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To ennoble the country plot, not only plantations and decor elements are needed, but also the arrangement of paths. The construction market offers a variety of coating options, among which the primacy is held by paving slabs.
Types of paving slabs
Modern technology allows you to choose a paving slab for giving a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Its advantages have already been appreciated by many consumers:
- attractiveness;
- long service life;
- high quality;
- resistance to sunlight and external influences.
Factory tiles are manufactured in two ways:
- vibrating - the resulting product is suitable for the formation of small areas and garden paths, where there will be no revival of people's movement;
- vibrocompression - the formed tiles are more intended for parking a car or laying a road, that is, for places subject to heavy loads.
In addition, you can make a sidewalk tile to give your own hands. Here it is necessary to decide on several options that are more dependent on the design of the suburban area:
- from wooden boards or logs;
- from concrete slabs;
- filled with concrete;
- concrete stone;
- natural stone;
- plastic and rubber plates.
What to make a paving slab?
Ready-made tiles for garden paths are not cheap. Therefore, if there is a restriction in the means, then it can be made by oneself. Self-made paving slabs will make it exclusive and durable. And during the work the master will receive a sea of positive and pleasure. This simple, but a long process is even mastered by someone who does not have skills in construction.
For production you will need:
- cement grade not lower than M400, river clean sand and water;
- Wooden bars and a base for making molds or ready-made plastic molds;
- reinforcing mesh or steel bars;
- any lubricant for the mold;
- small concrete mixer;
- for color tiles - coloring pigment;
- to create a pattern - a rubber mat with a pattern.
To prepare the solution, it is necessary to prepare cement (M400), sand and water in the ratio. If the cement used in the production of tiles is M500, then it should be taken in the proportion.
The concrete is first immersed in the concrete mixer, then, without stopping the rotation - cement, water is gradually added. Mixing time is 10 minutes.
The output should not be too liquid solution, but viscous and not crumbly. Pour the resulting mixture during the rotation of the drum, gently tilting it. If you plan to make a color tile, a pigment must be added to the mixture for half a minute before the cement is fed.
Self-made paving slabs
The form for the production of tiles from wooden bars and a flat base can be made of different configurations and any dimensions. The main thing to consider is one rule: its dimensions should not exceed 30x50 cm, otherwise there is a chance of cracking. Borders between each other is best secured with screws. This will facilitate the process of releasing the tiles, since it will be enough just to unscrew the screws and disassemble the mold.
Prepared or finished plastic molds, as well as a rubber mat must be lubricated with a thin layer of grease. Put on the base of the form a mat-stencil and pour the mixture into them at a height of 3 cm. Then you need to put the reinforcement and pour another layer of concrete (3 cm). Then the mold should be processed on a vibrating table. This process will strengthen the product and increase its operational properties. At the end of the vibration processing, the mold should be covered with polyethylene and left for 2 days.
When the concrete mixture is solidified, the split shape can be disassembled, and from the plastic molds, gently shake out the plate. The made paving slab for giving by own hands can be stacked on garden paths in 10-12 days.
Production of paving slabs "pine cut" (video):
Sidewalk tile from river stones
If the cottage is located near the river, then as a decor for paving tiles you can use ordinary pebbles. For the product suitable stones of small size of an interesting shape. For tile casting, you need to make wooden formwork. After the concrete with the reinforcing bars takes shape, it is necessary to lay the top layer over the pebble. And then with a trowel forcefully press the stones into the solution. After the concrete has dried, decorative tiles can be removed from the formwork.
How correctly to lay paving tiles?
Before you spread the tiles on the future path, you must first prepare the base. This process consists of the following steps:
- Markup. The site is cleared of snags, stumps, construction debris and leveled with tools or construction equipment.
- Preparation of the embankment. First, the top layer of the soil is removed along the width of the path, then beacons are inserted - pegs driven into the ground, along which the string is stretched. This is a kind of the border of the cottage.
- Laying loose materials. In the prepared area, crushed stone is poured and rakes are razed across the site so that a smooth surface is obtained, without bumps or pits. To increase the strength and density of the base, the crushed stone is compacted. A layer of sifted river sand is poured on top, which is also leveled and compacted.
- Installation of curbs. A shallow trench is prepared along the path from one or two sides, into which sand is poured up to a height of 5 cm. Its depth is calculated from the fact that 60% of the curb will be under paving.
After the completion of the rough layer of sand and cement in the ratio: preparing sand mixture. It is poured on the bottom of the track approximately to a height of 2 cm. Now the process of editing the track begins.
The direction of movement is best to choose from the house to the gate. Each plate with respect to each other should be placed very tightly, and at the corners leave a gap about, see. During the masonry, each tile should be punched with a kyanite and periodically check the leveling of the pile. After the work is completed, for the strength of the joint, the entire path is sprinkled with sand, the territory is filled, and a few days later, watered.
