Large concrete slabs for walkways. Concrete garden paths: manufacturing technology, decoration options, photos

On final stage After arranging your own site, it’s time to think about what material the paving will be made of garden paths and sites. Many look longingly at expensive slabs from natural stone, realizing that a modest family budget cannot bear such luxury. So what, don’t despair! Thanks to the ingenious inventions of mankind, in all branches of construction, not natural, but fake diamond, whose name is concrete. The plasticity of this material allows you to create “stones” of different sizes and shapes from it, which can easily be used to decorate areas of any stylistic orientation. Besides, concrete plates, if you have time, you can make and lay it yourself, spending mere pennies. You can read about how to make inexpensive and beautiful concrete paving right now.

A simple option for making medium-sized slabs involves pouring concrete into square shape. It is made of four wooden blocks connected together with metal brackets. The bottom of the mold is made of any solid material that can prevent the solution from spreading. It could be a wooden board, sheet iron, plastic, etc.

Formwork diagram for a concrete slab: 1 - transverse beam, 2 - longitudinal beam, 3 - fixing groove, 4 - wedge, 5 - metal bracket, 6 - bottom

To ensure that the concrete does not adhere to the mold during hardening, it should be lubricated with drying oil or other technical oil before pouring.

The slab, the formwork for which is shown in the diagram, is quite large in size, so it is advisable to reinforce it. This is done by inserting a mesh of round reinforcement into the middle of the shape. The easiest way is to lay the mesh on the first layer of poured concrete so that it is in the middle of the finished slab.

After this, you can pour concrete, which will harden in an hour. However, it is too early to remove the product from the mold - wait 2-3 days so that the concrete gains strength and you are sure that when the formwork is lifted, some of the material will not remain inside.

The period for complete hardening of concrete is 28 days - only then will it be possible to walk on the slab

To increase the strength of the top layer of concrete, as well as to obtain a smooth, as if polished surface, ironing is performed. In this case, dry cement is rubbed into the wet concrete, which has just begun to set. This can be done with a metal trowel, or with your hands wearing rubber gloves.

Several more options for slabs of different shapes

Above we described general technology making concrete slabs, tying it to a specific rectangular shape. However, concrete slabs can be made not only square or rectangular. For example, if you have a garden in landscape or Mediterranean style, then uneven artificial stones, as if worn down by waves or time, will look more impressive as a covering for paths.

Uneven concrete slabs - an option for a landscape garden

To do this, you can use molds made from the hoops of old barrels or other similar material that should bend easily. The strip is given the desired shape (round, wavy or simply uneven) and laid directly on the path. In this case, the poured concrete hardens immediately at its further location. After 2-3 days, the mold can be removed and the edges of the slab can be trimmed to make them look like natural flagstone.

The slabs can also be made round by assembling an interesting path from elements of different diameters. Any available material is used as forms: basins, buckets, bowls, pans and even pallets from flower pots.

Even... old bowls can be used as molds for such round slabs

And on the surface of the tile you can apply an interesting design, for example, in the form of a leaf. To do this, it is enough to place an ordinary fresh leaf, for example, chestnut, on the bottom of the mold before pouring the concrete. After the leaf is removed, a spectacular imprint will remain on the surface of the slab. Instead of leaves, you can use any other decorative elements: beads, broken multi-colored glass, mosaic, pebbles.

Let us remember that concrete is a very versatile material, which can be given not only different shapes and textures, but also painted with all the colors of the rainbow. The easiest way to do this at home is to use acrylic paint, which is added to the concrete solution during mixing.

Nuances and secrets of correct laying of slabs

Externally, concrete slabs, especially not painted, look neutral, so when laying them they can be combined with other road cladding: brick, paving slabs, wood, metal, glass.

As for the technique of laying slabs, it is quite simple. First, you need to prepare a base of sand 7-20 cm thick, on which the slabs are laid. In order for them to be securely fixed, they are deepened with blows of a special rubber hammer.

Depending on the track line being created and its functionality, the distance between the slabs may also change. If the path leads from the porch to the house and is used frequently, then it is desirable that the slabs be laid next to each other without gaps - such a structure will be reliable and will withstand regular loads.

In recreation areas, near the gazebo or pool, the slabs can be laid at intervals of several centimeters, planting these voids with lawn grass. An interesting installation option exists for arranging terrace areas. In this case, the slabs are laid next to each other, and then some of them are removed and real mini-flower beds are planted in these empty pockets. Very original and simple!

Concrete slabs are the most inexpensive way to create garden paths. Today, such slabs do not look as boring in appearance as before. Today they have a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and textures, so this material is simply possible to decorate areas in any garden style.

Tile paving method

Concrete slabs are often used when carrying out construction work. They are used during the construction of housing, used for the construction of other structures, including for arranging beautiful garden paths. To erect a structure using a concrete slab, you need to take into account important rules her styling.

To make concrete slabs for garden paths, you need to prepare the following materials:

wooden beam with a cross section of about 40 x 40 mm;
nail and hammer;
steel sheet for the base of the mold;
concrete mortar and dyes for it;
fittings with a diameter of approximately 4.5 mm.

You can independently make the shape of concrete slabs, with which you can then decorate the paths of your garden. The shape is usually chosen in the form of a rectangle; in this case, a metal sheet is used as the bottom. You can make a frame for molds from a block, you will get a solid tile without holes. After making the mold, it needs to be filled with concrete mortar. However, before this it is necessary to make reinforcement. Thanks to this, the slab for the garden path, which is made independently, will be more durable and reliable.

Tiles for arranging garden paths

The prepared mass is poured into the mold, consisting of one part cement, two parts sand and about three parts crushed stone. In order to get a pleasant shade, you can add coloring pigments to the solution. After the cement mortar is poured, you need to leave it for about 10 days to dry thoroughly, then you can start laying it. To minimize the production of such slabs, it is better to first make a couple of different shapes, special Silicone forms can be purchased at a specialty store.

Method of constructing a slab foundation

Concrete slabs for creating the foundation are universal material for constructing the foundation for any private houses. Such slabs have good strength, and the construction stages themselves are very simple and do not take too much time.

To build a foundation, you can use different types of slabs based on concrete mortar, including:

Wall

Such slabs are used to build low-rise buildings. Mostly, ordinary factory-made slabs are used, having the following dimensions: width - approximately 40 centimeters, length - about 100 centimeters, height - approximately 40 centimeters.

Hollow-core concrete slabs

They are used during the construction of the foundation of private houses without the foundation itself. They are also used during the construction of walls ground floor together with a monolithic slab.

A unified section of the shape in the form of a rectangle is used during the construction of strip foundations.
Monolithic reinforced concrete slabs poured into the area for laying garden paths. This slab is made from reinforced belt made of rods, it has excellent strength qualities and a wide range of uses. It is this type of slab that is mainly used to make the base yourself, in particular, in difficult soil.

How to arrange a slab foundation?

The foundation, which is created using concrete slabs, has the following advantages:

Easy to fill tiles, no need to have extensive experience or involve a huge team of employees. You just need to complete a few simple steps and prepare all the necessary materials at the same time, including a concrete mixture.
Such a foundation has good load-bearing qualities, which it cannot cope with, for example, strip base. In addition, the thickness of such slabs should not be too large. And for summer cottages, the thickness must be several tens of centimeters, even if the construction is carried out on the most unfavorable soil for this process. Such a foundation can withstand almost any load.

Concrete slabs for the foundation

Only floating slab foundations make it possible to install rigid platforms on which any loads are correctly distributed. Such a foundation is the most the best option: it is obtained without any failures, uneven shrinkage, and eliminates subsequent cracking of the housing. One of the advantages it should be noted is that the costs for installing floor coverings on the first floors are reduced. The base of the slabs also serves as the basis for the floor covering, when performing finishing works you just need to insulate it. In this case, the arrangement of subfloors is no longer required. In addition, it is possible to build housing on rather difficult soils, while ensuring its reliability.

Such a floating base is not used in all cases; most often it is more profitable to make an ordinary one tape version, considered the most economical. However, there are situations when only slabs can perform all the necessary functions and are able to withstand the load.

A floating foundation is used during the construction of houses under the following conditions:

when the soil is complex and at the same time wet;
during the construction of buildings that do not involve basements or ground floors;
when foundation slabs will serve as flooring for housing.

In these cases, arrangement strip foundation is not possible, but slab is the most the best option, because it is more stable and durable and is suitable for personal plot with a large freezing depth, as well as for swampy and wet areas. During recent years The type of foundation that uses a floating concrete slab has become quite popular. This material has proven to be quite in demand, in particular, in the construction of private housing, the arrangement of which does not involve the presence of a basement.

Stages of paving concrete slabs

To arrange paving of concrete slabs, you need to follow several simple steps. Let's consider the stages of paving concrete slabs on a personal plot yourself:

We prepare the area for paving concrete slabs. It is necessary to clear the area of debris, interfering roots and bushes, stones, and so on.
Making a border for garden paths. To do this, we use wooden pegs and rope or fill the areas of garden paths with soil.

Laying a concrete slab under the foundation of a house

We remove a layer of 8 centimeters along the marked area. In the resulting depression we compact the base of the soil and place about 4 centimeters of a sand cushion in it.
We lay concrete slabs from one side of the path to the other. The gaps between the tiles should be no more than 2.5 centimeters. To ensure that the tiles sit tightly in the sand, we knock on them with a mallet. You need to make sure that the paths are as smooth as possible; to do this, we either add sand under the slab, or, conversely, clean out what is unnecessary.
We fill the holes with sand, compact them and remove the remains with a broom.

Thus, we examined the method of paving concrete slabs as garden paths on a personal plot. As you can see, there is nothing complicated here, and every gardener can cope with such work, the main thing is to take everything into account important points when arranging a garden path in your garden plot.

An important point: if you decide to build a garden path from concrete slabs on lawns, you just need to cut out areas for a concrete slab in the soil of the lawn, and then all work is carried out according to the algorithm described above.

Decor of paths in the garden

Not every one of us, when decorating a personal plot, thinks about arranging garden paths there, especially from concrete slabs. Because many people think that concrete slabs are an unsightly material for paving garden paths. But this is in vain. The path at the dacha plays a key role.

Decor concrete tiles garden

Let's consider the main features of garden paths made of concrete slabs, which we will get when arranging them on our personal plot:

Firstly, such a garden path will turn out to be quite functional - it will be comfortable to walk on it, your heels will not get stuck in holes. It must be laid in such a way that there is no need to add additional meters to the daily traffic section of the plot due to roundabout routes.
Secondly, how clean the porch and hallway areas will be during precipitation depends on the paving method and materials.
Thirdly, the decor of the personal plot. Garden paths made of concrete slabs play a big role in organizing and maintaining the appearance of the entire garden area. This is of utmost importance. Even small, not so bright plantings in the form of flower beds or flower beds, made independently, look beautiful if the lines of garden paths, materials and color palette chosen in the right way.
Fourthly, the garden path represents a connecting link between the fence and the houses. Picking one for her stylistic direction, you can make garden paths like a kind of frame, giving integrity to the entire composition in the garden and around the house.

If you decide to make garden paths from concrete slabs continuous, then you can use it to lay clear lines between some areas of the garden and thus it will become more resistant to heavy loads. If there are no huge loads on the paths, then you can make non-solid garden paths from concrete slabs.

A garden path made of concrete slabs will be comfortable and at the same time complement the composition well. landscape design garden plot. It’s quite easy to make concrete slabs with your own hands and pave the garden path with them, and now we will prove it to you!

DIY concrete slabs

The advantage of concrete slabs for paving garden paths is as follows:

high strength concrete
durability of concrete slabs
ease of creating and paving concrete slabs
ease of replacing damaged slabs
a garden path made of concrete slabs does not require special care and money to maintain
concrete slabs can be creatively decorated during the creation process
small cash costs for creating concrete slabs and paving garden paths with them

To make a concrete slab with your own hands, you just need to prepare a mold, make a concrete solution and pour it into the mold. After the concrete solution has completely set (this takes about 3 days, depending on weather conditions), you can begin paving with concrete slabs. Now we will take a closer look at the steps of creating a concrete slab with our own hands.

In order to make a concrete slab we will need following materials and tools:

Wooden beam with a section of 50*50 mm
Hammer (metal and mallet)
Nails
Steel sheet
Concrete mortar components: cement, water, sand, gravel and dry concrete mix
Materials for decorating tiles (color pigments, broken ceramic tiles, small natural stones, etc.)
Reinforcement (your choice, either rods with a diameter of 5 mm or reinforced mesh)

Creating a mold for a concrete slab

The mold for the concrete slab is created based on the future dimensions of the slab. As for the size of the concrete slab, it is determined by the width of the garden path. We recommend creating a mold with dimensions of at least 50*50 cm, so that the process of casting slabs does not take a long time, and the garden path is comfortable to move. You can make a mold trapezoidal, round, rectangular, etc., everything is up to your taste.

So, let's take wooden blocks, saw into suitable sections and fasten with nails - the mold is ready. It is best to make several molds at once in order to simultaneously produce 2-3 concrete slabs.

You can more easily make a mold for concrete slabs without using a steel sheet. To do this you need to find flat surface, stretch plastic wrap over it and place a mold of bars on top. As soon as the solution is poured, we wait for the plate to harden, after which we disconnect one of the sides of the mold with a chisel. After this, we fasten the mold again and repeat the procedure. With this cycle, one mold can be enough for 10-12 disconnections/connections.

Creating a concrete solution

The most suitable ratio of materials for concrete mortar is the following: 1 share of cement/2 shares of sand/4 shares of gravel (or crushed stone). It is also recommended to use ready-made concrete mix, which is sold dry, but it will cost more than preparing it yourself.

In order to mix the concrete solution well, it is better to purchase one, or do it yourself, it is not so difficult.

You can also mix the concrete solution manually using a trough and a shovel, but in this case it will take more time and effort.

Now the most important thing: the amount of water in the concrete solution. It should be noted that the ideal proportion of water in the solution should be ¼ of the weight of the cement, but it is unlikely that you will be able to mix the solution well, so it is allowed to pour out a little more water (40% of the weight of the cement).

If you mix the concrete solution by hand, you must first mix the dry material until smooth, then add water little by little. Excess water significantly reduces the strength properties of a concrete product. The ideal solution is one that, when squeezed in a fist, forms a shape that does not spread or crumble.

Pouring mortar into the mold and reinforcing concrete slabs

So, let's move on to the main stage of creating concrete slabs with your own hands. First, set up the mold and mix the solution. Next, pour half of the required solution into the mold. We lay reinforcement bars (or mesh) on the mortar and add the rest of the concrete mortar.

It’s good, of course, to pour concrete slabs on vibrating tables, which will thoroughly compact the solution in the mold and remove excess voids from it. This technology used to create concrete slabs.

If you do not have the opportunity to use vibrating tables, then at least compact the solution with a homemade wooden tamper and level the surface with a trowel.

As soon as the molds are filled, we leave the products for several days so that the solution sets and hardens. Usually it is enough to wait 2-3 days. All this time, it is necessary to wet the concrete products several times a day so that they do not crack in hot weather. If it is not possible to wet the concrete slabs, then at least cover them with a damp cloth.

Decoration of concrete slabs

There are several ideas you can use to decorate concrete slabs.

The first is that when creating a concrete solution, a color pigment is added to the mixture, which will give the concrete slab an original color. The most popular color pigments for concrete products are brown umber and ocher mineral dyes.

The second way is to lay it on a concrete slab made of natural stones or broken ceramic tiles. This procedure must be carried out while pouring concrete slabs. After the solution is poured into the mold, wait a few hours for the concrete to set a little, and lay out the pattern on the slab, lightly tapping the material for decoration with a mallet.

DIY technology for paving concrete slabs in the garden

In order to pave a garden path with concrete slabs, you need to take the following steps:

We prepare the area. We remove garden debris, remove shrubs that are in the way, remove stones, etc.
We mark the boundaries of the garden path. To do this, we use wooden pegs and rope or simply fill the borders with sand.
We remove a 10-centimeter layer of soil over the marked area. In the resulting pit, compact the bottom and fill it with 5 cm of sand cushion.
We lay concrete slabs from one side of the path to the other. The gaps between the plates should be no more than 3 cm. To ensure that the plates sit tightly in the sand, we tap them with a mallet. We make sure that the path is level; to do this, we either add sand under the slabs, or, on the contrary, remove the excess.
We fill the gaps with sand, compact them and sweep away the excess with a broom.

That's the whole technology for paving concrete slabs in the garden with your own hands. As you can see, there is nothing complicated, the main thing is to know the basics that we have provided to you.

We draw your attention to the fact that if you decide to create a path from concrete slabs on, you just need to cut out areas for concrete slabs in the lawn grass, fill in a layer of sand and place the slab in the prepared place!

Garden driveway or pedestrian path made of concrete - normal element personal plot or cottage. In addition to aesthetic functions, concrete paths are needed to conveniently move around open ground, but on a hard, clean surface. They are often made by hand.

Material, tools

Concrete is one of the most practical and durable materials: it can be given any shape, color, textured surface, it does not crack, does not crumble, and is frost- and water-resistant. For kneading you will need the following materials:

water, cement and sand;
gravel, crushed stone, pebbles;
stones or decorative elements;
pigment (if you need to add color) and plastic film (several m2).

You will also need a wide range of tools:

concrete mixer or container for mixing the solution;
a sieve for sifting sand or a container for washing it;
shovel, stirring paddle, boards or formwork;
hammer, nails for creating formwork;
rubber hammer, stakes and cords for marking;
long rule, building level;
tamper, trolley, trowel, buckets;
grinder, steel sheet, reinforcement, steel mesh or fiber;
knee pads, gloves.

Some tools and devices may not be needed. For example, if the sand is clean, there is no need for a sieve.

General requirements

Correct device has grounds great importance. Yes, for clay soils and with a heavy load, they recommend a base depth of about 50 cm and a sand cushion of 30 cm. For heavy soil, a sand-gravel mixture of 30 cm is suitable, the sand layer in it should be 15 cm. Each layer of gravel, crushed stone, sand is well compacted and watered with water.

The bottom of the trench is compacted and geotextiles are laid. It is also laid between layers - this increases the strength of the base and its service life, since the material is specially created for construction in permafrost conditions. It is very strong and prevents sand from being washed away, subsidence, prevents the growth of weeds and allows moisture to pass through well.

For paths made of concrete slabs, take sand with a fraction of 0–7 mm for the base, pour it in a layer of 5–7 mm and level it. If you need to make gaps of 2–3 cm between the plates, then they are filled with fine-grained sand, it is compacted and spilled with water. Concrete paths must have a slope so that water does not linger on them. To do this, make a base with a slightly convex profile - it is enough to make a slope of 1-2 cm per 1 m of the track axis. They also make special drainage. To determine the size of the steps, there is a rule: two heights of the steps plus the depth are equal to a step of 60–70 cm. The path can be created from 40x40 cm slabs at a step distance between the centers of the slabs.

Track creation process

Let's describe standard scheme track creation and material consumption. The parameters of the base and solution vary depending on the soil of the site.

Preparing the base

Concrete must be placed correctly, that is, on a sand and gravel layer. Although sometimes, when there are sandy soils, they are simply laid on a well-compacted pillow, and the consumption of materials is reduced. They start working by creating markup. Pegs are driven in along the perimeter of the future path and the cord is pulled. The top layer of soil is removed. For pedestrian paths, 20 cm is enough, if cars will drive along it - 30 cm, for heavy and loamy soils - 40 cm. Then geotextiles are laid on the bottom and slopes.

Half of the trench is filled with sand. If there are several layers, then a third. In any case, it is desirable for the sand layer to be at least 5 cm. It is compacted well and spilled with water. Ideal option is to deepen the trench and use several layers: sand/gravel (crushed stone)/sand. Each layer is covered with geotextiles.

If there are several layers, then the next one should be gravel. Take crushed stone with a fraction of 10–20 mm, which must be well compacted. In order to correctly concrete a path, its dimensions or slabs in m2 and the approximate proportions and consumption of concrete components are calculated.

Mold for concrete slabs, formwork

Special ones are sold for making slabs with your own hands. plastic molds. If they don’t exist, you can do it yourself. The slabs are often made square with sides of 30–50 cm. For them, wooden forms are created from bars with a cross-section of 50×50 and sheets of steel. In total, their volume should be equal to concrete per batch. The bars are nailed down, sanded from the inside and applied oil paint- this way the plate will not get stuck.

A simplified manufacturing method: a mold without a bottom on a plane covered with film. Concrete walkways can be made using formwork, a temporary wooden structure that is molded into mortar. It is made from a board 15–20 mm wide, which is equal to the height of the track. The path should be slightly higher than the ground (4–5 cm) and sloped 1 cm in one or two directions.

The boards are fixed along the edges of the trench - they are pressed against the walls and attached to the marking pegs; the latter should be on the outside. The edge of the boards from below is fixed with pegs, and the top - crossbars, they are nailed to the edges from above - this will prevent the structure from bursting.

It is necessary to separate the slabs - too large ones will crack. To do this, install dividers every one and a half meters: metal plates, siding scraps, wooden or plastic strips. If they need to be removed, then before installation they are lubricated with any lubricant (used machine oil).

Calculation of the amount of concrete

The calculation is done using this technology. The area of one slab is determined (in m2). The value in m2 is multiplied by its height. The result is multiplied by required quantity slabs When filling a site with a single mass, the area in m2 is multiplied by the thickness of the fill. If the slabs are laid with gaps, then 5–10% is subtracted from the result.

Standard width paths in the country will be 0.8 m with a thickness of 5–7 cm; for a path under a car you need 3 m with a thickness of 10 cm. Taking this into account, it is easy to calculate that by 1 linear meter for a pedestrian path, the mixture consumption is 0.5 m3; for a path under a car, the consumption is 0.3 m3 of concrete. It follows that 1 m3 of solution is enough for 20 m2 of a pedestrian path or 3.3 m2 for a car.

Composition calculation

Measure out the ingredients and proportions in buckets. A standard bag of cement has 50 kg or 38 liters. Best consumption water will be in the proportion of 1 part water to 4 cement, but as you stir, you can add a little more water to the composition for better plasticity. Solution and ingredient consumption for paths without heavy loads (regular path on a patio, in a country house): ½.5/4 (cement/sand/gravel). In buckets, the proportion will look like this (per 1 m3 of mixture): 18 – cement (4.7 bags), 45 – sand, gravel – 70.

Car path: 1/1.5/2.5 (cement/sand/gravel). Consumption in buckets: 28 (or 7.3 bags)/40/70. A plasticizer is also added, for example, SP-1, a dye (1–2% by weight of the solution). There is another composition for a solution of durable concrete:

cement M500 and above – 1 part;
sand – 3 parts;
crushed stone – 1 part;
water repellent additives.

Kneading

If you have a small concrete mixer, it simplifies the work. If it is not there or the amount of concrete is small, you can mix it manually. Concreting of paths is carried out in several stages. To mix the solution you need a trough, a steel box or just a flat asphalt area, a sheet of iron. Can be used construction mixer, hammer drill with attachment.

This technology is standard. First, gravel and sand are mixed, then cement is added - a gray mass is obtained. A depression is made at its top and water is slowly poured in (half the calculated volume), raking the dry mixture from the edges into the middle. The mixture will become moist. Then they make a hole at the top again and pour out some of the water. Do this several times until the composition reaches the desired consistency.

For the production of mortar, cement of a grade not lower than M300 is recommended. Best to spend river sand- it's clean. It is advisable to rinse the quarry and filter through a sieve. Crushed stone can be 10–20 mm in size, the best is granite, it is frost-resistant and durable. For heavy loads, a large fraction of 40 mm is suitable.

The thicker the composition, the stronger the concrete, but then it needs to be compacted well. An excellent solution would be to add a plasticizer - it will make rigid concrete more plastic and fluid with less water consumption, which makes it less durable. This solution will fill all the cracks.

Reinforcement and filling

A garden or yard path made of concrete should rise by 3–5 cm. If there is a desire to give the slabs special strength, then reinforcement is used:

the form is filled halfway;
install fittings. Its role is played by steel rods with a cross section of 5–8 mm or ready mesh. They also use polymer fiber, which is added when mixing concrete.

The solution is leveled and kept for 3-4 days, regularly watering it with water or covering it with a damp cloth. When reinforcing, you can limit the slab thickness to 6–10 cm: such a device eliminates cracking. Otherwise, the thickness of the slab is at least 10–15 cm.

Pouring and compacting paths with concrete occurs in stages from separator to separator. The solution must be poured all at once to the edges of the formwork; the prepared mixture cannot be left for later - this is a guarantee of cracking.

The top layer is leveled with a rule or a flat board, which rests on the edges of the formwork and rides on them. The rule is to make movements towards yourself along the path, removing excess mixture. When leveling, remember the slope (1 cm by 1 m). Manual tamping will also be required, which should be carried out until cement laitance appears.

Then the mixture is pierced with a pin or a piece of pipe - this is necessary to remove air and increase density. A vibrating screed is also used for this. If the pebbles are turned out, they are rolled with a roller. Afterwards, the concrete is covered with a film to protect it from debris, rain, and to retain moisture (quick drying leads to cracking). So, concrete path It dries for 4 days, after 5 days the formwork is removed. It is watered with water until it dries completely, and after drying, the sharp edges are polished with a grinder.

Laying slabs

If the path at the dacha will be subject to heavy loads (bicycles, cars, a cart with a load), then it is advisable to leave a gap of 2-3 cm between the slabs. You can also leave a gap of 5-6 cm. You can also place the slabs at intervals of 1 step. Laying process step by step:

markings are made with pegs and cords;
remove a 10 cm layer of soil;
the trench is filled halfway with sand;
The slabs are laid on a leveled, compacted base. It is important that each slab rests on the sand cushion with its entire plane and is at the level of the other tiles;
tap the slabs with a hammer through the board for a good fit;
Sand is poured into the cracks. It can also be decorated decoratively.

Slabs with lawn grass growing between them look good in a dacha. Such a path is made on a finished lawn: the turf is cut out, the bottom of the hole is filled with sand so that the slab is flush with the grass.

Decoration

For a path in a country house, a beautiful view is very important. To make it beautiful and decorative, they use pigments (ochre, umber, etc.), polish it with impregnation, and apply a design with sharp objects. You can decorate using pebbles, tile fragments, even buttons. They are embedded in the surface of the concrete. To do this, place a paper sheet at the bottom of the mold, attach decorative elements to it with glue and fill it with solution. The paper is washed off from the finished slab with water.

Impregnation is also popular liquid glass(fluoric silicate, sodium, adhesive), which gives a spectacular shine. All impregnations are applied with a brush or spray. If desired, you can make large veins and fill them with turf, create roughness with a stiff brush or other devices. Tile or marble cladding is in high demand.

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Garden path made of concrete slabs

A garden path made of concrete slabs is one of the most inexpensive options paving. You can purchase ready-made slabs or make them yourself. And in this case, their color, shape, texture has no boundaries at all, because in fact it depends only on your imagination. For example, look at the multi-colored runner in the photo below. All that is required is to add dyes different colors into solution. Thanks to such diversity, it will not be difficult to choose what you like and is suitable for decorating your site.

Laying ready-made concrete slabs

To begin with, the base is prepared. To do this, an even bed of the required depth is dug (depending on the thickness of the sand and slabs), onto which a layer of sand is poured, which is leveled and compacted. Finished slabs are laid on the sand, which are deepened with gentle blows of a hammer through wooden board(or you can use a rubber mallet).

If you have sandy soil on your site, and the slabs are laid end to end, then the layer of sand can be 2–3 cm. If the soil is clay or loamy, you first need to lay a layer of gravel or slag, 5–10 cm thick, then 4–5 cm of sand. Large, loosely placed, single stones can be laid on the ground without the need for additional foundation preparation.

Another way to lay concrete slabs is to lay them on a mortar applied to a prepared base. The solution is applied in small portions in the corners and center, and when laying and deepening it is evenly distributed over the entire surface.

Plates arrangement

The location of the slabs will depend on the purpose and type of the future path. If this is the main path leading from the street to the main entrance, then the slabs should be laid one next to the other. On fairly infrequently used paths, there may be large gaps between the slabs, which can be filled with soil and planted with grass or flowers. If this is a straight path made of single slabs on the lawn, then the spaces between the slabs should be equal and equal to the length of the average step. Paths laid from slabs look beautiful different shapes, and various combinations of slabs with other materials, for example, bricks, as in the photo.

Manufacturing of concrete slabs

Concrete slabs are easily made independently in wooden forms, or directly on the ground using plastic, metal or wooden templates. The ease of manufacturing concrete slabs makes it possible to carry out a planned project from start to finish, starting with the shape of the slabs and ending with the pattern of their laying. You can make square, rectangular, triangular tiles and paint them to match the color of stone, brick or any other color. The top layer can be decorated with pieces of ceramics, colored glass, granite or marble chips. You can use scrap materials to create a design you like.

For the manufacture of slabs, wooden forms are used, independently knocked together from boards and bars. It is better to connect the bars using grooves, which make it easy to assemble and disassemble the structure. The size of the slabs is usually chosen in the region of 50x50, 40x60, 5–8 cm thick and with steel lattice reinforcement with a diameter of 5–8 mm. Before pouring concrete, wooden forms must be lubricated with any technical oil or drying oil.

For casting slabs round shape you can use trimmings from large metal pipes, barrels, buckets with a cut bottom.

The reinforcement, in order for it to be in the middle of the slab, should be placed in the mold after it is half filled with mortar. After which the form is completely filled, the concrete is compacted and the surface is leveled. During the process, make sure that the reinforcement is completely submerged.

If you want to create a smooth, kind of polished surface, then you need to: pour an even layer of dry cement 5–7 mm thick onto the still damp surface of the mortar and rub it in with a metal trowel until the cement is saturated with water and the surface layer is perfectly smooth.

The slabs should be in the molds for at least 2-3 days until they are completely hardened. At the same time, they should be protected from direct sunlight and moistened daily with water from a watering can.

To give various colors Dry mineral dyes are added to the concrete solution, or multi-colored pebbles are added to the top layer of concrete. When using dyes, remember that it should be used white cement and white quartz sand. The painting consists of two parts: the selected dye is poured in an even layer onto the newly poured solution, after which it is rubbed in with a metal trowel. Upon completion, the identical operation is repeated.

To apply a pattern, you can make an interesting pattern from rigid wire, which is pressed 2–3 mm into a slightly dried solution. If you decide to decorate the surface with some pebbles, crushed stone, broken ceramic tiles or other small filler (2-3 cm in diameter), then to do this, pour the filler into an even layer onto the leveled solution and carefully rub it in with the same metal trowel. After the first hardening of the solution outer side The filler is cleaned from the solution with a brush and water. If the material for decoration is large enough, it should be spread over the surface, and then pressed evenly and incompletely using a board. Don't forget to wash them the same way.

Monolithic concrete path

The monolithic concrete path is distinguished by its high strength. It should be done, for example, from the gate to the garage or other places that involve heavy loads. Although, of course, they can be made throughout the entire territory of the site, decorated in any of the ways described above. To make such a path, the future route is first marked, after which a bed at least 15 cm deep is dug, which is carefully compacted. On the sides of the bed, it is necessary to make formwork from boards 2–2.5 cm thick. It is also made crosswise at intervals of 1.5–2 m. Then sand is poured, and on top there is a layer of crushed stone, 8–10 cm thick, after which it is well compacted and poured concrete to the level of the formwork. The concrete surface must be leveled with a wooden lath, the edges of which rest on the formwork. Considering that concrete expands after pouring, every meter concrete surface Hollow seams should be left, which will be filled later.

After leveling with a board, the surface of the concrete must be smoothed with a trowel. When the concrete dries a little, brush it with a thick brush to roughen the surface. Afterwards the path is covered plastic film to protect it from rain, as well as to dry evenly. IN summer period You can walk along the path 5 days after pouring, in winter no earlier than 10. Heavy loads should not be transported for at least 2 weeks. At the same time, the formwork is being stripped and the curb is being installed. It can be installed before pouring concrete, on the inside of the formwork. The choice of material for the border is quite extensive. You can read more here - border for garden paths, and about other types of garden paths.

That's all. As you can see, a garden path made of concrete slabs can be made without much difficulty; we hope that this article was useful to you.

remont-i-obustroystvo.ru

Concrete slabs for paths

Concrete is used not only in capital construction. Affordable, durable and strong artificial stone is widely used as an element of landscape design when arranging paths around cottages, garden houses. It is not always justified to lay paving slabs or other purchased material next to the house. Often a rational solution is to make original decorated concrete slabs.

DIY concrete slabs

The production of concrete slabs is preceded by a preparation stage. It is necessary to decide on the design, think over the placement plan and direction of laying the path. Then you need to prepare the molds, mix the cement mortar and pour it into the molds, performing reinforcement. At this stage of work, the slabs are decorated in accordance with the project (texture, color, degree of roughness, relief images, etc.). The finished slabs are laid on the prepared base.

Creating a Form

Imagination and expediency (the width of the path) will tell you what shape to give to the slabs that will fill the path in the country. The simplest option is a square slab 40 x 40 (50 x 50) cm. It can also have rectangular, hexagonal, triangular, trapezoidal and other shapes. An interesting option may be alternating slabs various shapes and size. Concrete flooring may consist of elements irregular shape, which will correspond, for example, to the design of flower beds, gardens in the country.

For example, steel hoops from dried out barrels and other available materials that can be bent at will will come in handy. The bottom is attached to such a closed strip, and the form is ready. A path made of round elements will look interesting different sizes. The molding equipment can be buckets, pans, as well as short, up to 8 cm, sections of metal pipes, etc. The most accessible for manufacturing and convenient for use is a wooden mold.

The design of the path and the creation of forms for the slabs depends on your imagination and skill.

It is assembled from wooden blocks 4–5 cm wide, having grooves for joining, for example, into a square. The design is made durable (with self-tapping screws, corners), but collapsible. The height of the bars determines the depth of the mold - this is the thickness of the slab, which is chosen from 50 to 80 mm. A strong bottom is fixedly attached to the bars, for example, a sheet of metal on wooden shield. The form must be airtight. It is desirable that the dimensions and geometry of the products ensure ease of casting, installation and comfort of movement along the path in the country.

It is advisable to use several molds at once in order to cast the slabs in a flow. Their repeated use is facilitated by impregnation of the wood with hot drying oil, so the bars will retain their shape for a long time. After the concrete has gained strength, the temporary formwork from the tiles should be easy to remove and disassemble. Coating helps with this. wooden elements and the bottom of the mold with drying oil (technical oil) immediately before pouring the concrete mixture.

Preparation of concrete solution

You can mix the concrete mixture at the dacha manually, or you can use a concrete mixer. Additionally, you will need an open container for the solution and tools. The dry components of the concrete mixture in the proportion: 1 part cement, 2 parts sand (washed) and 3 parts crushed stone (fractions 5 - 10 mm) are mixed until smooth. It is also rational to use ready-made dry mixtures. Then water is added in portions.

The optimal ratio of water in the mixture is ¼ of the weight of cement. It is allowed to introduce slightly more water depending on the crushed stone fraction. The components are mixed until a homogeneous solution is obtained. Concrete mix, which holds its given shape after clenching in a fist, is considered optimal in consistency. The solution is then poured into molds.

Pouring the solution into the mold

You can make molds for filling tracks yourself.

Forms are being prepared. Next, the mixture is filled in halfway. Placed on the solution metal fittings(mesh), and add concrete to the top edge of the form. The mixture is compacted using a vibrating tool ( manual tamper). Then the surface of the concrete is leveled with a wide spatula.

The blanks are left for 6–7 days for the material to harden. It is necessary to exclude direct heating from the sun's rays, and cover the forms with moisture-absorbing material (burlap) or film. During this period, it is necessary to irrigate the stone several times day and night. clean water to gain standard strength, as well as frost resistance and water resistance. After stripping, the products can be laid on the path.

Reinforcement of concrete slabs

Paving concrete elements 40 x 40 (50 x 50) cm must be given rigidity, which will increase their service life. Better stove reinforced with steel rods that have their own elasticity. For this purpose, a reinforcing rod with a diameter of 5 - 8 mm is used.

It is placed in a mold on the first concrete layer of mortar in the form of a cage (welded at the intersection points, tied with wire). The ends of the segments should not reach the walls of the form by 20 - 30 mm, so that they are completely hidden in the concrete solution. It is also possible to use steel mesh made of wire with a cross-section of 1.5 - 2 mm. The reinforcement in the forms is filled with concrete from above.

Decor of concrete slabs

Concrete path framed by a border imitation clinker brick.

Plates can become bright color accent landscape at the dacha. For example, the original color shade The plate will be given by adding a coloring pigment to the solution ( acrylic paint). Ocher is widely used, added in the ratio: ½ part ocher, 1 part white sand, 1 part cement. As a result, the slab acquires a yellow tint. Brown color umber gives in the same proportions, and glauconite green gives the green color (proportions of parts: 1, 1, 1).

Stone (marble) chips, multi-colored pieces of glass, river (sea) pebbles, ceramic fragments are added to the surface layer of the tile (to the bottom of the mold or to the top surface), beautiful leaves etc. It is better to add decor before pouring the mold. In addition to its impressive design, the coating with marble chips will have anti-slip properties. On the upper surface of the workpiece, these elements are strengthened several hours after pouring the concrete (the beginning of the setting process) by tapping with a mallet. During the same period, a wire stencil can be applied to the “face” of the workpiece, by tapping it through a hard, flat surface, an ornament will be formed, pushing through the drying solution with its outline.

And a sheet, for example, chestnut, laid on the bottom of the mold, will create an imprint on the surface of the product (after stripping it is removed). If it is necessary to make the surface of the slabs on the paths smooth, dry cement (iron plating) is rubbed into the still wet concrete, which is beginning to set. It is introduced into the material with a spatula, having previously covered the area with an even layer 2–3 mm thick. This also strengthens the top layer of the slabs.

Concrete slab laying technology

The place where the path passes through the site is cleared of obstacles and traced with twine. The earth is removed to a depth of 100 to 200 mm, taking into account the slabs extending 3–4 cm above the surface. The bottom of the trench is compacted, and a sand cushion 50–150 mm thick is laid on top. For clayey (loamy) soils, first fill up with fine gravel (a layer of up to 10 cm), then slag, and then sand (a layer of 5 cm). In areas with increased load, the slabs are laid closely in one or several rows with a gap of about 30 mm.

The immobility of their installation in the sand is increased by tapping with a rubber hammer. The smoothness of the upper level of the track is set by the rule and level. Sand is poured between the slabs. To drain precipitation, it is advisable to install a storm drain. The track elements are also installed on cement mortar, which is applied to the center and corners of the tiles.

When installed and pressed, the solution is evenly distributed under the surface. Installing flooring elements on the lawn (ground) staggered involves cutting out a layer of turf (creating a depression) along the contour of the slabs. In the latter case, the grass is planted later. Other operations are similar to those described above. The distance between the plates is consistent with the length of the average step. An alternative design is when, after a while, some of the slabs are removed, and mini-flower beds are laid out in their place.

Conclusion

The simplicity and richness of options for manufacturing and decorating concrete slabs allows you to create an individual original design paths to the house and to garden plot. It is important to follow the work technology and show imagination.

kladembeton.ru

Do-it-yourself garden paths made of slabs without concreting - catalog of articles on the website - DomStroy

Garden paths do not have to be expensive - this applies to both materials and work on the installation of the surface. In addition, since not everyone knows how to lay concrete, let alone lay paving slabs or paving stones, I want to find an option for a beautiful and even impressive path that does not require special skills.

One of them is a garden path made of square concrete slabs, heavy enough that they do not move underfoot and without being secured with mortar.

Materials for garden paths made of slabs

Concrete slabs - dimensions 40x40 cm or 50x50 cm;
Screening of crushed stone for the base under the slabs - the smaller the fraction, the better;
Small crushed stone for filling between slabs.
Film, geotextile - if the path is made on the ground (so that grass does not grow in the seams between the slabs). If the path is being built over an old asphalt surface (updating an old path), film is not needed.

Concrete slabs for walkways

Border blocks for paths and flower beds

Garden paths - step by step guide

We mark the path. Its width should be such that the slabs fit between the curbs, plus take into account the width of the seams.

We arrange curbs on both sides of the future path. The easiest way is to lay them out of curb or building blocks by digging grooves along the width of the block.

A solid curb can be cast from concrete. For this:

pour crushed stone and sand onto the bottom of the ditch;
installing formwork;
pour concrete into the formwork, laying in reinforcing bars.

Level and compact the bottom of the path.

We fill the cushion with crushed stone screenings. If we are not making a path from scratch, but updating the old one, leveling its surface by adjusting the thickness of the screening layer. If possible, compact the pillow.

If we are making a garden path on the ground, we cover the screening layer with film/geotextile.

We lay the slabs.

We fill the seams between the slabs with fine crushed stone.

We water the path with water and compact the crushed stone with a piece of wood/batten.

Agree, the path turned out to be luxurious.

A garden path made of concrete slabs is one of the most inexpensive paving options. You can purchase ready-made slabs or make them yourself. And in this case, their color, shape, texture has no boundaries at all, because in fact it depends only on your imagination. For example, look at the multi-colored runner in the photo below. All that is required is to add dyes of different colors to the solution. Thanks to such diversity, it will not be difficult to choose what you like and is suitable for decorating your site.

Laying ready-made concrete slabs

To begin with, the base is prepared. To do this, an even bed of the required depth is dug (depending on the thickness of the sand and slabs), onto which a layer of sand is poured, which is leveled and compacted. The finished slabs are laid on the sand, which are deepened for strength with gentle blows of a hammer through a wooden board (or you can use a rubber hammer).

Plates arrangement

The location of the slabs will depend on the purpose and type of the future path. If this is the main path leading from the street to the main entrance, then the slabs should be laid one next to the other. On fairly infrequently used paths, there may be large gaps between the slabs, which can be filled with soil and planted with grass or flowers. If this is a straight path made of single slabs on the lawn, then the spaces between the slabs should be equal and equal to the length of the average step. Paths laid from slabs of different shapes, and various combinations of slabs with other materials, such as bricks, as in the photo, look beautiful.

Manufacturing of concrete slabs

To cast round slabs, you can use scraps of large metal pipes, barrels, and buckets with a cut bottom.

To give different colors, dry mineral dyes are added to the concrete solution, or multi-colored pebbles are added to the top layer of concrete. When using colorants, remember that white cement and white quartz sand must be used. The painting consists of two parts: the selected dye is poured in an even layer onto the newly poured solution, after which it is rubbed in with a metal trowel. Upon completion, the identical operation is repeated.

To apply a pattern, you can make an interesting pattern from rigid wire, which is pressed 2–3 mm into a slightly dried solution. If you decide to decorate the surface with some pebbles, crushed stone, broken ceramic tiles or other small filler (2-3 cm in diameter), then to do this, pour the filler into an even layer onto the leveled solution and carefully rub it in with the same metal trowel. After the solution has first hardened, the outer side of the filler is cleaned of the solution with a brush and water. If the material for decoration is large enough, it should be spread over the surface, and then pressed evenly and incompletely using a board. Don't forget to wash them the same way.

Monolithic concrete path

The monolithic concrete path is distinguished by its high strength. It should be done, for example, from the gate to the garage or other places that involve heavy loads. Although, of course, they can be made throughout the entire territory of the site, decorated in any of the ways described above. To make such a path, the future route is first marked, after which a bed at least 15 cm deep is dug, which is carefully compacted. On the sides of the bed, it is necessary to make formwork from boards 2–2.5 cm thick. It is also made crosswise at intervals of 1.5–2 m. Then sand is poured, and on top there is a layer of crushed stone, 8–10 cm thick, after which it is well compacted and poured concrete to the level of the formwork. The concrete surface must be leveled with a wooden lath, the edges of which rest on the formwork. Considering that concrete expands after pouring, hollow joints should be left every meter of the concrete surface, which will be filled later.

That's all. As you can see, it can be made without any particular difficulties, we hope that this article was useful to you.

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