Sands & Sand Types
Within the landscape/building industry, there are many different types and grades of sand in
common use on a daily basis. Knowing which type of sand to use on a particular project is a
matter of experience and recognition of those different types. Problems occur when gaining
that experience from watching and learning from third party advice, either from YouTube (see
YouTube Videos) or reading books and Facebook comments made by other contractors, as
sand types vary greatly around the country – or more accurately – the advice given is based
on their own regional experiences.
To fully describe ‘sand’ would require a decent sized book in its’ own right, as the subject is
wide and complex. For all practical purposes, landscapers use four different types of sand,
all based on silicon dioxide or silica and feldspar. These are ‘soft’ sand, which is mainly used
for brick and stone walling, sharp sand/pit sand/course sand, which is used for laying paving
slabs, screeding sand for use in rendering pools and floors and ‘kiln dried’ sand, for use in
binding block paving works. ‘Builders sand’ is generally more rounded than sharp sand.
General Builders may also use plastering sand for rendering walls, or Masonry sand (type
suited to the material being laid). All ‘landscapers’ sands should be free of silt, which will
weaken the mortar mixes due to its lack of integrity.
Sand is obtained as riverbank sand, (collected from river banks as the name suggests), pit
sand, which is used for brick laying and general purposes, both of which are quarried in their
natural state, or crushed sand, also known as M (Manufactured) sand which is finely ground,
and may contain glass as part of the process.
Sharp sand may be described as ‘granular’ with sugar-like chunks of silica, which enables the
material to be tightly packed and compacted to provide a solid base for laying paving slabs
when mixed with cement in suitable proportions (permeable or impermeable). Sharp sands
may have different names in different regions, but the essential material and its use remains
the same. Indeed, all sands may have different names for the same material in different
parts of the country. Choosing the right sand for your project requires local knowledge
or advice from the supplier.
Building sand is sometimes described as ‘soft’ sand, and is usually obtained from deep pits,
and may also be known as Green Sand. Colours will vary from region to region, and even
from within the same pit, so care must be taken when building ‘face-work’, where colour
variations will be noticeable. It is sometimes preferable to draw sand from two or more ‘bigbags’ when mixing mortar to alleviate this problem. A load of sand ordered from the same pit,
may vary from one delivery to the next. (Dyes, either liquid or powder, may be added to alter
the colour of mortar, but require careful practice and experience to control the final/dry tints
of the experiment.)
‘Beach’ sands, which may be obtained from beaches, may contain chlorine, which may be
likely to cause rust issues in any mortar containing metal reinforcing or internal wiring.
