I have some quikrete left over and I am putting in a pathway along the side of the house. I plan on laying a couple inches of paver base and then sand over it to fill in the gaps before laying the paver themselves. Then I thought, what would happen if I threw in the powdered quikrete into the sand before sweeping it into the base to fill in the nooks and crannies? then a layer of sand on top of that. Is that brilliant or stupid? What would the effect be?
It would absorb moisture from the air and form a weak concrete that degrades over time but is not significantly different than plain sand. The only disadvantage that comes to mind is that while the mixture is solid it may not settle into the cracks as the sand would and leave gaps between the stones that insects and weeds may find as a good home. But sand isn’t impenetrable anyway.
I’d think it would make drainage worse without providing any benefit. What do you hope it accomplishes?
Weed control under the pavers.
As TriPolar said, I don’t think it will help that at all. It will crack immediately and do no better (and most likely worse) at weed control than sand.
Asking out of curiosity, what size pavers are you using and what are you using as a base? What spacing will you use?
They are odd shaped brick pavers. I’m thinking 2-3 inches at least of base then fling in the gaps between the pavers with sand and irish moss seeds
We had a large area covered with pavers. The guys who did it brushed sand mixed with cement into the joints and then wetted it down.
So, it’s a “thing.”
Usually (and I’m not clear whether you are intending this or not) there is a layer of sand between the paver base and the pavers. The base provides support and stability, while the sand allows you to make sure the pavers can be made level to each other. Then there is sand between the pavers, which you don’t fling in, but carefully sweep it into the cracks.
The purpose of the sand between the pavers is to inhibit weed growth, by taking up space that would otherwise end up filled with dirt and weed seeds. Untreated sand doesn’t stick around very well, however, blowing away with the wind. Also regular sand is too coarse to fill the gap well. Adding concrete to this sand (not the sand under the pavers) can help, but it will crack with the seasons as cold and heat cause the pavers to expand and contract, and then you will get dirt and weeds.
That’s why many contractors use polymeric sand, which is a very fine sand mixed with polymers, which coalesce and harden with the application of water. However, being polymers, the joints remain slightly flexible so the pavers can expand and contract. This is fairly expensive, but you might need only a bag or two if you apply it carefully.
A friend’s wife gave him a backpack flamethrower for his birthday. The only real use he’s found for it is killing the weeds that sprout between his patio bricks.
Exactly what I have planned
It looks as if you have it under control but if you want expert information I suggest you grab a coffee and look at this comprehensive hard landscaping site. It is mainly for the UK (so dimensions are metric) but they have a sizeable North American correspondence as well.
I built a paver patio over the summer and this is what I used. I think the sand you are supposed to use for filling-in between pavers is extremely fine, so it can be swept and worked into the tiniest of spaces, and the polymer helps to seal things. I would think adding some quikrete to plain sand would not be great, being that mix is probably a lot more coarse - it will be harder to fill in the nooks and crannies properly, and may leave gaps for water, weeds, and bugs to exploit.
Don’t do it.
I tried using mortar mixed with sand for the exact same reasons, the mortar being finer than concrete mix and able to be swept into the cracks. After sweeping, hose down the patio to activate and set the mortar. Brilliant!
It left mortar on the tops of the pavers. The mortar dried and discolored all of the pavers. I pressure washed the mortar to break it off, which injected water into the concrete pavers, changing their color depending on the humidity. I pulled the pavers up and reconfigured the patio after we built an addition over where the first patio was. Nearly 17 years later I can still see where the mortar was.
Use the polymeric sand instead. I’ve done a few other patios since, it’s definitely the way to go.
I would love to do that! Not so much with bricks, but with weeds that somehow grow in places like sidewalk expansion joints, and are apparently rooted right in the concrete.
I have one of those big propane ‘Tiger’ torches that works well for that. It also doesn’t have much other use.
That sounds like a lack of imagination.
Creme brulee?
I might be able to modify it for use in my aluminum forge but I don’t have to melt ice off of anything. It’s not all that useful at burning things for fun, it’s just too big of a flame to control. If I had a giant model plane it would be pretty cool to set on fire like we would do as kids, but I don’t have any giant models and a normal size one would turn to a flaming puddle of plastic in seconds.
I am open to ideas though.
If I had a 3 foot wide ramekin I’d give it a try.