# My Paver sand washed out



## codeamatic

For the last week or so I'd been installing paver brick edging around the perimeter of my deck. My yard has a slope in two directions, but I was sure to level the bricks as they sloped in one direction. Yesterday I'd planned on finishing and adding polymeric sand, but then it rained pretty hard and I came out to find that all of my base sand had run out from under my bricks down the slope (see pictures).

Steps I took to do the pavers:
- Dug trench
- Added paver base 4 to 6 inches
- Tamped
- Added paver sand 1 to 2 inches
- Tamped
- Added paver bricks (using a mallet to lightly tap in place)



As you can see, all of my paver sand washed from under the bricks, exposing the paver base.



The sand ran down the slope piling up along the way, making it look flush with the bricks...and it shouldn't be.

How do I stop that from happening on the slope? I don't want to abandon this project, but at the same time I also don't want to do clean up, followed by hours of work again only for it to get washed away.


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## hsvtoolfool

Did you install plastic paver edging and spike it down? That helps hold in the sand and locks the pavers in place. Frankly, you may not need sand in this application. Or very many spikes.


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## codeamatic

No, I didn't use any paver edging. I considered it, but ended up skipping it, thinking that since it was only for edging, I wouldn't need it. Are you thinking that I could get by with just the paver base, edging and spikes, and polymeric sand?


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## jabopy

Might be better to mix cement in with your sand to bed the bricks, that should hold them and the bed together.


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## corneliani

What are you trying to accomplish, just an edging band? Or the entire gravel area to be pavers? I ask bc if you're just edging/delineating your grass there really is no need to place sand in a trench. We place gravel under footings but that's as much for stability as it is for keeping water flowing away. Sand is typically used for leveling. Water washes it out as its so smooth that it has no binding qualities. So if you're just edging, as it seems, get rid of that sand and replace with something like #57 stone (ideally lined in some landscape fabric to keep dirt from flowing in). Tamp it down to grade, effectively building a french drain, and give the edges support (dirt is cheap so use your existing grass/dirt to keep one side tight.. the other side may need edging.. even landscape edging may work dep on wear & traffic). If you build it so the top of the pager is at or just above grade level u may get away w/o needing edging as the dirt itself will hold your pavers tight - and the gravel underneath them will help water keep flowing out to the low points.


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## codeamatic

I'm trying to put an edge band around the river rock area. I haven't completely filled in the river rock, which is why it only looks partially completed.

So yes, definitely just edging. Almost all of the tutorials I read mentioned sand which is why I went down that path, but it seems that it will just continue washing away.

I already have about 4 inches of regular paver base in the trench. I'll look into using gravel (or a sand cement mixture) and a combination of edging instead of sand.

Thanks y'all.


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## hsvtoolfool

I would use paver edging on either side without sand bedding or filling the joints. Spike the edging every 24 inches to lock the pavers into place. The pavers won't go anywhere if you use proper 10 to 12 inch spikes.

I really like your idea and I think it looks great, but I suspect it's impossible to create a true paver install with only two rows. There's just too many exposed joints and edges to avoid erosion. So I wouldn't follow the paver installation rules strictly.


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## codeamatic

@hsvtoolfool What would you recommend I do instead of using the sand bedding? Would you recommend I just use another inch or so of paver base in combination with paver edging? I already have 4 inches of paver base, adding more in place of the sand won't be an issue, but not having an additional inch or so of something in place of the sand will leave my pavers sitting lower than the surrounding grass and rock.


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## hsvtoolfool

Yes, I would use packed limestone gravel to set the final level of the pavers. If the gravel is too fine, it will also wash away, but I'd error in that direction while experimenting. If the gravel is too large, getting the pavers to lay smoothly may be a pain. The spiked edger front and back should help hold the pavers and gravel in place. You might try getting the base close to final height, then spiking the edger down for a tight fit, then packing finer gravel between the edgers to set the paver height, then tap the pavers into place between the edging.


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## codeamatic

That sounds like a solid idea. Thanks again everyone for the recommendations.


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