Grit sand

[Gamma]

Hello!

Firstly, i have been browsing your site for a couple of years now and am amazed with the amount of informaton. good site.

This is a question regarding grit sand for block paving.

I have sourced a grit sand from the local quarry, this sand is produced by seiving. the finer sands which pass through a smaller seive are sold as building sand.

Is this grit sand o.k. to use for block paving? the quarry have told me that for block paving you must use washed river sand?

so i`m a little confused?

any ideas, thanks.

[Tony McC]

A washed river sand is preferred for block paving - the grains tend to be rounded, rather than angular (as is the case with a quarried sand) and any salts, clays and silts tend to have been washed through. But, there are sieved sands that are suitable for Zone 4 applications, which includes private driveways as well as footpaths.

If this were a commercial project, we'd always insist on a Zone 2 sand (or even a Zone 1, which is the mutt's knees), but for driveways, patios and paths, almost any free-draining coarse sand will do, as long as the clay content is sufficiently low.