Sand
More information about Sand
Sand will no doubt play an essential part in your latest construction or building project, so we’ve made sure to stock sand of both excellent quality and quantities. We’ve got various types of sand available to order straight to your site, including building sand, sharp sand, plastering sand and kiln dried sand, so we can guarantee we’ve got something for every project.
What types of sand do we have available?
Building sand
Building sand is a soft, fine sand with smaller granules that is ideal for use in a wide variety of building applications. A ‘soft sand’ compared to sharp sand, builders’ sand is often used in bricklaying, pointing and rendering. A bag of building sand can vary in colour from light grey or white to red or yellow hues. We’ve got a great selection to choose from, even building sand bulk bags.
Sharp sand
Sharp sand, also known as coarse sand, is a highly versatile, gritty sand aggregate that has larger granules than building sand or soft sand. We’ve got a range of sharp sand bags available that are perfect for concrete mixing, floor screeds, laying paving or block paving and more. With a coarse texture and angular aggregates, sharp sand has excellent stability, strength and durability when used in construction applications. We’ve also got sharp sand bulk bags available for bigger jobs that need larger quantities of aggregates.
Plastering sand
Plastering sand is an especially fine grain sand that is chosen for plastering and rendering applications. Much finer than sharp sand, plastering sand can be used to create plaster which can then be applied to walls and ceilings, or can be mixed with water and cement to create render, which is applied to the outside of buildings.
Kiln dried sand
If you’re looking for kiln dried sand for block paving, we’ve got it too. We have a 20kg bag of kiln dried sand that is washed and graded. Kiln drying reduces the moisture content of the sand making it a clean, dry material that has excellent workability and is easy to spread and level. Kiln dried sand is excellent for playground surfaces, artificial grass, and filling the joints between paving slabs or block paving.
If you need larger quantities of sand, we offer a selection of sharp sand or building sand bulk bags in our jumbo bags section. Or, if you’re after a sand and gravel mix, you can view our range of ballast sand for creating concrete.
Get your bags of sand at exclusive trade prices
You can order your sand bags and other building aggregates straight to your job site through our free Click & Deliver service, or you can save time and pick up at your local branch using our Click & Collect service.
FAQs
Building sand is a type of sand used in construction and it can be known as soft sand, bricklayer’s sand or masonry sand. Building sand can vary in colour from light grey/brown to yellow or red. Other types of sand include sharp sand, plastering sand and kiln dried sand.
Builders’ sand is a soft, fine sand that is used to add bulk and strength to other materials in many construction applications such as bricklaying, screeding, pointing and rendering - it can also be mixed with water and cement to create concrete or mortar.
Building sand is a finer, smoother aggregate used for bricklaying, mortar and creating smooth screeds, while sharp sand has a grittier and coarser texture that is good for creating concrete, screed and patios. Sharp sand has higher strength and durability but building sand is more flexible and less likely to crack/shrink when drying.
Many people wonder if their building sand will ‘go off’, but if it’s kept in a dry, covered environment and out of the rain, building sand will not expire.
If your builders’ sand gets wet, or is left out in the rain or snow, some of its essential minerals may be washed away which reduces its effectiveness. Keep your building sand stored in a dry, covered environment.