Polymeric sand installation and weed removal in Markham

Most tired-looking interlock isn’t broken. The pavers are still flat, but the joints have worn down and filled with dirt, grass, weeds and moss.

Pulling the weeds only takes the tops. Polymeric sand installation fixes the joints themselves: we clear the old material out to a proper depth and sweep in new sand that hardens once it’s wetted.

You need it when the pavers are sound but the joints aren’t. It’s the right job if this sounds familiar:

• You pull the weeds every few weeks and they keep coming back.
• There’s sand all over the driveway every time it rains.
• Ants keep building hills between the patio stones.
• The front walk looks green and messy, but the stones themselves are fine.

Pavers that are sinking, rocking or sloping toward the house point to a problem in the base, and fresh joints crack on stones that keep moving. Those spots need interlock repair first, and we’ll tell you which one you’re dealing with when we come to look.

It’s the same six steps on a small walkway or a full driveway. The order matters more than the brand of sand.

1. We pull out the weeds, grass and moss, then pressure wash the old sand and roots out of the joints. Alliance Gator’s jointing sand FAQ says the old sand should come out at least 1.5 inches deep.
2. The pavers get cleaned at the same time, then everything has to dry. On damp pavers the sand starts setting on the surface.
3. We sweep the new sand into every joint, run a plate compactor over it, then top up and compact again until the joints stay full. Techniseal’s RG+ data sheet says joints that aren’t compacted stay weak and fail quickly.
4. The sand finishes at the bottom of the bevelled edge, or at least 3 mm (1/8 inch) below the top of the pavers.
5. We blow every loose grain off the paver faces before any water touches them. Sand left on the surface is what causes white haze.
6. The joints are wetted with a gentle shower, a section at a time, so the binder sets all the way down.

You can see the result in our backyard interlock restoration project, where moss and weeds had filled the joints.

At least a day of dry weather, and up to three days before you park on it, depending on the product. Alliance Gator and Techniseal (in its current RG+ data sheet) publish these numbers:

Scroll sideways to see the whole table.

Mostly the size of the area and how hard the old joints are to clear. No two surfaces are the same, so we quote each one after seeing it.

Hard joints packed with roots and moss take much longer to clear than half-empty ones. Each separate section (driveway, front walk, side path, back patio) adds setup time.

Wide joints and tumbled pavers use more sand and take more care to keep haze off. Sunken or broken pavers have to be fixed first, and some people add a full interlock cleaning and sealing at the same visit.

Around Markham, late spring through September is the dependable window. The sand needs dry pavers, a dry forecast and temperatures above freezing, and Techniseal asks for the temperature to stay above 0°C for the full 48-hour drying period.

April and October can work on a mild, dry stretch, but they still bring frost. Environment Canada’s 1981–2010 climate normals for Buttonville average about 12 nights at or below 0°C in April and 7 in October.

November averages about 18, so by then it’s usually too late.

Keep dirt off them. Weeds in set joints usually root in dirt and seeds that settle on top, which is why Unilock recommends sweeping pavers regularly.

• Sweep or blow the surface off through the summer, and get leaves off quickly in the fall.
• Pull any weed that shows up while it’s small.

Our guide on how to stop weeds growing between pavers has more on routine upkeep.

A small patio is a fair weekend job, and our guide on how to apply polymeric sand walks through it. The usual mistakes are shallow joint clearing, sand swept onto damp pavers, no compaction, or too much water at once.

Get those wrong and you get haze, crumbling joints or weeds back by next summer, and the fix is digging the sand out again. Read can you put new polymeric sand over old before trying a shortcut.

For a big driveway or packed joints, hiring it out saves a lot of hours plus renting a pressure washer and compactor. Our polymeric sand guide covers how long the sand lasts and how much you’d need, and how to remove polymeric sand haze helps if haze is already showing.

We work across Markham and nearby, including Richmond Hill, Thornhill and Stouffville.

The easiest way to start is to text a few photos of the joints and the whole surface to (437) 684-2535, with your street or postal code. We’ll set up a time to come and look, and give you a free quote.

• Weeds, grass or moss growing between the pavers
• Joints sitting well below the paver edges, or empty in spots
• Sand washing out onto the surface after rain
• Ant hills popping up between the pavers
• Old joint material that crumbles when you pick at it
• Pavers that shift sideways or rattle when you walk on them