Garden - decoration of any personal plot. And garden paths are a kind of highlight, giving completeness to landscape design. But not everything is so simple. Paving paths is a whole science. The choice of materials for these works is quite wide. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the advantages and disadvantages of various types.
Paving materials
Landscape design continues to evolve with more and more paving materials. Now the choice is so wide that many find it difficult to decide what to prefer for their site.
Based on manufacturing technology, the types of paving paths are as follows:
- Rigid - paving made of natural stone, clinker, concrete, wood, asph alt and the like. This type of coverage is the most popular.
- Soft. For them, bulk materials such as sand, crushed stone, gravel and so on are used.
- Combined. The bottom line is a combination of the above two types of coatings - hard and soft.
- Special - a coating that requires the use of complex production technologies. It can be decorative concrete or green paths
When choosing a certain type of paving for garden paths, you need to familiarize yourself with their characteristics, as well as take into account all operational requirements. Next, we will consider in more detail some types of coverage.
Natural material
Perhaps the most popular for paving garden paths can be called natural stone. Such a coating looks not only aesthetically pleasing, but will last for many years.
Natural stone for paving paths is distinguished by a variety of textures, shapes, and color palettes. Wide choice of stone available:
- Limestone.
- Granite.
- Marble.
- Sandstone.
- Bas alt.
- Gabbro.
- Labradorite.
- Quartzite.
- Slate.
- Dolomite and other rocks.
The main advantage of natural material is its long service life and its strength. The advantages include a variety of color palettes. Another positive characteristic is that natural stone harmonizes perfectly with the surrounding landscape.
Natural material also has disadvantages. The most important is the rather high price. The disadvantages include a certain laboriousness of the paving process. Another significant drawback is that during frosts, the stone is covered with a thin crust of ice, which makes it very slippery and traumatic.
Flagstone for paving paths
To make a strong and durable path, it is not necessary to use cobblestones. The most common material used for paving paths is flagstone. He looks likeflat plate of various shapes. This type of stone is quite economical, which has gained its popularity. It looks great when the seams between the stones are filled with grass. This method of laying is also called "step by step".
Slabstone is made from various rocks - dolomite, quartzite, sandstone, limestone, slate, granite and so on. The thickness of such a stone can be different and range from 1 to 7 cm.
This type of paving is often preferred due to some characteristics:
- Relatively low price.
- Slightly rough surface (comfortable and not slippery).
- Wide thickness range (can be applied to different loads).
Such a natural stone is not only practical, but also fits perfectly into almost every design.
Paving stones from natural stone
Another fairly popular material is natural stone pavers. Differs in attractive appearance, wear resistance and high cost. Such a stone can be considered a distinctive choice for luxury homes. The paving stone has the correct shape, which allows you to lay it out in a variety of patterns. The most durable material comes from granite, dolomite, quartzite and sandstone.
This type of paving also has its own classification:
- Chopped paving stones are the most economical and, one might say, classic look. It is obtained by hewing stones from six sides on special machines. As a result, elements of a cubic form are obtained, but at the same time they have an uneven perimeter.
- Sawn-chipped paving stones. Such a coating is obtained by sawing the edges from above and below, and chipping from the remaining 4 sides.
- Chipped-sawn paving stones have the same essence as sawn-sawn paving stones. The difference is that chipping occurs from above and below the stone. Accordingly, the remaining 4 faces are obtained by sawing.
- Full sawn pavers. Sawing applied to all 6 edges.
It is worth noting that sawn-chopped and chipped-sawn paving stones are the best value for money and appearance.
Wooden walkways
Paving wooden paths is also often used by landscape designers. This coating is very environmentally friendly, creates a feeling of comfort and maximum proximity to nature.
Use wood flooring for walkways that connect different parts of the garden, as well as for patios, terraces and pool areas. Wooden paving is a great option for playgrounds, as such material heats up less in the sun.
When choosing wooden paving, it is worth considering the fact that wood is prone to rotting in conditions of high humidity. It is also worth noting the need to process it with special tools that will help increase its service life.
Larch is used for such paving, as its wood contains a large amount of gum, which protects the tree from decay. Wood is used in the form of boards, sawdust, round stumps, or simply use the bark.
Clinker bricks
Moreone natural material for paving garden paths is clinker brick. Interestingly, the previously baked brick was considered a marriage, and therefore was easily accessible. Now it is specially made, so the price has become much higher.
Baked brick has many advantages: durability, strength, frost resistance, moisture resistance, a wide range of colors and a variety of shapes. The combination of different shades of brick looks very attractive, which allows you to lay out unique patterns. Such paving will last a very long time, but even old age suits this material.
Clinker paving is most often used in small areas near buildings, on terraces, near water bodies, in places of recreation and on playgrounds. This option is ideal for places with heavy traffic. And you can lay out the track in different ways: herringbone, fan, braid, rows, both in the direction of travel and perpendicularly.
Paving with paving slabs
This material is quite versatile, as it is suitable for the improvement of the city, and for the development of residential areas. Paving paving slabs is one of the most common options.
There are several types of tiles. But the most common are vibrocast and vibropressed. The main difference between them is the way they are produced.
Vibration casting is that a concrete solution is poured into a plastic mold and kept on a vibrating table for a day. It is important here to keepa clear ratio of water and cement. In case of violation of the composition, the tile will have a short service life. At the end, the product is obtained with an attractive appearance and a smooth surface.
Vibrocast tiles are great for low traffic areas. It is easy to clean, but can be slippery in winter.
The essence of vibrocompression is that the concrete mixture and a small amount of water are placed in a special mold (called a matrix), which is placed on a vibrating bed. The punch begins to press on the mold itself until the mixture is completely compacted. There are two processes - vibrating and pressing.
Thanks to this manufacturing method, vibropressed tiles are characterized by increased strength and frost resistance. It has excellent load-bearing capacity, which is why it is often used for paving driveways and public areas with high foot traffic.
Concrete slab for paving paths has a number of advantages:
- Affordable price.
- Variety of shapes, colors, textures.
- High performance.
- Quite durable and eco-friendly.
- The presence of a systematization of shapes and sizes.
Bulk path
They are distinguished by their natural look, which will harmoniously fit into almost any decor style. Such materials include gravel, coarse sand, pebbles, crushed stone, and so on. Accordingly, the finer the bulkmaterial, the more comfortable it is to walk on.
This material has a number of advantages: naturalness, availability, low price, environmental friendliness, ease of paving. Due to the flowability, any shape can be betrayed from such materials. Great for areas where you need to visit often (for example, to care for plants).
Besides the advantages, there are some disadvantages. Such material requires care, but you can not use a garden vacuum cleaner or blower. This can damage the coating, or even pull it in. It is also impossible to use a stream of water, since in this way it is easy to wash off the material. Some of the bulk materials are quite noisy. To prevent the material from "spreading", you need to make a border.
Rubber paving slabs
One type of paving material that is gaining popularity is rubber. Most often it is used for paving children's and sports grounds, the perimeter near the pool and piers.
Rubber coating has many advantages:
- Resistant to all weather conditions. Rubber perfectly withstands active ultraviolet radiation, frequent rains and even temperatures down to -45 degrees, while not fading or fading.
- No slip. Even in severe frosts, ice does not form on rubber plates.
- High mechanical strength, not subject to deformation and corrosion.
- Resistant to aggressivechemicals.
- Rubber is resistant to mold and mildew.
- Thanks to this coating, air and moisture access to the roots is maintained. The load on the soil passes evenly, which is why there is no oppression of the root system of plants.
- You can lay rubber tiles both on loose surfaces and on a solid base.
- Variety of shapes and colors.
Cobblestones
Cobblestones and boulders are often used for paving garden paths. These are rounded stones of different sizes. Most often they cover bridges, cultural and historical territories, it is also great for a Japanese-style garden.
The cobblestone pavement makes the path very ennobled.
In addition to all the advantages of natural stone and its availability, it is worth noting its aesthetic appearance. The natural variety of shapes, colors and patterns allows you to create a unique pattern of such a path that can satisfy even the most demanding taste.
Conclusion
Each paving material has its advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes it is very difficult to stop at one thing. The variety of offers is simply amazing. But each of the materials will bring something different to the garden and make it perfect.
