Joint Filling, Compaction, and Edging
At 0:30 in
becoming a trend I’m fond of
What happens here
After all the pavers are laid, spread polymeric sand over the entire surface. Use a stiff broom to sweep the sand into all the joints between the pavers. Once the joints are filled, use the plate compactor (with a protective pad if necessary) to vibrate the sand down into the joints and further settle the pavers. Sweep more polymeric sand into any areas that need it and compact again. Finally, lightly mist the entire surface with water according to the polymeric sand manufacturer's instructions to activate the binding agent. The 'no accent' design means that the pavers flow directly into the surrounding soil or grass, as seen in the video, without a distinct border paver. The edges of the patio and walkway can be stabilized with an invisible edge restraint or by backfilling with soil and compacting it to create a seamless transition to the grass or mulch. If desired, areas alongside the walkway can be filled with mulch or prepared for grass seeding to complete the softscaping integration.
Goal: Fill paver joints, compact the entire surface, and create seamless edges with the landscape.
Tools and materials
- Garden Hose with Spray Nozzle — Lightly misting polymeric sand to activate
- Paver Edge Restraint — Providing a stable, unseen border for the 'no accent' design
- Plate Compactor — Final compaction of pavers and setting polymeric sand
- Protective Pad — Preventing scuffing or chipping of pavers during compaction
- Rubber Mallet — Readjusting any shifted pavers
- Stiff Bristle Broom — Sweeping polymeric sand into paver joints
- Grass Seed — Seeding areas where the patio/walkway meets the lawn
- Mulch — Filling in landscape beds adjacent to the walkway/patio
- Polymeric Sand — Filling paver joints to lock them in place and inhibit weed growth
- Topsoil — Backfilling edges for a seamless transition