Paver Bedding Sand Plan

The patio

Date

Length

Width

AREA

Bedding depth

CUBIC YARDS

Cubic feet

Tons

Bags

Sand grade

Supplier

Delivery date

Figures and rules

⚠ Bedding depth

1 INCH — always

1 cu yd at 1 in covers

exactly 324 sq ft

Why exactly

27 cu ft / (1/12 ft) = 324

At 2 in

162 sq ft per cu yd

Concrete/masonry sand

2,600-2,900 lb per cu yd

⚠ Order by

VOLUME — weight varies with moisture

Correct sand

coarse, sharp, ANGULAR

⚠ Wrong sand

play sand, soft builder's sand

Levelling belongs in

the compacted aggregate BASE

Joint sand

different product, bought separately

Compaction

at the END, through the pavers

Getting the bed right

• Base excavated deep enough for base + sand + paver
• Aggregate base laid in lifts and plate-compacted
• Base screeded FLAT before any sand appears
• Base checked with a long straightedge, not by eye
• Correct fall for drainage — away from the house
• Coarse angular sand, checked at the yard
• Screed rails set to exactly 1 inch
• Sand screeded, then NOT walked on
• Working off laid pavers, not off the bed
• Sand NOT tamped before laying
• Joint sand bought separately
• Plate compactor run over the finished pavers with a pad

One inch, and that is the whole rule

Bedding sand is a setting layer, not a levelling layer. It cannot compact into a stable structure, so the more of it there is, the more there is to migrate under load. Every dip in a paved patio started as too much sand.

324 square feet per yard, per inch

27 cubic feet divided by one twelfth of a foot is exactly 324. Not a rounded figure — worth memorising, and it makes checking a supplier's quote a five-second job.

If the base is uneven, go back to the base

Extra sand hides a bad base for one season. The levelling belongs in the compacted aggregate, screeded flat before any sand goes down. Fixing it later means lifting the pavers you just laid.