Paver sand calculator for Minnesota

For a 300-square-foot patio, plan roughly 1.25 tons of bedding sand, while the joints need just 4-8 bags. Though both are called sand, their quantities are very different. The calculator below figures bedding at exactly 1 inch of coarse sand, using 1.35 tons per cubic yard. Use the chart below that for joint fill, including polymeric coverage for each 50 lb bag.

Two separate calculations

1. Calculate bedding from the paved surface plus the base's 6-inch overhang, using exactly 1 inch of sand. A thicker bed can lead to loose, uneven pavers.
2. Joints are measured in bags, not tons. For standard 1/8 to 1/4 inch joints, allow one 50 lb bag for each 40-75 square feet.

Bagged joint sand

Joint width and paver thickness change the coverage rate. Read the bag chart, round the purchase upward, and save remaining material for the first wash-in, when joints may settle a quarter inch.

Bedding notes for installation

• Use a one inch setting bed, leveled on pipes or rails. As each paver is placed, pack sand into the rail channels.
• Specify masonry or concrete sand with a coarse, sharp grain. Fine, rounded play sand can move under load beneath pavers and within the joints.
• Leave the bedding loose until the pavers are installed. Compaction happens after placement, when the finished paver surface is compacted into the sand.
• Avoid stepping on the screeded sand. Place pavers while working outward from the completed section.
• Screenings create a somewhat firmer bed than sand, though they leave less tolerance for leveling adjustments. Use the same bedding material throughout the area.

Plain versus polymeric joint sand

When wetted, polymeric sand sets up in the joints and helps limit weeds, ants, and rain. It costs several times more per bag, needs to be installed in completely dry conditions, and a poorly timed sprinkle can ruin the entire sweep. Fine mason sand is inexpensive, installs quickly, and needs replenishment after a season or two. Polymeric makes sense for slopes, driveways, and heavily traveled areas, while a level garden path can use mason sand. In both cases, use plain coarse sand below the pavers: polymeric belongs in joints only.

Planning for joint re-sanding

Rain, ants, and leaf blowers gradually remove joint material. Refresh plain mason sand about every year or two; polymeric sand commonly lasts 5-10 years before joint edges begin opening. On a dry day, sweep in the material, compact it, then mist. Use a low blower setting near filled joints.

Example: a 20 x 15 patio

Include the overhang when figuring bedding, for about 320 square feet. A 1 inch layer requires 27 cubic feet, equal to 1 cubic yard or 1.35 tons. Purchase 1.5 tons of mason sand. For joints across 300 square feet, estimate 4-8 bags of polymeric sand or 2-3 bags of mason sand. Below both is 4-plus tons of crusher run; size that layer using the Paver Base Calculator. Cover the on-site sand pile with a tarp. Sand that is damp to dry screeds well, while saturated material does not.

Choosing bedding and joint sand

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