Paver sand calculator for Alaska

For a 300-square-foot patio, plan on about 1.25 tons of sand beneath the pavers, but only 4-8 bags for filling joints. Though both are called sand, the quantities are very different. Use the calculator below for a 1 inch coarse-sand bed, figured at 1.35 tons per cubic yard. The chart that follows estimates joint material, with polymeric coverage listed per 50 lb bag.

Two separate calculations

1. Bedding: calculate the paved area with the base's 6-inch overhang, then apply exactly 1 inch. More sand allows pavers to shift and wobble later.
2. Handle joints by bag count, not tonnage. For standard 1/8 to 1/4 inch joints, a 50 lb bag covers 40-75 square feet.

Bagged joint sand

The paver depth and the joint spacing both affect coverage. Read the bag directions and allow extra. Keep remaining joint sand for any joints that drop a quarter inch after the initial wash-in.

Bedding rules for the wheelbarrow

• Screed one inch over pipes or rails, then fill the screed grooves as pavers are set.
• Choose angular, coarse mason or concrete-grade sand for this work. Round play sand can move when loaded, in the bedding layer as well as the joints.
• Set pavers on uncompacted bedding. Compacting the completed paver surface is what seats them into the sand.
• Stay off the screeded bedding. Work forward from the pavers already placed.
• Compared with sand, screenings make a somewhat firmer bed but give you less forgiveness while leveling. Use the same material across the entire area.

Plain or polymeric joint sand

After wetting, polymeric sand firms up and helps joints resist weeds, ants, and rain. Its per-bag cost is several times higher, it must be installed completely dry, and an untimely sprinkle can spoil the entire sweep. Fine plain mason sand is inexpensive, installs quickly, and needs more sand from time to time. Polymerics suit sloped areas, driveways, and heavily used pavers. Mason sand is suitable for a level garden path. Under either option, use plain coarse sand for bedding; polymeric material belongs in joints only.

The joint-sand maintenance schedule

Rain, ants, and leaf blowers carry joint sand away. Plain mason sand generally needs another sweep each year or every other year, while polymeric can last 5-10 years before joint edges begin opening. Work on a dry day: sweep, compact, then mist. Keep the leaf blower on a low setting near sanded joints, since blowing is often what removes the sand over autumns.

Example: a 20 x 15 patio

Figure the bedding at roughly 320 square feet after allowing for overhang. A 1 inch layer takes 27 cubic feet, equal to 1 cubic yard or 1.35 tons, so order 1.5 tons of mason sand. For 300 square feet of typical joints, allow 4-8 bags of polymeric sand or 2-3 bags of mason sand. Under both, use 4-plus tons of crusher run, with the quantity set by the Paver Base Calculator. Cover the site sand pile with a tarp: sand from damp through dry levels well, while soaked material will not.

Bedding and joint sand guide

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