Last Updated on October 20, 2026 by Umar Farooq
The most common polymeric sand alternatives are plain jointing sand, jointing sand with a stabilizing sealer, polymeric dust for wide natural-stone joints, resin sand or jointing compound, and cement mortar. Plain ASTM C144 jointing sand is the baseline: it is the material the CMHA guide specification lists for joints, and everything else is an upgrade for a specific problem. Pick the alternative by your reason for skipping polymeric sand, not by price.
Start with the reason you are leaving polymeric sand
People usually drop polymeric sand for one of four reasons: the pavers are heavily textured and haze is a risk, the joints are wide, the paving is permeable, or the weather will not cooperate. Each reason points to a different substitute, which is why a ranked list of "best alternatives" is less useful than the table at the end of this page.
Unilock, for one, says polymeric sand is "not ideal for heavily textured paving stones" because deep grooves can trap polymer particles and leave a hazy film. Our polymeric sand haze guide shows how that film forms and how to avoid it when you do use the product.
Plain jointing sand is the spec default
Plain sand gets a bad reputation because it is sold next to the fancier bags. The CMHA guide specification for interlocking concrete pavers asks for joint sand that conforms to ASTM C144 gradings, with a note that ICPI recommends keeping the material passing the No. 200 sieve to no more than 5 percent, because fine particles lubricate the larger grains and reduce interlock. It even allows coarser ASTM C33 sand for joints, with a warning: "extra effort may be required in sweeping material and compacting the pavers in order to completely fill the joints." The spec's own list of stabilizers is bracketed as optional, so stabilizing the joints is a choice, not a requirement. You can read it in the CMHA guide specification PAV-GSP-011-21.
That makes plain sand a legitimate choice, with honest limits. Unilock says regular jointing sand used alone "can leave joints exposed to washout, weeds, and insects." It does not harden, it has no weather window, and it can be topped up whenever the level drops. What it cannot do is resist a downspout or a pressure washer. Topping up is a sweep, not a rebuild.
What does not count as plain sand: beach or play sand. Unilock says it "lacks the binding agents needed to lock pavers in place" and can erode during freeze-thaw cycles. Bedding sand and joint sand are two different jobs.
Plain sand plus a joint-stabilizing sealer
This is the one Unilock itself recommends for textured pavers: "regular jointing sand in conjunction with a joint sand stabilizing sealer." The sealer soaks into the sand and holds it in place, which reduces washout and helps block weeds. Unilock says to follow the manufacturer's timing and suggests waiting at least 3 months after installation before sealing.
Compare that with polymeric sand: the sealer does the binding after the fact, with no activation water to wash out and no haze risk from binder on the paver faces, though the sealer still needs a dry application day. Our guide to sealing paver joints walks through the process.
Polymeric dust and wide-joint products for natural stone
Polymeric sand is a narrow-joint product. Alliance Gator's own guidance puts its polymeric sand at "a joint of 1 inch or less" and its polymeric dust at about 1/2 inch up to 4 inches, for larger natural stones with uneven edges. Its FAQ lists further products by limit: Gator Maxx for joints up to 2 inches (a water-repelling product intended for overlays), Eurostone Bond for natural and cobblestone joints up to 1.5 inches, and Gator Dust for wetcast and natural stone.
Alliance Gator also cautions that untreated stone dust has stability problems, and recommends a specially formulated product instead. The full story, including why stone dust and polymeric sand are not interchangeable, is in our stone dust vs polymeric sand comparison. Read the maker's dust versus sand page before you buy.
Resin sand, jointing compound and mortar
Resin-based fills set harder than a sand binder. Unilock describes resin sand as graded sand and resin that can be installed wet or dry, allowing "a modest level of drainage," and adds that it "should not be used for true permeable application." For wide, deep joints on a free-draining base, a separate resin jointing compound is the closer match, and our paver joint compound guide compares the brands and their minimum joint sizes.
Mortar is the rigid end of the scale. It belongs on a rigid concrete slab, not on a sand-set patio that flexes, which is where it cracks. If you have a slab, read mortar paver joints. If you have a flexible base, skip it.
What each option gives up
Every substitute trades something away, and the sources are consistent about what. Plain sand alone leaves joints open to washout, weeds and insects (Unilock). Sand with a stabilizing sealer recovers most of that, but adds a sealing step and a wait. Polymeric dust, once set, "helps resist erosion, inhibits weed growth and keeps the bugs away," according to Alliance Gator, but it is a natural-stone product with its own joint limits. Resin sand drains only modestly. Mortar gives up flexibility entirely.
Polymeric sand itself was never free of trade-offs: it needs a dry surface, a dry forecast and careful watering, which is exactly why people leave it. A substitute that fits your site beats a premium bag that fights it.
Whatever you choose, compact it in
The CMHA guide specification is blunt about installing the joint fill: spread, sweep and compact dry joint sand "continuously until full," with at least 4 passes of a plate compactor, and no compacting within 6 feet of unrestrained edges. That is written for plain sand, and a stabilizing product is added afterwards if you want one. A bag of anything swept in and left uncompacted settles in the first rain, whatever it says on the label. Our guide to compacting pavers covers the plate, the pad and the passes.
Pick among polymeric sand alternatives by the problem
My opinion: the best alternative is the one that matches the failure you are trying to avoid, not the one with the longest warranty. The reason-to-option table:
| Your reason | Use instead | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Textured paver surface, haze worry | Regular jointing sand plus stabilizing sealer | Wait about 3 months before sealing (Unilock) |
| Wide joints on natural stone | Polymeric dust or a wide-joint product | Check the maker's joint limit, which varies by product |
| Permeable paving | The system's jointing stone | Resin sand is not for true permeable use (Unilock) |
| No dry weather window | Plain ASTM C144 jointing sand | Will erode faster than a bound joint |
| Rigid concrete slab underneath | Mortar or resin compound | Cracks on a flexible base |
For permeable systems, polymeric sand is the wrong product altogether; check the jointing stone specified by your permeable system instead.
Match the fill to the paver, not the bag
Polymeric sand is a good default, and it is the wrong one often enough that alternatives deserve a fair hearing. Plain C144 sand is the baseline that CMHA specifies. Add a stabilizing sealer if washout or weeds worry you, move to dust or a wide-joint product when the joint outgrows 1 inch, and keep resin and mortar for the base types they are made for. Start from your paver's texture, joint width and weather, and the choice mostly makes itself. (It is rare that a bag of sand makes a decision for you, so enjoy it.)
FAQ
What can I use instead of polymeric sand between pavers?
The main options are plain ASTM C144 jointing sand, jointing sand with a stabilizing sealer, polymeric dust or a wide-joint product for natural stone, resin sand or jointing compound, and mortar on a rigid slab. Which one fits depends on joint width, paver texture, and base type.
Is regular sand okay between pavers?
Jointing sand that meets ASTM C144 is what the CMHA guide specification lists for joints. Beach or play sand is not, and Unilock says it lacks the binding agents to lock pavers in place.
Is stone dust a workable substitute for polymeric sand?
Alliance Gator warns that stone dust can have stability problems unless it is specially treated, and recommends a formulated product such as Gator Dust. Our stone dust comparison explains where each material belongs.
What do you use for wide gaps between pavers?
Alliance Gator's guidance suggests polymeric dust for joints from about 1/2 inch to 4 inches on natural stone, and its Gator Maxx product for joints up to 2 inches. Always check the limit on the bag you buy.
Do you have to use polymeric sand on pavers?
No. The CMHA guide specification treats joint stabilizers as optional, and plain jointing sand is the specified joint material. Polymeric sand is a choice for resisting washout and weeds, not a requirement.
