Paver sand calculator for Rhode Island

For a 300-square-foot patio, plan on roughly 1.25 tons of bedding sand but just 4-8 bags for the joints. These are two distinct uses of sand, with about a twenty-fold difference in quantity. Use the calculator below for a 1 inch layer of coarse bedding sand, calculated at 1.35 tons per cubic yard. The chart below covers joint material, including coverage for each 50 lb bag of polymeric sand.

Two sand calculations

1. For bedding, take the paved area and include the base's 6-inch overhang, then use exactly 1 inch of depth. Going thicker can leave pavers rocking later.
2. Joints: calculate bags rather than tons. For typical joints from 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch wide, allow one 50 lb bag for each 40-75 square feet.

Bagged joint sand

Paver thickness and joint width affect coverage, so follow the bag's chart and buy a little extra. Keeping some joint sand is useful when the first wash-in leaves joints about a quarter inch lower.

Bedding rules for the wheelbarrow

• Screed a one-inch layer on pipes or rails, then fill the rail marks as each paver is set.
• Choose coarse, angular mason or concrete-grade sand. Rounded play sand moves under weight, both beneath pavers and in their joints.
• Keep the bedding loose while placing pavers. Compact the finished surface afterward so the pavers settle into the sand.
• Stay off the screeded sand. Work forward from pavers already in place.
• Screenings make a firmer bed, but give you less room to correct the level than sand does. Use one material across the full area.

Plain or polymeric sand for joints

Once wetted, polymeric sand sets up in the joints and helps keep out weeds, ants, and rain. It costs several times more per bag, needs to be installed bone dry, and an ill-timed sprinkle can ruin the entire sweep. Fine plain mason sand is low-cost, quick to install, and needs another sweep every season or two. Use polymeric for slopes, driveways, and heavily used pavers. A level garden path can use mason sand. Under either option, use plain coarse sand for bedding because polymeric sand belongs in joints only.

The joint-sand upkeep schedule

Joint fill can disappear from weather, insects, and leaf blowers. Plain mason sand generally needs another sweep every year or two, while polymeric can hold for 5-10 years before joint edges start opening. Apply on a dry day, compact it, then mist it. Use a lower leaf-blower setting near filled joints.

Example: a 20 x 15 patio

For bedding, allow about 320 square feet including the overhang. At 1 inch, that is 27 cubic feet, equal to 1 cubic yard or 1.35 tons. Order 1.5 tons of mason sand. For joints, 300 square feet of standard joints takes 4-8 bags of polymeric or 2-3 bags of mason sand. Below both layers, plan for 4-plus tons of crusher run using the Paver Base Calculator. Keep the site pile under a tarp: sand that is damp-to-dry screeds cleanly, while soaked material does not.

Choosing bedding and joint sand

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