Wet grit sand

[nelly05]

Hi there, i am currently doing block paving on my front drive - approx 30m2 having gleaned much info from this site.

My sub-base is approx 100-140 deep MOT1, this will allow between 30-50mm of grit sand. My edges are concreted in and the drains are done so i need to add the sand and level now.

Due to the weather the sand is wet - i tried last weekend to add sand but as i wackered it, the plate just seemed to cut into it on corners etc pushing the water out. Is it just that it is not yet comacted enough?

My question is can i use wet sand, or does it need to be dry (not easy in this climate!!)

I hire the plate in so dont want to be stuck with the cost of one if wet sand is useless.

Many thanks in advance

[slickboy]

I would off hire the wacker, cover the sand, wait for a couple of dry days then try again. If the sand is still retaining water and becoming sludgy when you try to compact it then shovel out the wettest parts, re-spread the rest and re-sand with dry stuff. If you have spread out sand and it pisses it down it's best to cover and wait for a dry day, I know people who'll lay block in any weather but it's best to be patient. If some parts are really wet you could get away with finishing it and making it look pretty but it will affect the compaction rate long term and after driving over the blocks a few times it may start to sag in areas.

[lutonlagerlout]

ditto to slick boy really
this is not the best time of year for doing paving mainly due to the short days and the lack of evaporation of anything that is wet
i have dried sand out before with a big propane burner, BUT you never heard that from me
regards LLL

[nelly05]

Well i got lucky last weekend, the bag of sand id put at the back was all nice and dry when i uncovered it so we got most of the drive done - just a small area to do this weekend - fingers crossed looking at the weather. A fair bit of cutting in this weekend so ive just printed off the relevant pages and will study hard later.
I guess the jointing wont be quite so straightforward at this time of year!"!!

One other thing - Am i better using the rubber mat with the wacker to bed in the blocks, or without.

Thanks for the replies guys.

[nelly05]

Well i finally got round to sanding the drive this weekend for a 2nd time.
Have included some pictures from my experience.

Thanks to all who helped and all the info from this site











Many thanks once again

[Stuarty]

Fantastic job, well done

[lutonlagerlout]

very nice job there mate
btw i used to live in a house identical to yours in luton,was yours built about 1972 ish? are the upstairs still freezing in the winter? is the loft the size of a small suitcase? if so its the same design
:laugh:
LLL

[nelly05]

very nice job there mate
btw i used to live in a house identical to yours in luton,was yours built about 1972 ish?

are the upstairs still freezing in the winter?

YES!!

is the loft the size of a small suitcase?

YES!!

if so its the same design
:laugh:
LLL

Its getting better, i had a new roof put on the front and had double boarding layers put in for insulation purposes, and i need new windows at the front so going to remove the plasterboard below them and put in some decent insulation then reboard.

But yes it can be bloody freezing

Cheers