How Do You Maintain Polymeric Sand?
Here are some tips so that you can maintain the integrity of your brick pavers for a long time to come.
Polymeric Sand Benefits
The best quality polymeric sand can provide strength and stability for your bricks while keeping erosion at bay. Next-generation polymeric sand can provide you several other benefits besides inhibiting the growth of annoying weeds, mold and fungus between your brick paver joints. The right kind of polymeric sand can stop insects and ants from digging into your brick pavers. If you maintain your polymeric sand correctly, you can enjoy these benefits for several years.
Polymeric sand has proven itself to be a superior solution over ordinary brick paver sand. This material is high tech when compared to conventional sand since it is a blend of binder and high- grade colored sand that can set your brick pavers for maximum stability. It allows your brick pavers to resist motion under both wet and dry conditions.
Storage
To maintain polymeric sand joints, keep a bag of this high-grade sand at hand so that you can use it whenever the need arises. You need to keep the package away from sunlight in a dry place. Do not take the sand out of its package unless you are applying it. If you must keep the bags outside, then cover them with a waterproof tarp to keep out sunshine and rain.
Weather
Before applying the polymeric sand, you must check the weather forecast to make sure that there will be no rain over the next 24 hours. Also check to see the temperature over the next 48 hours that are required for drying the sand. The temperature for this drying period should be over 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Inspect the brick pavers to be certain that they are completely dry. Any water will start a reaction before the sand has time to settle in the right place. The sand might also end up staining the wet surface.
Check Joints
Check to see failing joints. Wherever you find them, use a screwdriver or a similar sharp tool to scrape it all out. You will be replacing this damaged joint with your fresh new polymeric sand.
Applying Polymeric Sand
After all this, you can sweep the polymeric sand over your brick pavers. Spread the sand uniformly with a push broom. Make sure that all joints are full of the new sand. There should be no cavity in the joints. Sprinkle this sand wherever you find joints that are not full.
Leaf Blower
Using a leaf blower, remove excess polymeric sand lying on brick pavers. Use the leaf blower carefully so that you don’t blow out the sand from the joints. It is the excess sand that you are targeting. If you do not remove this excess sand properly, it will become wet and stick to the surface.
Wetting
Wetting should be done carefully to prevent running water from carrying off the polymeric sand from the joints. Allow 48 hours for the sand to cure.
Polymeric sand maintenance requires skill and expertise to do correctly and safely. You must leave this job to the professionals and save yourself time and effort in the process.