Dry Sanding Vs Wet Sanding

Dry sanding is the process of using a broom to sweep dry sand into the joints of the pavers before sealing them. This method has a lower chance of cradling and is therefore more forgiving when you are working with it (since it gives you the opportunity to correct the mistakes before moving on). Wet sanding is the process of using water to sweep the sand into the joints of the pavers before sealing them. This method is more efficient but it requires a lot of practice and is only recommended for workers who have extensive experience with the technique. Both methods are great for sanding and ultimately, it is a preference for which you would like to use. We use the dry sanding method because it allows us to guarantee we have a great quality of work.

Dry Sanding

Materials Needed for Dry Sanding

• 34-inch wide stiff bristle broom
• 12-inch stiff bristle angled broom
• Dust pan
• Leaf Blower
• Angular sand with a joint stabilizing sealer*

* You can also use polymeric sand with a non-stabilizing sealer (since polymeric sand hardens once water hits it).

Process of Dry Sanding

The steps below are based on using angular sand with a joint stabilizing sealer:

1. When it comes to paver sealing with dry sand, you typically want to do a 2-day process. On day one, you want to clean out the joints and surface of the pavers and then wait for day two to begin sanding so the pavers and joints are fully dry. 
2. Begin by pouring the sand onto the pavers in an S pattern, distributing in small sections.
   • When working against a wall, pour the sand approximately 12 inches away from the wall and sweep the sand toward the wall. 
3. Once the sand is on the pavers, you can begin using the broom to distribute the sand into the joints.
   • The best technique you can use for this is a flicking motion with the broom. This can be achieved by keeping the sand in front of you and moving it forward with small flicks of your wrists to allow the sand to continuously pop into the joints- allowing the joint to fully fill with the sand. 
   • Avoid bulldozing the sand (pushing a sand pile all with one sweeping motion) because it causes air pockets in the joints which can cause cratering later on
4. Continue brushing the sand into the pavers until all joints have sand in them, leaving ⅛ inch under the chamfer edge.
5. Once all joints have been sanded, you can use a leaf blower on the lowest setting to blow off any extra sand on the surfaces of the pavers before you move on to sealing.

Wet Sanding

Process for Wet Sanding

The steps below are based on using angular sand with a joint stabilizing sealer...sanding is done on day 1 of the paver sealing process:

1. Begin by pouring the sand onto the pavers in an S pattern, distributing in small sections.
   • When working against a wall, pour the sand approximately 12 inches away from the wall and use water to push the sand toward the wall. 
2. Once the sand is on the pavers, you can use water to distribute the sand into the joints.
   • The best technique for this is making sure you are always allowing the water/sand to be in front of you as you push the sand into the joints with the water.
   • Optional step- You can use an additional person to brush the sand in front of you, allowing the sand to be pushed into the joints faster and more efficiently. 
3. Continue using water to brush the sand into the pavers until all joints have sand in them, leaving ⅛ inch under the chamfer edge
4. On Day 2 you want to make sure the joints are fully dry before you begin the sealing process.
   • Once all joints have been sanded, you can use a leaf blower on the lowest setting to blow off any extra sand on the surfaces of the pavers before you move on to sealing.
   • Disclaimer: If using water based sealer you may be able to seal on day 1 if the joints are still damp (not soaked). We don’t recommend this unless you have extensive experience as it can be tough to tell if there is any efflorescence remaining or sand granules leftover on the surface of the pavers.

Note: With wet sanding, you want to make sure there are no high spots in the joints so you can use a small brush to level out any high sections.

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