Polymeric Sand FAQ: Coverage, Cure Time, Haze and Weather

Graded jointing sand blended with water activated polymer binders. You sweep it into the joints between pavers, water it, and the binder cures into a firm, slightly flexible joint. Plain sand stays loose forever; polymeric sand locks.

Our premium polymeric jointing sand for concrete paver joints from 1/16 in to 2 in wide. Clear polymer technology, no Portland cement, fly ash or crushed limestone, so it installs with zero haze and zero dust, and it is rain safe 10 minutes after watering and fully set in one hour. Five colors, three bag sizes.

No, and that is the point. A cured joint is firm but keeps slight flexibility, so it moves with freeze thaw cycles instead of cracking the way mortar does on a sand base.

For any patio, walkway or driveway that you want to stay put, yes. Plain sand washes out, grows weeds and feeds ant colonies. A cured polymeric joint resists all three and holds the pavers in place.

1/16 in to 2 in at intersecting points on concrete pavers. On a concrete overlay, 1 in maximum. Wider than that needs a different product.

Power Bond Plus is made for concrete pavers, concrete overlays and false joints, and is not recommended for flagstone patios, porcelain, pool copings and wet, heavily shaded areas. Clay pavers are fine when completely dry. If your job is one of the exclusions, call us before you order.

Yes on the paver deck, not on the coping stones.

Decide whether the joint should blend with the pavers or outline them, then test against your own pavers in daylight. The color guide walks through it.

A 10 lb bag covers about 11 to 15 sq ft of narrow joints, a 20 lb bag 22 to 30, a 50 lb bag 55 to 75. Repairs and small paths take the 10 and 20; a patio takes the 50. The calculator gives a count from your own dimensions.

Yes. Power Bond Plus is compacted into the joint with a rubber plated plate compactor (or a steel plate over a woven fabric), and the joint is topped up and compacted again if it drops 1/4 in. Proper compaction is what gives the joint its strength.

At least 1 1/2 in. A shallow joint will not hold, and you cannot top up old polymeric sand: clean it out to 1 1/2 in and refill.

Sections of up to 200 sq ft, 2 minutes of water each: mist until the surface is wet, then a light shower for the rest of the 2 minutes, never letting the section dry. A screwdriver should find moisture 1 in deep. Then blow the standing water off. The full method is on the install page.

Yes, every grain. Sand left on the paver face is the one thing that causes haze.

Yes. It is a one-day job with a broom, a compactor, a blower and a hose. The install page has the seven steps.

10 minutes after the joint is watered in, and it is fully set in one hour.

A joint that still flexes has reacted but is not fully cured; it needs dry conditions to finish. Keep irrigation off until it has cured, and do not install when rain is forecast within 24 hours.

Above 32 F (0 C), and it has to stay above that through installation and curing.

Wait 24 hours. Pavers and joints must be completely dry.

Wait 28 days after installation before cleaning or sealing.

Once cured. Power Bond Plus is for pedestrian and vehicular surfaces after the cure; keep traffic off while the joint still flexes.

Sand was left on the paver face when the water hit it, or the pavers were damp. Power Bond Plus has none of the cement and limestone fines that haze, so a dry, fully swept surface installs clean. Existing haze needs a haze remover.

Too much water (binder floated out), too little (never activated), damp sand or pavers, cold or wet weather during cure, or old material left under the new sand. Give it dry days before judging; a joint that stays soft comes out and goes back in.

Usually a joint under 1 1/2 in deep, poor compaction, poor drainage under the pavers, or rain before cure.

A cured joint gives seeds nothing to root in and ants nothing to tunnel through. Seeds that land on top can still sprout on the surface, so occasional maintenance is normal.

Once cured, with a fan tip at moderate pressure, spraying across the surface rather than down into the joints. Wait 28 days after installation.

Soak the joint with hot water to soften the binder, then work it out with a joint scraper. Clean to 1 1/2 in before refilling.

55 to 75 sq ft of narrow joints or 20 to 30 sq ft of wide joints up to 2 in. Small pavers use far more sand than large slabs at the same joint width, and coverage drops over an open graded base. The calculator builds the number from your paver size, joint width and depth.

10 lb $36.99, 20 lb $66.99, 50 lb $83.99, one price for everyone, free shipping in the continental US. Need a full pallet? Call us and we will arrange freight.

A joint installed at full depth on a draining base lasts for years; shallow joints, bad drainage and rain before cure are what shorten it. Expect occasional touch-ups where joints meet a driveway apron or a downspout.

Not yet on this store. Hold a bag against your pavers at the store or order the smallest bag, the 10 lb, as a test.