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Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 8:01 pm
by GB_Groundworks
Built my lad a new 2mx1m sand pit for his ever expanding fleet of diggers put b&q want £5 for 25 kg play sand. Can get a bulk bag of golden builders sand for £30. Is it pretty much the same stuff?
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 8:05 pm
by dig dug dan
sounds like it is giles. I have come across this before. Same sand, different name, and the price is hiked cos its to do with kids!
Hope the cats keep off of it!
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 8:11 pm
by henpecked
Silica sandblasting sand?
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 8:30 pm
by pickwell paving
Kiln dried sand is what my kids get anything other than kds or play sand and it could stain there clothes and then mum wont be very happy! :p
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 9:26 pm
by GB_Groundworks
His mum is gone off with another bloke I couldn't give two hoots what she thinks hehe
I've going to get an elasticated tarp like for a trailer for it, kds is to fine can't make good sandcastles with it. I'll give the builders sand a go. See how it goes on
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 9:38 pm
by Tommy
I always had orange stained fingers and clothes every time i played in my sandpit, perks of the job when my dad was a maintenance fitter at a tile factory.
Nowadays the only perks I get is his excess rail yard liveried PPE 
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 9:53 pm
by Mikey_C
builders or soft sand will stain/dye fingers/clothes yellow (or red if that is your sand colour). Play sand is washed, you could wash your builders sand. or shop around for your play sand try tescos, or your normal aggregate supplier or your local recycled aggregate supplier as they may have better washing facilities.
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 9:56 pm
by Mikey_C
GB_Groundworks wrote:kds is to fine can't make good sandcastles with it.
i think although I have never tried it, but if you wet it you should be able to get a good castle.
Posted: Mon May 09, 2011 10:28 pm
by henpecked
I dont think play sand would b good for castles as they remove all the dust (or fines if you like) same as kiln dried, I would go for this over builders sand always thought there was a small element of lime content in builders sand, may be wrong.
Did find this http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/mythmix/mythmix.htm whilst looking, good read IMHO.
Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 12:07 am
by lutonlagerlout
good find hen
LLL
Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 10:17 pm
by ken
I did some work at a children’s day nursery a few years ago, one of the jobs there was to change the sand in the sand pit. The client’s insurance company had specified that the sand had to “play sand�. I questioned why, and the given reason was that play sand has been sterilized using steam before being bagged up. I rang round all my local suppliers and each of them told me to buy it from b&q, as they didn’t stock it. I ended up buying 160 25kg bags of the stuff at 5 quid each. All that money for sterilized sand, surly the first night it spent in the sand pit in the open air it got unsterilized.
Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 10:32 pm
by henpecked
ken wrote:first night it spent in the sand pit in the open air it got unsterilized.
Along with the sick and snot
:laugh: :laugh:
Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 10:46 pm
by lutonlagerlout
I built a circular sand pit for a nursery in 9 inch brickwork with double bullnosed staffs on top and that had a special metal cover made before any of our feline enemies got near it
our long jump pit at school was so full of it we deliberately fouled to avoid getting our flushing meadows dirty
LLL
Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 10:53 pm
by Big Phil
ken wrote:I did some work at a children’s day nursery a few years ago, one of the jobs there was to change the sand in the sand pit. The client’s insurance company had specified that the sand had to “play sand�. I questioned why, and the given reason was that play sand has been sterilized using steam before being bagged up. I rang round all my local suppliers and each of them told me to buy it from b&q, as they didn’t stock it. I ended up buying 160 25kg bags of the stuff at 5 quid each. All that money for sterilized sand, surly the first night it spent in the sand pit in the open air it got unsterilized.
can you believe there are BS specifications for play pit sand. as well as non-contaminants & toxic elements (BS EN 71-3), there's a falling mass impact test (BS EN 1177). Cheshire has some good silica sand quarries, which probably supply play pit sand (double washed and kiln dried) to the likes of B&Q, Toys R us etc for their massive mark up. maybe contacting the quarries direct would be a better deal if you require a fair amount.
Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 10:53 pm
by ken
The long jump pit at the high school I went to got condemned and filled in with soil the day used jonny’s and syringes were found in it….. And they were just the teachers!