Paver sand calculator for Idaho

On a 300-square-foot patio, bedding takes about 1.25 tons, while the joints need only 4-8 bags. Though both are called sand, the quantities differ by about twenty-fold. Below, the calculator figures an exactly 1 inch coarse-sand bed at 1.35 tons per cubic yard. The chart beneath estimates joint sand, including polymeric coverage for a 50 lb bag.

Two separate calculations

1. Bedding: calculate the paved area, including the base's 6-inch overhang, at exactly 1 inch deep. Do not add depth, since a thick sand layer can lead to loose pavers later.
2. Figure joint material by bags, not tons. For standard joints from 1/8 to 1/4 inch, allow a 50 lb bag for each 40-75 square feet.

Bagged joint sand

Joint width and paver depth change the yield. Follow the coverage chart on the bag, then round upward. Save some material because the first wash-in can leave joints a quarter inch lower.

Bedding rules for the wheelbarrow

• Set a one-inch layer, screed it on pipes or rails, and fill the channels as pavers are placed.
• Use only coarse, angular mason or concrete-grade sand. Play sand is rounded and may move under load, in either the bed or the joints.
• Keep the bedding un-compacted until the pavers are set. Compaction of the finished surface seats the pavers into that layer.
• Stay off the screeded sand. Work forward from the pavers already in place.
• Compared with sand, screenings make a somewhat firmer bed but are less forgiving during leveling. Use the same material across the entire area.

Plain or polymeric joint sand

Once wetted, polymeric sand firms up in the joints and helps hold back weeds, ants, and rain. It is several times more expensive per bag, has to be installed bone dry, and a sprinkle at the wrong time can ruin the full sweep. Fine mason sand is low cost, goes into joints quickly, and needs more added every season or two. Use polymeric for driveways, slopes, and pavers that get heavy traffic. Mason sand works for a flat garden path. Under both choices, the bedding layer remains plain coarse sand because polymeric belongs in joints only.

The joint-sand maintenance schedule

Rain, ants, and leaf blowers remove sand from joints. Plan to refill plain mason-sand joints every year or two; polymeric can last 5-10 years before the edges begin opening. Work on a dry day: sweep, compact, then mist. Keep leaf-blower power low near filled joints, since sand can be blown out a little at a time.

Example: a 20 x 15 patio

For bedding, include the overhang: about 320 square feet at 1 inch deep equals 27 cubic feet, or 1 cubic yard and 1.35 tons. Get 1.5 tons of mason sand. For 300 square feet of standard joints, estimate 4-8 bags of polymeric or 2-3 bags of mason sand. Below those layers, use a 4-plus ton crusher run base, with sizing from the Paver Base Calculator. Cover the sand pile with a tarp. Sand that is damp-to-dry screeds well; soaked sand does not.

Paver bedding and joint sand guide

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