If you have a need to pave the track, then paving slabs are perfect for this. It looks more attractive in comparison with asphalt or the same concrete, while its strength is not inferior to these materials. It will be easier to use the services of specialists who own the masonry technique. However, if you do not have the opportunity to pay them $ 10 per square meter, then for a while you can become a bridge builder and do the work yourself.
The main condition for success is adherence to technology. By the way, it is not so complicated, and you can find all the necessary tools even in your barn. You can lay the material on a pillow of sand and cement, concrete and gravel. However, this article will consider an example of laying paving slabs on a concrete base. The latter is a flat area that will provide higher coating strength than a sand-cement cushion.
This approach is especially relevant for those territories that will be affected by heavy equipment. At such a site, it will even be possible to park vehicles. And it is easier to level the tiles to one level, if the bottom is not a moving layer, but a solid pillow. It will not allow the surface to shrink during the hardening process - the track will be strong and will not have dips. In addition, the master will not have problems with tamping. Therefore, if you do not have experience laying paving slabs, it is best to lay it on concrete. So you can do such work yourself.
However, it is worth remembering that such a method is not used as often as the technology has several features. They, in particular, are expressed in the need to remove excess moisture from the surface of the coating. If a pillow of cement and sand is used, then the moisture will go into a hygroscopic base, and the track will not be damaged.
If concrete is used as a rough surface, then water seeping under the cobblestones will not be able to go deeper, since the monolithic base will not let it through. As a result, moisture will remain between the tile and the base. As soon as frosts hit, the water will begin to expand and push out the coating. The result may be swelling of the material in some places. Therefore, when pouring the solution, special attention should be paid to water disposal. For this, point moisture receivers and stormwater are created, but the paving stones themselves will need to be laid with a certain bias. If everything is organized correctly, then the tracks will be more durable than those laid on traditional sand and cement pillows.
Site Preparation
If you decide to start laying paving slabs on concrete, then first you need to prepare the site for work. To do this, they divide the territory, drive pegs around the perimeter and put red marks. This term in construction means a thread that stretches tightly between the pegs. It will outline the boundaries of the height of the site.
To do this, you can use the twine, which is tied to the pegs where the tile will end. It is important to take into account the need for a slope of 5 ° to the input point of the receivers. Before laying paving slabs on concrete, you should check how much free space there is from the thread to the ground. If less than 30 cm, then all excess should be removed and taken out. Fertile soil pours out in those places where flower beds are planned.
The edge of the earth "trough" is strengthened by borders. Some recommend placing them after pouring the mortar, but then you will have to protect the edge of the site from shedding soil by installing formwork. For inexperienced craftsmen, the first option will be preferable. If you plan to use a border with a height of 50 cm in your work, then you need to dig a trench another 30 cm in depth.
And the bottom is covered with a 10-centimeter layer of rubble, then cement mortar is poured. The layer should be 1.5 cm. A border is placed on it, while the top edge after completion of work should be 3 cm lower compared to the edge of the pavers. This is necessary so that the curbs do not retain water on the surface and help its discharge. If the curb has a lower height, then the depth of the trench is reduced.
Pouring concrete
Laying paving slabs on concrete in the next step involves pouring the mortar. A day after installing the borders, you can start pouring. To create a platform on which the equipment will move, the base must be reinforced. To do this, use reinforcement, which is connected to the cells with a side of 15 cm. If the tracks are pedestrian, then reinforcement is not required.
Drainage
In order for moisture to seep further, after falling through a tile onto concrete, it is necessary to create drainage holes. For this, an asbestos pipe is used. It is cut into pieces, each of which is 20 cm long. The height should match the height of the concrete layer. Pieces of asbestos are laid out on the territory. There must be one such drainage per square meter. After pouring concrete, they should not be removed. You can create holes from the boards by knocking them together in the shape of a square. However, after the concrete has hardened, the wood should be removed.
Methodology
If you will be laying paving slabs on concrete on the street, then the next step is to prepare a solution of cement grade M-200. It is poured with a layer of 15 cm, which is true for an unreinforced base. If there is reinforcement, the layer should be increased to 20 cm. Every three meters, it is necessary to create a temperature seam, if the site will have impressive dimensions. This is ensured by the method of pressing into concrete boards. The thickness of the latter should be 0.5 cm.
After the mortar has solidified, the boards should be removed, while the voids should be filled with elastic filler. Coat the top of the seam with concrete to level the surface. After a day, the wooden formwork is removed from the drainage holes, and the space is filled with fine-grained gravel.
The formation of pillows made of cement and sand
Laying paving slabs on concrete with your own hands provides for the formation of a pillow. The operation algorithm is as follows. Sand should be sieved and mixed with cement in a ratio of 6 to 1. The site is covered with a layer of up to 10 cm, while the thickness of the pavers should be taken into account. The resulting pillow is rammed by a vibrating plate.
Work with beacons
Now you can check the tension of the rope to ensure the slope. Pegs are best placed as often as possible, because the thread sags on one meter by 1 mm. On the site are lighthouses. They should be pressed to the pillow so that there is a distance from the lace to the lighthouse. Using the rule, focusing on the beacons, it is necessary to pull off the pillow to get a flat surface. The first beacons are taken out, on this site you can start laying tiles. Furrows are filled with the same mixture, now you can start laying tiles.
Recommendations for the installation of paving slabs
The technology of laying paving slabs on concrete provides for the installation of products with seams of 5 mm. They exclude cracking of the material when the coating begins to walk from moisture and temperature changes. It is necessary to start work from the curb. You should move around the marks, heading to the place where the water will drain.
The surface of each product is leveled by tapping with a rubber mallet. The entire surface is subsequently pressed by a vibrating plate so that the tiles sit on the stretched threads. If such equipment is not available, then when laying, use a wide trim of the board. It is placed on several tiles and nailed with a mallet to the desired height.
Specialist advice
If you plan to do the laying of paving slabs on concrete with your own hands, a step-by-step instruction will help you in the work. From it you can find out that the inter-tile seams are filled with the mixture that went to create the pillow. You can also use fine sand for this. With the first option, you will create a monolithic coating that will weaken moisture more weakly. Among other things, grass will not sprout at the seams.
However, the coating may crack if heavy equipment hits it . Use a home broom to fill the joints with sand or a mixture. The composition scatters on the surface, and then gently swept into the seams. You should get rid of excess material. On this we can assume that the laying of paving slabs on a concrete base with their own hands is completed.
Laying tiles on a concrete blind area
The technology of mounting the tiles on the blind area made of concrete is almost no different from the one described above. At the first stage, marking is carried out, then pegs are set, between which kapron thread should be pulled. Next, proceed with the preparation of the soil. Begin by dismantling the old coating, if any.
Laying paving slabs on a concrete pavement provides for the preparation of the bottom of the trench, onto which a layer of clay is poured. At the same time, it is important to ensure a slope of 2 cm. Everything is well compacted, after which it is covered with a layer of gravel and well packed. Top should lay geotextiles and fix its edges to the foundation. A layer of sand is poured in the next step, to seal it is watered.
The nuances of the technique
Now you can start pouring the solution, which is prepared from a part of cement and three parts of sand. Everything should be aligned with the help of profiles, not forgetting to form the level of the slope. At the next stage, you can proceed with the installation of tiles. You can do this the next day. Products in this case are usually placed diagonally. The final step will be the filling of the seams. The entire surface is watered with a spray nozzle. This will allow the tile to hold firmly in place.
Conclusion
Many homeowners are wondering about how concrete is laid with the effect of paving slabs. In this case, we are talking about printed or stamped concrete. It is an ordinary solution, on the surface of which decorative stamping is applied using special stamps. The final pattern can imitate paving stones or paving slabs. This design is especially popular for terraces or platforms near pools. The surface even before stamping can be subjected to a procedure that gives the coating a shade. For this, the composition is rubbed into concrete. If this method does not suit you, then you can lay the paving slabs on old concrete. The technology remains the same.