I have a brick patio that is not level and filled with weeds. There are areas where it slopes down and the back up. I live in Maryland so it can get really hot and cold but I have not seen other areas of the lawn buckle like this.
I have pulled up the bricks on my old patio and found a 5-6 inch layer of sand (no stones) on top of the soil. (brick , then sand, then soil)
Do I need to remove it, and then put down (crushed) stone before I do the rest of the work? It will be a lot of sand to remove!
Most of what I have read suggests small/crushed stone (4 inch layer) on the soil followed by a weed barrier, then a layer of sand (1 inch). I am not sure what to do about the sand.
Best Answer
Sand only is acceptable if it’s “contained”.
Sand is an excellent bearing material, but it tends to get washed away by rain. Sand has small particles that can be washed away allowing the base to settle (often at different amounts).
If the upper part of base is too high and could get washed away, you could put 3/4” minus crushed rock on top, compact it, and then put the bricks on top.
Using a 1” layer of sand on the top allows you to easily install the bricks level. But if you make the crushed rock level and you install directly on top of the sand...and the sand will be contained low enough not to be washed away...the base will remain intact.