Paving sand cement/mix (sharp or soft sand)
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smeagle
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Paving sand cement/mix (sharp or soft sand)

by smeagle » Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:42 pm

can paving slabs be laid on soft sand 3 parts, cement 1 part. The last patio i did i used 3 parts sharp sand and 1 part cement, i have to say though its been down for about 5 years now and has not budged an inch its still perfectly level and no slabs are broken i was just wondering wether a soft sand cement mix would be a bit easier to work with than a sharp sand cement mix is

thanks for any advice given

thedoctor2
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Joined: Wed May 02, 2007 7:37 am

by thedoctor2 » Thu May 03, 2007 8:18 am

Sharp sand is preferable as it is more flexible, when mixed to a fairly dry consistency, than soft sand. Its also stronger and less prone to freeze-thaw action (see our project on this). As you say, for light traffic, soft sand will do the job but it is not ideal.

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