Playpit sand vs builders sand

My girlfriend wants me to pick up some playpit sand this week for her son's sandpit. Why? What is wrong with builders sand for a sandpit? A quick look on google suggests that playpit sand is washed, dust free and will not stain clothes but as he is 4 years old and guaranteed to come in with dirty stained clothes even if he has not been in the sandpit what's the point?

Am I missing something here?

Adam

Reply to
ARWadsworth
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Yes...the coast road. :-)

Reply to
George

In these parts, sharp sand is a better replacement for playpit sand than builders. It behaves more like beach sand and does not have as much yellow clay in it.

Reply to
John Rumm

google

stained

Builders sand will leave horrible yellow stains on clothes, hands and anything else. Sandpit sand isn't exactly expensive - get the right stuff.

AWEM

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

If I was to load up a few bags of sand from the beach at Filey where my parents have a holiday home I am sure pold would have something to say if I was seen. I would also need to wash the donkeys turds out before putting the sand in a sandpit.

Adam

Reply to
ARWadsworth

In an ideal world you need silica sand. It's light in colour and doesn't stain. It's used as a riding surface for horse ménages. Builders merchants sell it, (dried out) and I use it for sand blasting because it's cheap. [1] [1] Cue the safety Nazi blathering on about silicosis!

Julian.

Reply to
Julian

Don't forget to put the cat turds in, for that authentic sandpit experience...

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

Instead it has lots of lovely sharp edges that will cut the little bastard's hands to ribbons.

Yup. A suitable replacement.

It also will stain the bugger yellow all over.

Sea sand has two things about it: it's worns smooth and the soluble salts are washed out of it.

Builders and sharp sand are both gritty and dug up from where they are found..the builders is merely a finer grading IIRC. ..

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

ITSR its called 'silver sand' as well

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

The local cats will be able to do it without my help. I can visualise them passing messages down the street to their mates as I empty the van of a couple of bags of sand.

Adam

Reply to
ARWadsworth

Which is why I added the qualification of "in these parts". Sharp sand here is no more "sharp" than that found on Southend beach[1], and it is also pretty much colour free.

[1] Granted that is not renowned for its softness since most of it was imported sharp sand a hundred years ago or so.

or not, depending on your local supply.

They are very different here - builders is a dark yellow, verging on orange - but soft and not at all gritty, and sharp is straw coloured and contains larger grains (stone fragments) very much like our beach sand.

Reply to
John Rumm

Isn't all sand silica?

I tried Paving sand in the playpit once... but that was so fine that it did not make good sandcastles etc. You also had to wet it down to make it any fun at all.

Reply to
John Rumm

What you need for proper sandcastles is moulding sand (and a supply of parting sand)...

Horses for courses innit.

;-)

Reply to
Frank Erskine

We just filled our sandpit with 'sandpit sand' it took nearly half a ton of it.

there's a very large range of prices.

Robert

Reply to
RobertL

He might not be married to the child's mother but that doesn't mean the child was born out of wedlock.

MBQ

Reply to
manatbandq

But he was born out of wedlock. ISTR a news item that said in 2005 more children were born out of wedlock than in wedlock, the first year that this had happened.

Adam

Reply to
ARWadsworth

I probably will buy it :) Its not the cost of the sand (and the sandpit is not huge) I just have a shit loads of builders sand (and a fair bit of sharp sand) in the back garden. You do realise that if I have to call at B&Q etc to buy playpit sand the girlfiend will want to buy other things and give me more work to do.

Adam

Reply to
ARWadsworth

Then nip in on your own, surprise her (and the young lad)! :~)

Reply to
:Jerry:

Go to the sand and gravel merchants and buy "silver sand" (not the same as sharp sand or builder's sand) which is the same as playpit sand. I got a trailer load for not much a few years ago. It flows through tubes funnels etc.

Reply to
Bob Mannix

OK, so was my first child. I would still be upset if someone called him a little bastard, even if it's technically correct.

MBQ

Reply to
manatbandq

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