Sand is good for far more than beaches and sandboxes. In fact, it is an important part of many engineered projects, where it is used alone or with gravel to provide stability, drainage, or both. Therefore, companies like Dunning Sand & Gravel offer a wide variety of types of sand in Hartford, CT. They also offer custom blends to meet unique engineering needs or other requirements.
One of the most obvious differences between sands meant for different uses is the level of courseness of each type. Concrete sand, often used for construction purposes, is quite coarse and provides good drainage when used as a base layer for above-ground pools or around pipes. Usually, however, it is added to concrete, hence its name. It’s also used in hot asphalt.
Mason sand is basically concrete sand that has been ground to a finer texture. It isn’t usually used as a foundation material, but instead is added to concrete when a finer finish is desired. It’s also good for things like sand volleyball courts. Sometimes, it’s used as beach sand.
Pool sand is finer yet, and is used as the filter material in some pool filters. It doesn’t need to be changed too often, but when it does, it takes a decent amount to get the job done. Buying it in bulk from a sand company can bring about cost savings compared to buying it by the bag.
Specialty sand is aggregated and ground by providers according to specifications provided by project engineers. This allows for the delivery of unique items like airport sand that meets the specifications set by the DOT, golf course sand that will look good as well as serve as proper bunker fill, fill that has precise drainage or stability characteristics, and other such types.
It’s also possible to get variations like white beach sand, but many sand companies don’t put too much emphasis on these varieties. That’s because the construction and engineering markets are much larger. Even so, a good full service sand and gravel company will be able to provide many kinds of Sand in Hartford CT, so be sure to give one a call before giving up on getting a type that isn’t shown online.