YeZdUhjC7r4tHy2UhdvKw/o.jpg' alt='How To Install Decomposed Granite Walkway' title='How To Install Decomposed Granite Walkway' />Rock driveways provide excellent erosion control.Crushed gray rock or gravel is the usual choice.It is sharp and irregular in shape, packing down well because the.What to put between flagstone joints polymeric sand or stone dustYes, I am available to travelif a project is financially, or artistically interesting to me, Ill go whereverif you are looking for one on one help, I do offer phoneemail consultation services as well as site consultation services.Polymeric sand is a product made from sand with an acrylic binder added.I first started seeing this stuff about fifteen years ago.Its popularity increased steadily for a decade and now it is a very common landscape product.Common does not mean good.They come out with new gimmicky products all the time, new products come and go. Installing A 25 Foot Flagpole more. Funny Camera Effects For Pc Download Free on this page.Polymeric sand, or poly sand seemed great at first.As easy to install as regular sand, almost.You simply sweep the material into the flagstone or other paver joints, lightly hose down, then it solidifies.Once it dries and hardens, the sand stays in place.It does not get dug out by ants, weeds cant grow through it and it does not wash out.Sounds like a winner, right Well, its more complicated than that.Lets examine these advantages one at a time Againmy time is valuable.I hope you enjoy these DIY hardscape articles, but if you need one on one help, youre going to have to pay for my time.Thank you very much.Easy to install.Well, its fairly easy, but you have to be carefulthe sand is mixed with a binder.Use too much water and the binder, an acrylic glue, washes out and leaves a nasty haze all over your carefully laid flagstone.Also, do not have the hose on too powerful of a setting, or you can blow the poly sand right out of the joint, and get it all over the flagstonepaverwhatever.This can trouble novices and pros alike.You also have to be very careful that the joint is filled all the way, and also make sure that there is no material left on top of the paving units, before you hose down.As such, when maintenance issues do arise, you probably want to call a pro and have them deal with it.Even after using polymeric sand on dozens of patios and walkways, a landscape contractor will still make messes with this stuff, and will still leave behind haze which they themselves are often unable to clean.Stays in place.Sure, but not forever.Polymeric sand is generally intended for dry laid paver applications.Natural flagstone, concrete paver and ceramic brick patios and walkways are set upon gravelfoundations, their joints then need to be filled.One of the beautiful things about dry laid patios is that the foundation can withstand freeze and thaw without cracking like concrete will.Polymeric sand will crack, over time.This will lead to headaches.Furthermore, the polymeric sand stays in place because it is glued together and also glued to the stones or bricks it is placed between.Separation will happen.Weed and ant proof.Polymeric sand is indeed pretty good on these fronts.But tiny cracks do form, and weeds will get in there, roots will grow, cracks will get worse.What I use is stone dust AKA screenings.First, lay a foundation of compacted stone aggregate, then lay individual flagstones using screenings as the leveling agent.Once all the stones are laid, sweep more screenings into the joints.Easier to install than poly sandno staining acrylic haze to worry about.Screenings are heavier than regular sand, thus they will not wash out quite so easily.Really, the screenings are made of small chips of stone, about one eighth of an inch in size, with tinypowder like fine material mixed in as well.Screenings, unlike polymeric sand, will indeed settle over time, howeverand that is a good thing Read that againstone dust settling down in between flagstone is a GOOD thing.Small voids may be left underneath your paving unitsespecially if you are using irregular natural stone.Even if you are using a more uniform paver, the gravel foundation may not compact 1.Small voids may form.If you used screenings as both the leveling agent and as the joint filler, this is no big deal.You simply sweep more screenings into the joint and life is good, with no great worries at all.Ahhh, it is grande indeed.Polymeric sand, in the above scenario, will either crack up, or, worse yet, it may stay solid on top, leaving that void beneath, causing more problems until the poly sand finally does crack up.This includes gator dust and any other type or brand of polysand.Bad news, that stuff.Ants love sand, but I never see ant hills amongst my flagstones, as they do not seem to like screenings at all.Polymeric sand cracks up, leaves a nasty haze all over the place, and is overall a wasteful, expensive mess and a disappointment.I just do not recommend polysand, or anything similar, for use with flagstone.I like to get creative with my flagstone workand then I build stuff like this from the leftover fragments of unused flagstones.You should check out my dry stone sculpture gallery and then follow, share, and like on social medial.Thank you very much.Im not kidding, go do it Now about weedswhat can I say Life happens.Every once in awhile, you may have to pull out a weed.Acetic acid vinegar can also be sprayed into the stone joints, deterring weed growth.Another method is to simply pour boiling water on the unwanted plants.Simple, right Theres other ways to deal with weeds, but this article is getting long.Just dont spray any poison into there, please and thank you.Againdo not spray round up or any other poison unto your patio.Especially if it is a patio that I built for you seriously, that will not go over well at all.Send me an email, if you need weed care advice.I am always happy to help.Finally, polymeric sand is an acrylic product.Plastic.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
November 2017
Categories |