Modern cities are filled with dust, and life in them is accompanied by fuss. After the end of the working week, you really want to relax and get distracted, take a breath of fresh air, enjoy the warm evening, and go for a run along the garden paths in the morning. In this case, each summer resident thinks about what it is better to build this area of the plot from.
When the paths are just trodden paths, then this cannot be called aesthetic and convenient. In most cases, paving stones are used for this today, which is also called paving slabs. With it, you can pave not only the paths, but also the entrance to the garage, as well as a recreation area. Using this material, you can ennoble the area next to the pool, terrace or sauna.
Choice of pavers
Concrete paving stones can be laid in several ways, one of them involves the arrangement of the material in an arcuate manner, the other - arbitrarily. Sometimes products are stacked in the right rows. Craftsmen spreadtiles around, with a fan and scales, sometimes you can find the arrangement of paving stones in a checkerboard pattern, herringbone or pigtail. Which way to choose is up to you, but before that it is important to decide which paving stone to choose. Here you have to decide the issue of size and shape. If you need to lay a small pattern, you need to purchase an irregularly shaped tile, the dimensions of which may look like this: 7 x 7 x 5 or 5 x 5 x 3 cm. will look like this: 20 x 10 x 4.5 cm. For lovers of a natural natural style in design, paving stones of traditional sizes and shapes are suitable.
Styling technology
Concrete pavers are laid according to a certain technology, it is important to ensure the beauty and durability of the future site. The main condition for the work is the thorough preparation of the foundation. The surface must be leveled, the roots of plants and large stones must be eliminated, the territory must be rid of potholes and pits. At the next stage, the surface is leveled and compacted using an electric or pneumatic rammer. Such a tool can be rented, as an alternative solution, a self-made rammer from several boards and logs is suitable.
Marking and planning of the territory
Before you lay concrete pavers, you mustdraw up a plan of the site, for this it is transferred to graph paper. Based on the area, it is necessary to calculate the amount of material, adding to it about 10% for marriage. It is important to consider how much cement, gravel and sand will be needed. Laying work begins with digging in pegs, the distance between which should be approximately 1.5 m. The pegs are fastened together with a nylon cord.
Earthworks
The technology of laying concrete pavers involves excavation, it must be done to such a depth that the surface of the site reaches the desired level, taking into account the bedding of cement or gravel and sand. The territory in the end may turn out to be equal to the ground level or be slightly higher, but you should not make it lower, as in this case water will accumulate on the site.
Preparing the base
Concrete pavers should be laid on a flat surface, gravel or sand should be laid on the bottom. If the soil is dense enough, then sand can be used as a bedding, which is laid in a layer 5 to 20 cm thick. If you have to work with loose soil, it is better to cover the base with gravel, laying it at a height of 10 to 15 cm. special installation. Professionals even on dense soils advise laying crushed stone under a layer of sand so that the tile does not deform.
If the terrain is difficult on the site, then it is best to use concreting orcementing. In the latter case, three parts of fine sand and one part of cement should be used. The height of such a pillow should be approximately 5 cm. To increase the strength of the paving, it is recommended to use a three-layer coating, which will consist of gravel, sand and cement. Before backfilling the preparation, it is necessary to cover the soil with geotextile.
Working on the border
Concrete pavement pavers must be laid after the installation of the curb, which will complete the entire system. As it is possible to use paving stones of a larger size. If there is a curb, then another trench must be laid along the nylon cord, and then the cement mortar must be prepared.
Experts do not advise pouring the entire trench at once, part of the solution will have time to dry, so the solution should be prepared as the curb is installed. Its ribs must be in contact with the nylon cord, and each subsequent element must adjoin the previous one. To do this, use a rubber mallet, knocking out the curb as needed. To create a solid system, you should use an edged board, which is fixed in a trench. After that, it will be necessary to strengthen the tile closely to it.
Installation of pavers
Concrete straight pavers are laid one day after the installation of the curb, because it must dry well. If a sand substrate is used, then it must be poured abundantly with water. Before starting work, you shouldknock down wooden boxes, the optimal size of which will be 1 x 0.7 m. They are installed close to each other, and then fixed in the ground and proceed with installation work.
The paving stones should be placed close to each other, and the selected pattern should be followed. Products are leveled with a level, and the bars are knocked out with a rubber mallet. Paving stones can be sawn, if necessary, with a grinder with a diamond blade. This may be required when there is a need to decorate complex areas.
After completion of installation work, it is recommended to compact the paved surface with a vibrotamper. It must be used in conjunction with a rubberized base so that the surface of the tile is not damaged.
Final stage
Sometimes paving stones are laid on a concrete base, this technology will be discussed below. However, if you decide to use the technique described above, then at the final stage it is necessary to fill the paved area with fine-grained wet sand so that it fills the joints. Then the master once again passes through the site with a vibrotamper, however, you can use the old method, which consists in rubbing sand into the joints with a conventional mop with a hard pile. It is necessary to use clean and fine sand for this, because otherwise, it may contain weed seeds, which then will certainly germinate and adversely affect the integrity of the coating.
Installation of pavers on a concrete base
Laying paving stones on a concrete base, the technology of which will be described below, will provide morehigh coating strength. However, when pouring a concrete base, special attention should be paid to drainage. At the first stage, the site is laid out, pegs are installed, and a thread is pulled between them. After installing the curb, you can start pouring concrete, but not earlier than a day later. The surface is to be reinforced, for this a mesh with cell sizes of 15 cm is used.
An asbestos pipe is used to remove moisture, which is cut into pieces and laid out over the territory, taking into account one unit per square meter. As soon as the concrete hardens, you can prepare a sand-cement cushion. To do this, sand is mixed with cement and poured onto the site with a layer of up to 10 cm. Laying paving stones on a concrete base is carried out not end-to-end, but with seams of 5 mm. This will prevent cracking of the material when it moves from exposure to moisture and temperatures.
