I was using the wrong kind of sand for my paver base for two whole summers

I kept having my patio pavers sink and shift in the Rio Rancho clay, and I just blamed the ground. Then my neighbor, who's a retired contractor, came over, scooped up a handful of my 'paver sand' and just said, 'Wendy, this is play sand from the box store. It's like building on sugar.' I'd been buying the wrong stuff because it was cheaper and labeled 'sand.' Has anyone else made that mistake and found a good local place for the right coarse sand?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_james24d ago

Honestly, I've had the opposite problem. I used that coarse, sharp concrete sand for a base once and it was a nightmare to level and compact evenly. It just wouldn't settle right for me. Maybe with your clay it locks in, but in my soil it left things kind of spongy. I actually had better luck with the all-purpose sand, the kind that's a mix, once I really wet it and tamped it down in thin layers. Is the problem maybe less about the sand type and more about how we're putting it down?

the_betty24d ago

Yeah I had that spongy feeling too until I started wetting it as I went. The water really helps it lock together, especially with the all-purpose stuff. Thin layers are key for sure.