between applications of staining products.
One of the biggest advantages of using white sand is that it blends well with any type of brick or paver patio, whether you have red bricks, gray bricks or brown pavers on your patio at home. You should avoid using colored sands in case you decide to change up your color scheme one day after all these years.
Concrete Sand – Best Sand For Brick Patio
Concrete sand is not good for brick patios.
Concrete sand is not recommended for brick patios.
Concrete sand cannot be used in brick patios, because it’s basically like regular beach sand and won’t hold up well to the elements or pounding caused by foot traffic.
Playground Sand – Best Sand For Brick Patio
Playground sand is a good choice for brick patios. Playground sand is fine-grained and not too coarse, so it will not leave divots in your bricks. Playground sand is free of contaminants and will not contain any sharp objects like glass or metal which could puncture your bricks. You can also use playground sand for the grass around your patio, but do not use it on the patio itself as it may contain sharp objects that could scratch or puncture the surface of your brick pavers.
The best sand for your brick patio is polymeric sand.
To create a stable base for your bricks, you need to choose the right sand. Sand is available in many different grades, from coarse to fine and from angular to smooth. The best type of sand for brick patios is polymeric sand because it’s soft and easy to work with, as well as being easy to clean once applied. Polymeric sand isn’t washed away by rain or snowmelt like other types of masonry sands might be, which makes it ideal for harsh weather conditions like those found in some parts of Canada. This type of masonry sand can also be found in different colors and textures (white, gray brown) so you’ll never have trouble matching the look of your new patio design with its surrounding landscape elements.
Masonry sands are also commonly used on brick patios because they’re easy enought o work with while still providing plenty of stability underfoot when walking over them during construction timeframes or after installation has been completed; Masonry sands typically have larger grains than purer kinds but aren’t too coarse either – this means that they won’t irritate bare skin when stepping onto loose particles near freshly laid bricks.
Conclusion
Brick patios are a great addition to any home, but they need some maintenance from time to time. Depending on where you live and what type of weather is prevalent in your area, this could range from weekly cleaning sessions with a hose or pressure washer to annual repointing projects that remove the old mortar and replace it with new stuff. If you’re looking into how best sand for brick patio, then this article might help answer some questions about that.
