Building sand

[antikkiti]

Hello, just a quick question: can anyone tell me what 'sharp sand' is called here in France?

[RobertArthur]

Quick answer: "sable fin" or "sable de rivière".

Préférer le "sable de rivière" à celui de carrière ou de mer.
Le sable très fin et fin (0,1 à 0,3 mm) est destiné au mortier de finition.
Le sable à maçonner (0,4 à 0,6 mm) sert à bâtir et sceller des éléments structurels.

[exile]

Sometimes also called Sable a batir - Castorama for example.

[rsm]

General building sand classed 0-4 Sand for render 0-2 .Thats the grain size you ask for at the builders merchants or the quarry.

[Spectrum]

As far as I'am aware you wont find the "Soft" sand you can get in the Uk.

[exile]

I too thought that until I bought some sable jaune at Chausson. I am almost sure I have bought that from there before and it was not like soft sand but I sense a lot of changing of supplies and suppliers going on just now. Casto has frequently been out of sable a batir and their ballast has changed completely from grey angular stone chips to buff pebbles and crushed pebbles.

[Biloute]

I might be wrong, but quite often in France, shops and builders merchants sell mainly what is available locally. (presumably because of shipping costs)
Here, in the Vendée, they mostly sell "sable de Loire" because it comes from the river of the same name which is not far.
When I was in Cahors, we used to find "sable à renards' which was very yellow and as fine as flour: never saw it elsewhere.
The good thing is that, when renovating, you have a good chance to find easily the same materials which were used in the very old buildings.