Pavers that have started to rock underfoot, or joints sprouting weeds that weren’t there a year or two ago, feel like a paver problem. Usually they’re not — they’re a sand problem, and the distinction matters because the fix is very different depending on which one it actually is.
The sand is doing more work than it looks like
Joint sand isn’t just gap filler. It locks adjacent pavers together, which is what keeps the whole surface rigid under foot and vehicle traffic instead of individual pavers shifting independently. When the sand washes out — from rain, from pressure washing without resanding afterward, from ordinary years of weather — the pavers lose that interlock, and that’s when you start to feel movement that wasn’t there when the surface was new.
What loss of joint sand actually looks like
A few signs point to it specifically, rather than a deeper structural issue:
- Visible gaps where joints used to sit flush with the paver surface.
- Rocking or shifting pavers underfoot, especially near high-traffic areas or vehicle paths.
- Weeds and moss in the joints — bare, washed-out sand is exactly the growing medium weeds need, where properly sanded and sealed joints resist it.
- Ants and insects nesting in the gaps, which hollowed-out joint sand makes easy.
Why cleaning alone doesn’t fix it
Pressure washing a paver surface is sometimes what dislodges the sand in the first place if the joints weren’t resanded afterward — which is why the two steps are meant to go together, not as separate, optional services. A clean paver surface with failing joints still has the underlying problem; it just looks better while it has it.
What re-sanding and sealing actually does
Re-sanding replaces the washed-out joint material, restoring the interlock between pavers. Sealing afterward locks that new sand in place and adds surface protection against staining and further washout — which is the combination that actually slows the cycle down, rather than resanding alone, which will wash out again under the same conditions that caused the problem the first time.
How often it needs doing
There’s no fixed calendar for this — it depends on traffic, drainage and how exposed the surface is to heavy rain runoff. A paver surface with good drainage and light foot traffic can go several years between resanding; a driveway or a surface that collects runoff from elsewhere on the property will need it sooner. If pavers are visibly shifting or joints are visibly bare, that’s the real signal, not an age on a calendar.
Pairing it with the rest of the property
If you’re sealing concrete or stone elsewhere on the property, it’s often efficient to schedule paver resanding and sealing in the same visit — see concrete and stone sealing for how the two fit together, and penetrating vs. topical sealers for how the product gets matched to pavers specifically.
Send us a photo of the joints and we’ll tell you honestly whether you’re looking at a resanding job or something that can wait. Paver resanding and sealing covers the full process.