We are laying a paver walkway that slopes downhill. Should we lay weed control landscape fabric down under pavers? Also should we use polymeric sand, regular sand or stone dust to fill in joints on tops? What are the benefits of one over the other?

In my limited experience, the polymeric sand holds the overall structure of the paver together better. The problem is the sand tends to chip away at the surface. In a non-polymeric installation, the remaining sand tends to even out the missing sand and you do not notice it as readily. The reason a contractor would not like this is that he has to keep coming back to re-apply new polymeric sand into the areas that have chipped out. I suppose you could learn to do those repairs yourself. One thing I have wondered about - but never tried - is whether you could use polymeric sand on the base of the pavers and part way up the sides. Wet that and let it harden. Could you then finish the top with regular sand? That would give you more structural integrity below and up the side of the pavers, but the finish on top would be smooth and much easier to self-repair with more paver sand. I do not have enough experience to even know if the polymeric sand is allowed to be used as the one-inch sand layer under the pavers. Is polymeric sand specified only for the joints between pavers, or can it be used as a base as well?

I just finished cleaning up my patio after laying down cobblestone pavers and using polymeric sand. It was my understanding that there can't be any sand on the pavers. I didn't realize that also the gray dust (guess thats some of the polymer) needs to be removed or it will form a residue on the pavers, which has happened. So, first question is what is the best way to remove this? Second, I've noticed that there are a couple of ways that water wants to drain off the patio. When the water flows these ways, it takes the sand with it. Is there a way to build up the sand in these areas so it will 'cure' and remain there? Thanks!!!!

I'm trying to solve what I think is the same problem. I built a beautiful tri-color patio last summer, dryset on sand with a compacted "breeze" base. I then used breeze to "grout" the joints. Survived its first winter with little to no settling; my only complaint is that the larger pebbles in the breeze work their way up to the top and eventually on to the flags, so it's not very barefoot friendly. That's a long-winded way to say I'm exploring polymeric sand and other "joint stabilizer" formulas. What I've found is that (1) polymeric sand is virtually unknown west of the Mississippi River, and (2) the various liquid joint stabilizers I have found are designed for narrower joints, like with dimensional cut flags or pavers. A couple people have told me that they would not work for wider joints like mine (averaging about an inch between stones). Any ideas would be welcome.