In the construction industry, sharp sand is an important term.
What is Sharp Sand?
Sharp sand, or grit sand or river sand, and as builders’ sand is gritty sand used in concrete and potting soil mixes or to loosen clay soil and building projects. Sharp Sand is Sand that has a coarse and grainy texture, and it is useful for drainage. This type of Sand is generally used for mixing in concrete for construction purposes. Sharp Sand can also be added to clay soil to loosen it. Usually, this type of Sand comes from ground quartz rocks.
Now let us see where we can find sharp sand:
Where Does Sharp Sand Come From?
Sharp Sand or river sand is made by mixing clay and iron with quartz rocks and can be found in rivers. The landscapers and construction workers may use these big fragments as a base for resting pavement, mixing mortar, and smoothing them. As sharp Sand is coarse by nature, it is also used to fill most hourglasses. Being rough by nature, it is also beautiful enough to fit through the joining portion of an hourglass.
Sharp is also considered as best and fit for most garden spaces. Sharp Sand lets the garden soil drain quickly, which is not possible through fine Sand. Most professional gardeners often prefer sharp Sand as it doesn’t waste much water and prevents passing through it.
If any user is willing to purchase Sand for any garden, they should ensure the ingredients label. The cheap Sand may contain salt, clay, and other particles. The expensive Sand tends to be pure and has fewer chances of contamination. Thus, this is why it is considered to purchase expensive Sand for better garden space.
Bags of Sand that have ‘Builder’s Sand’ tag are usually soft than the Sand, which is considered sharp. A better way to differentiate between these Sand types is to gather them and gentle pressing. Sharp Sand will give a coarser feel than soft Sand. The builder’s Sand or soft Sand can build a compact sandcastle, whereas sharp Sand is difficult to mold.
There is another type of Sand called ‘Ballast Sand, ‘ which is sometimes confused with sharper Sand, but ballast sand cannot be placed in the “sharp” category. Ballast sand contains big particles such as broken rocks that are much bigger than sharp sand particles. Sand is useful for creating soil and mixing it with the concrete when large stones are removed. If you are willing to buy sharp Sand, get in touch with professional gardeners with in-depth knowledge. They can assist and give you better answers to related queries.
Sharp Sand is generally made from ground rocks, which is why it is known as the builder’s Sand. It is considered a stable source and mixed with the concrete. There are a large number of manufacturers and sellers selling sharp Sand, and this is the reason why builders trust it.
Different Kinds Of Sands
1) Gravel Sand – It is also known as grit sand, sharp Sand, and ballast sand. This type of Sand is most preferred and used for making concrete. Besides this, it is also used as a base for paving.
2) Building Sand – It is also known as screeding Sand, soft Sand, fine Sand, Plastering Sand, and bedding sand. Screed bedding or building sand is used for paving flag blocks and mortars. It can also be used for making plaster.
3) Silver Sand – It is also known as jointing sand and white Sand. It is used to block paving to lock paving together.
4) Potting Grit – It is a coarse grit that is lime free and the particle sizes from 2-4mm, 4-6mm, and 6-10mm. There are many uses of this type of Sand, such as making ideal growing mediums, using it as a mulch in containers, growing alpines, etc.
5) Horticultural Sand – This is one of the finest and naturistic Sands used to improve soil drainage. Its most significant use is that it is used in compost mixes to increase soil fertility. This Sand further reduces the risk of fungal diseases. Above all, it can also be used for lawn dressing – The Sand is scattered over in the lawn and is ideal for growing benches. The user needs to spread 4-6 cm of layer over the bench. In the end, the professional gardeners also use this to break up the heavy soil keeping in mind that it needs a large Sand for this task.
6) Apart from these all, there are still many types of sands that we cannot cover because sand variety is not limited; it may go up to thousands. Some more critical and known powders are Desert sand, bio-organic sand, olivine sand, and volcanic Sand. These sands, too, have many roles and are used by different natured industries.
There may be some misconceptions about the construction sand used by those new to the construction job. In construction work, choosing Sand’s right type is one of the most significant responsibilities as slight ignorance can be dangerous. A decent example of it is, using wonderful Sand instead of building Sand can cause dissociation of bonds and may end in collapsing the building.
Confusion is further added when someone comes to know about the soil he is looking for has ten different names. The name of the soil may differ in different places and regions. Therefore, consultation is necessary before making the final decision.
How to Choose a Construction Sand
It is one of the primary concerns on how to clean sandy soil. For any construction purpose, any sand used should not have silt content above 4%. This is because if there is more silt content, this can affect the integrity and composition of concrete used. For this, all sands used must be clean and free from salts and other impurities. A method is conducted for the sand test, which is known as the “Silt Test.”
Sand can be considered as a gift of nature which we are using for ourselves and development. A range of industries and even important works are dependent on Sand. Besides using the Sand, there should be a way of controlling its erosion and wastage too.