Can I Repair Cracks In Stone Patio With Polymeric Sand

Devin Devine, traveling stone creative person based out of North East Pennsylvania

devin@devineescapes.com

What to put between flagstone joints–polymeric sand or stone dust?

(UPDATED 2022)

Polymeric sand is sand with an acrylic binder added. I first started seeing this stuff nigh fifteen years ago. Its popularity increased steadily for a decade and at present it is a very common landscape product. Common does not hateful "good". They come out with new gimmicky products all the time, new products come and get.

Polymeric sand, or "poly-sand" seemed great at get-go. As easy to install as regular sand, almost. Yous simply sweep the material into the flagstone (or other paver) joints, lightly hose downward, and so information technology solidifies. Once it dries and hardens, the sand stays in place. It does not become dug out by ants, weeds can't grow through it and it does not launder out. Sounds like a winner, correct? Well, it'southward more complicated than that. Let's examine these advantages one at a time:

I promise y'all enjoy these DIY hardscape manufactures! One on one assist is available.

Patio I congenital in Northern California circa 2022. If a project interests me I can be convinced to travel.

1. Easy to install. Well, it's fairly easy, but you have to be careful–the sand is mixed with a binder. Utilize as well much h2o and the binder, an acrylic mucilage, washes out and leaves a nasty haze all over your advisedly laid flagstone. Also, do non have the hose on too powerful of a setting, or you can blow the poly sand correct out of the joint, and become it all over the flagstone/paver/whatever. This tin can trouble novices and pros alike. You also have to be very careful that the joint is filled all the way, and also make sure that in that location is no fabric left on height of the paving units, before you hose downwards. Equally such, when maintenance issues practice arise, you probably want to call a pro and have them deal with information technology.

Even after using polymeric sand on dozens of patios and walkways, a landscape contractor will all the same make messes with this stuff, and volition nevertheless leave behind haze which they themselves are often unable to clean.

ii. Stays in place. Sure, only not forever. Polymeric sand is generally intended for dry out laid paver applications. Natural flagstone, concrete paver and ceramic brick patios and walkways are set upon gravel foundations, their joints so demand to be filled. 1 of the beautiful things about dry out laid patios is that the foundation can withstand freeze and thaw without peachy like concrete will. Paving units will shift slightly, especially in colder climates with a freeze thaw cycle. Polymeric sand volition fissure, over time. This will atomic number 82 to headaches. Furthermore, the polymeric sand stays in place considering information technology is glued together and also glued to the stones or bricks it is placed between. it volition likely stay glued to itself….simply the bricks or stone that it is fix amongst–these will not be clean surfaces. Separation volition happen. Cracks volition form.

3. Weed and emmet proof. Polymeric sand is indeed pretty good on these fronts….for the start yr or 3.  Merely tiny cracks do form, and weeds will arrive there, roots will abound, cracks will become worse.

What I use is rock dust AKA screenings. First, lay a foundation of compacted stone amass, then lay private flagstones using screenings every bit the leveling agent. Once all the stones are laid, sweep more screenings into the joints. Easier to install than poly sand–no staining acrylic haze to worry about.

Screenings are heavier than regular sand, thus they will not wash out quite and then hands. Really, the screenings are made of pocket-sized fries of stone, about one 8th of an inch in size, with tiny
pulverisation-similar fine material mixed in likewise. these fines, when dampened, actually practice demark up with the larger chips, condign semi-solid.

Screenings, dissimilar polymeric sand, will indeed settle over time, however–and that is a good affair! Read that once more–rock dust settling down in-between flagstone is a Good thing. Small voids may be left underneath your paving units–especially if you lot are using irregular natural stone. Even if you are using a more uniform paver, the gravel foundation may not meaty 100 percent perfectly. Minor voids may class. If you used screenings as both the leveling agent and as the articulation filler, this is no large deal. You merely sweep more screenings into the joint and life is practiced, with no great worries at all. Ahhh, it is grande indeed.

Polymeric sand, in the above scenario, volition either crevice up, or, worse yet, it may stay solid on top, leaving that void beneath, causing more than problems until the poly sand finally does fissure up. This includes gator dust and any other type or brand of polysand. Bad news, that stuff.

Ants honey sand, only I never see ant hills among my flagstones, as they do not seem to similar screenings at all.

Polymeric sand cracks upwardly

It leaves a nasty haze all over the place, and is overall a wasteful, expensive mess and a disappointment. I just do not recommend polysand, or anything similar, for utilise with flagstone.

I similar to get artistic with my flagstone work

…and then I build stuff similar this from the leftover fragments of unused flagstones. You should check out my dry stone sculpture gallery and then follow, share, and like on social medial. Thank you very much.

Here's a short video of a recent garden sculpture I congenital:

At present about weeds…what tin I say? Life happens. Every one time in awhile, you may have to pull out a weed. You lot could spray Acetic acid (vinegar) into the rock joints, deterring weed growth. Another method is to simply pour boiling water on the unwanted plants. Simple, right? There'due south other ways to deal with weeds, just this article is getting long. (you lot can e'er just let the "weeds" get….) Only don't spray whatever poisonous substance into at that place, please and thank you. Again–do not spray round-upward or whatsoever other poison unto your patio. Specially if it is a patio that I built for you 🙂 seriously, that will not go over well at all.

Finally, polymeric sand is an acrylic product. Plastic. Really, practice we want to build plastic landscapes? A bit of a philosophical question, really. Please consider information technology for a infinitesimal.

Here is an excerpt from some other article that I wrote on this subject:

The real trouble with polymeric sand

In add-on to the nasty brume staining your flagstones surface, the toxins that leach out into your lawn and garden, the ecology bear on and the wasted fiscal resource…the technical trouble, the reason why polymeric sand ruins patios and walkways is this: polymeric sand makes information technology too easy.

Polymeric sand makes people call back that they tin cheat, that they can get away with wider joints than they would otherwise. Fact is that you simply can not use polymeric sand equally a replacement for taking your time and doing the job correct. You could a) hire a professional. b) take your fourth dimension, read all the above articles, and educate yourself well plenty to try your hand at a hard task or c) go ahead and live in a lame globe where "you don't need to fit your flagstones together correct…you tin can just fill the spaces in between with plastic!" Doesn't sound too ingenious, when stated that fashion, doesn't it?

Kind Regards,

Essential tools for flagstone installation:

• grabo, the hot new vacuum lifter that makes lifting flagstones a chip easier. My review can be found HERE.
• expressionless blow type mallet. Many types to choose from….lately I mostly use my rawhide mallet, merely the rubber headed modern style .deadblow is in my tool bucket too, and I'll employ whichever is closer on manus.
• brick hammer, for cut flagstone.
• with diamond blade.
• Angle grinder. Aforementioned one I use. Keep this on hand for cuts that the hammer won't successfully make, or that will take too long with the hammer
• Diamond blades.
• Brick chisel.
• A couple of 5 gallon buckets (for stone dust, when leveling stones)….shovel, wheel barrow…..4′ level
• Option maddock. Best way to dig. Break upwardly soil with this, then use shovel.
• Human knee pads–essential.
• Paw tamper and/or plate compactor. For 100 square foot or less, I'd just use the hand tamper. Bigger than that–you might desire to rent plate compactor.

Related DIY articles:

• how to cut flagstone using a rock-selection type hammer/brick hammer
• vacuum powered flagstone lifting tool, grabo review
• how-to level flagstone in stone grit

Relish these articles for free! But if you want ane-on-ane aid, I am happy to offer consultation services. I exercise this all the time.

But please feel costless to post brief, elementary questions below, every bit comments to this thread. That manner my answers can help you, and others as well.

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DISCLAIMER

This article is intended to be informative–primarily, to permit my customers know how and why I do my work. If you are the DIY type and you find this helpful, and so cracking. Feel free to ask questions in the comment section beneath. I, of course, tin can take no responsibility for your work or for your landscape (unless you lot hire me) but if you are doing it on you your ain, then I wish yous luck and I'll attempt my all-time to answer your questions.

I do flagstone and dry out stone wall projects all beyond the country, and I've constitute stone dust available everywhere I've worked. I've seen information technology called screenings, quarry dust, quarry fines, grit, Decomposed Granite, quarter-inch-minus, pathway fines….etc.  I hope this article has been helpful.

If yous quote this article or re-post it, please requite proper credit and link back to my site. Thank you!

Attention, DIY flagstone people!

I am happy to offer all of these DIY flagstone manufactures for free. This is professional advice, written by dedicated a stone mason/passionate stone artist with over 25 years experience. One who just happens to relish writing, and likes to assist people.

Thank you

Thank you once more!

Good luck!

Source: https://www.devineescapes.com/polymeric-sand-is-often-recommended-for-filling-in-the-joints-between-patio-stones-i-do-not-recommend-this-practice-and-i-will-tell-you-why

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