Jointing Sand Stabiliser / Paving Block Sealant

[Ed]

I am renovating a driveway consisting of Marshalls paving blocks. I have high pressure hosed it and removed pretty well most of the crud and muck on the surface of the blocks as well as within the joints. I am about to refill the joints with fresh paving block sand.

But I see that there are two kinds of products on the market that can be applied afterwards. These are jointing sand stabiliser and paving block sealant.

Should I apply both of these i.e. the stabilser first, followed by the sealant ?

Or would a sealant alone accomplish both jobs?

Ed

[Phil L]

It's not *very* expensive, unless you buy those tiny handyman's tubs from b&q, I get it in 25L drums for about £85 inc vat, this is easily sufficient for a 100m2 drive, and it comes in 'wet' look, IE gloss finish and matt finish, which still has a very slight sheen. You are correct in calling it a varnish, though, that's exactly what it is, and it also stabilises the sand, in that it 'solidifies' the upper layer, thus preventing washout and also the ingress of weed seeds, the prettiness of the blocks is a by-product of stabilising the sand, which is the primary purpose of applying it. stabiliser and sealant are basically the same thing

building sand is totally unsuitable for this purpose, as is b&q's own kiln dried as the grains are far too big, it should be white silica sand, which compacts down a lot further and doesn't wash out nearly as much

[Ed]

Who would you recommend for kiln-dried jointing sand?

Wickes?

[Tom]

Give these guys a call

to find your nearest distributor, I believe they also supply sand to Marshall's for their own brand products. Hope this helps. Tom

[Phil L]

Jewsons if you've got one near you, but most builders merchants will have silica sand, rule of thumb: if it's not creamy coloured, it's not silica sand, if there's any hint of orange or red, it's crap

[Ed]

Yes, there is a Jewsons nearby where I can get the sand.

After that, is it then the case that I should apply a Jointing Sand Stabiliser followed by an application of a Paving Block Sealant?

[Ed]

Are you saying then that the sealant does BOTH jobs i.e. it stabilises=20 the sand as well as protecting the surface of the blocks for stains and=20 weed growth?

I am not sure whether I need to apply a Jointing Sand Stabiliser first=20 before applying the Sealant?

[Phil L]

you only need one or the other, and as harry correctly said, it wears off after a while, you'll need to do it bi-annually.

Matt finish looks better than gloss, but it's up to you

[Ed]

I am minded to go with RESIBLOCK Superior Natural Matt.=20

anyone recommend a better alternative?

[Phil L]

I've only ever used it a couple of times and I've used the unbranded crap from local builders merchant's at about £85 for 25L I suppose if you've got money to spare, get the resibond stuff but I can't see it being much different to the cheapo, it's basically matt varnish. Pick a dry day (obviously!) and sweep the whole area carefully, if there's any stains on it already, these will need to be removed first otherwise they will be sealed in (bird shit etc) make sure all the joints are filled to the top with silica sand and apply the sealant with a roller on a pole, using a roller tray, not a bucket. Have some acetone on standy to clean off splashes to the skin, otherwise you'll lose half of the hairs on your arms as it sets like superglue. I'd leave it overnight before giving it a 2nd coat. It won't take you as long as you imagine - I did an 80m2 drive in about 3 hours on my own with the first coat, the second is quicker because each roller full goes further.

As I said earlier, even the matt finish does have a slight sheen to it

HTH

[Ed]

Hey Phil, Harry, Tom

Thanks for your replies. They been all well useful to me.

I am minded now to go with a Resibond Sealer that will also act as a jointing sand stabiliser as well.

Thanks again. xxx