Sanding a brick drive

All forms of block paving, brick paving, flexible or rigid, concrete or clays, new construction or renovation
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keyhole
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:03 pm
Location: North Norfolk

Post: # 25838Post keyhole

A couple of years ago I had my existing brick drive widened a metre by a local outfit and I was very happy with the end result. The job was completed in dry weather.

They left me half a bag of kiln-dried sand for future 'repairs' and I have never stopped finding places that need topping up. Surely once the gaps between the bricks are filled completely with dry sand, there should be no reason for new gaps to appear?

It makes me nervous about a power wash later this year, in case all my sand get washed out and I have to repeat this endless process. Any ideas?

lutonlagerlout
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Post: # 25841Post lutonlagerlout

eh?
did they wack it?
sand is cheap keyhole but shouldnt keep dissapearing mate
a photo would be handy
LLL :)
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Dave_L
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Post: # 25843Post Dave_L

Got ants? I've seen ants remove vast quantities of kiln dried.
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Rich H
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Joined: Thu Feb 08, 2007 12:28 pm
Location: Reading

Post: # 25844Post Rich H

I've employed blokes before who didn't think you needed to whack the blocks once you'd brushed in the sand and were surprised when I showed how much the sand disappeared when you whacked the blocks.

In short, though, pressure washing will blast out the sand and it will need to then thoroughly dry and have sand reapplied. All part of the maintenance process with BP I'm afraid...

keyhole
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:03 pm
Location: North Norfolk

Post: # 25851Post keyhole

Thanks for your answers and the good point raised about the wacking.

The guys certainly had one on site and it was used, but I wasn't watching over them during the job so maybe it wasn't wacked 'enough'. How do they know when enough is enough? Trade secret..?

I thought that kiln-dried sand was so 'fluid' that it simply flowed everywhere, if dry enough. After all, I dont expect to wack after a power wash.

Ants certainly are to blame for a small amount of it - near the edge line. But they quickly get the 'boiling water treatment'.

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