Hi all i was a plasterer years ago & now im a bit lost with all the new stuff, well i need to repair my block paving drive as it keeps sinking,know im sure i used grit before but cant seem to get it now is it still available? & is that the right stuff? then of course id sweep over some kiln dry on top. also while im here ive finished building a wall outside & years ago we used sharp sand for rendering,so what is this new plastering sand all about showing me age aint i cheers woody
Help with sand etc
- Thread starter spreader1
- Start date
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For block paving as course a sand as you can get is best. Sharp sand/ concrete sand/ grit sand are all fine.
As for the jointing kiln dried is right.
Its always hard to give a guide to sand type as its so dependant on what you get locally and what its called.
What i call sharp sand would never work for rendering as its got no fines at all, but then again what I in belfast call plastering sand is maybe what you call sharp sand etc etc and the confusion continues.
To me there are three types of sand
Building (the finest) - for bricklaying
Sharp sand (the coarsest) for block paving, floor screeding
Plastering sand (about halfway between the above 2) for plastering, it has plenty of coarse stuff but also some fines too.
Find a decent local merchant who can set you right, all you should need to do is tell them what its for and they should be able to supply you the right stuff.
As for the jointing kiln dried is right.
Its always hard to give a guide to sand type as its so dependant on what you get locally and what its called.
What i call sharp sand would never work for rendering as its got no fines at all, but then again what I in belfast call plastering sand is maybe what you call sharp sand etc etc and the confusion continues.
To me there are three types of sand
Building (the finest) - for bricklaying
Sharp sand (the coarsest) for block paving, floor screeding
Plastering sand (about halfway between the above 2) for plastering, it has plenty of coarse stuff but also some fines too.
Find a decent local merchant who can set you right, all you should need to do is tell them what its for and they should be able to supply you the right stuff.
Round these parts, sharp sand is also plastering/rendering sand
For the block paving we call it screed sand, course sand, or just block paving sand
Kiln dried for the joints
It does not help when you get some building/bricklaying sand from the sheds and its actually sharp sand and unusable for laying bricks
For the block paving we call it screed sand, course sand, or just block paving sand
Kiln dried for the joints
It does not help when you get some building/bricklaying sand from the sheds and its actually sharp sand and unusable for laying bricks
It's interesting that you say that. I've built a few walls in the garden and done some minor repointing on the house using "Building Sand" from Wickes (and other suppliers to a lesser extent). However, this sand does seem a bit grittier than what I would regard as "Soft Sand" which I've only ever seen loose, is more orangey in colour and stains your hands. The mortar I mix up (5:1) is grey and ends up with a smoother, harder surface than the yellowier, slighty grittier look of the original house mortar. Any advice on a better match?
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It's always a problem matching mortar. It does not help when the sheds get the pre-packed sand from another part of the country, making it totally different to what may have been used locally in the first place
Its always trial and error. The more orangey the sand the more silver/grey mortar, and same thing for the more sharp/grittier
Its always trial and error. The more orangey the sand the more silver/grey mortar, and same thing for the more sharp/grittier
Thanks for all your suggestions cant believe ive just had a skip lorry reverse on my block pave drive made a bloody mess trying to find out who it was there are so many ****s out there,if i had'nt had gone out to seal my sons bath it would'nt have happened cheers woody
Not quite true. Sand is not the problem .
It really is all about the cement .
And also about the mix ratio.
Everything has to be 'guaged' .
Castle cement gives brown mortar. (still has to be guaged though).
spread - when I lived in London/NWKent border area (3 years ago) we used:
'soft sand' for mortar
'sharp sand' for render
'paving sand' for paving beds
'jointing sand' for, well ... for block paving joints. These were the accepted terms locally.
When I moved to N.Ireland my local builders merchant hadn't a clue what I was on about with the first two, turns out they use:
'building sand'
'plastering sand'
oh, and
'paving sand' for beds
'granite sand' for jointing
So r896 is right about geographical differences. However, I bought a load of bagged sharp sand (for rendering) from the Sidcup branch (London/Kent) of Travis Perkins maybe 5 years ago. The bags were marked plastering sand but the stuff had loads of grit in it ... absolutley useless for rendering as the trowels would pick-up on the grit and we were left with ploughed grooves all over. Complained to TP ... they swapped the load and compensated us for hacking off and re-doing; they said they got that consignment of sand from a 'new' supplier from 'up North' as there was a shortage of southern stuff at the time. So, maybe you pays your money and you take a chance OR you sample before you buy.
'soft sand' for mortar
'sharp sand' for render
'paving sand' for paving beds
'jointing sand' for, well ... for block paving joints. These were the accepted terms locally.
When I moved to N.Ireland my local builders merchant hadn't a clue what I was on about with the first two, turns out they use:
'building sand'
'plastering sand'
oh, and
'paving sand' for beds
'granite sand' for jointing
So r896 is right about geographical differences. However, I bought a load of bagged sharp sand (for rendering) from the Sidcup branch (London/Kent) of Travis Perkins maybe 5 years ago. The bags were marked plastering sand but the stuff had loads of grit in it ... absolutley useless for rendering as the trowels would pick-up on the grit and we were left with ploughed grooves all over. Complained to TP ... they swapped the load and compensated us for hacking off and re-doing; they said they got that consignment of sand from a 'new' supplier from 'up North' as there was a shortage of southern stuff at the time. So, maybe you pays your money and you take a chance OR you sample before you buy.
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