Today, paving stones are practically not used for the construction of roads. Despite the fact that it is quite durable (unlike asphalt), laying pavers requires a lot of time and effort. But small areas, for example, park paths, sidewalks, sections at shopping centers - this is quite acceptable.
Such a demand is associated with the excellent qualities of this material:
- durability and environmental friendliness;
- excellent opposition to natural factors (temperature extremes, sun rays, etc.) and mechanical stresses;
- quite reasonable price;
- A wide range of colors and shapes.
The main thing is to choose the right material and, having considered all the options for laying pavers, correctly pave sidewalks and paths. This is the key to sophistication and durability.
Stages and technology of laying pavers. Highlights
Laying pavers is a laborious process, but not very complicated. To work with this material does not require special equipment or education.
The most important is the first stage: marking the coverage area. Clearly marked territory is the key to successful design (as a foundation for the home). Marking a track or sidewalk is done using tape measure, construction pegs and twine. With their help, an imaginary border is made: measured out - driven in pegs - pulled the twine. Thus, it is possible to visually present the future coverage and evaluate the convenience of moving along it, make the necessary changes in the trajectory.
The second stage is the preparation of the foundation. It should be dense, strong, since the durability and strength of the track itself depends on it. The base may be of different materials. Someone uses sand, pressed together with gravel, someone uses concrete. This is a single layer base. If paving is intended for places with high traffic, the base should be multilayer: crushed stone (15 cm), sand (10 cm) and geotextiles connecting them. In some cases, a layer of dry cement (about 3 cm) is laid on top of the geotextile. The thickness of the tile itself is on average 7 cm. Thus, the laying height is about 35 cm. This must be taken into account when digging the profile: it should not be too deep to avoid overuse of building materials, but also not be small enough so that all layers are proper thickness and did not protrude above ground level. Having filled the profile with all the necessary layers and having compacted them well, we will get a good and strong base, ready for laying pavers.
The third stage is the laying of paving stones. This simple process consists in laying out patterns from elements or just a continuous coating (it depends on what shape and technology you choose). The tile is laid one at a time, after each laid out row the surface level is checked: the protruding blocks are tapped, and a layer of cement mixture is poured under the recessed ones.
The fourth stage is the sprinkling of pavers with sand and watering until completely absorbed. This is necessary to fill the joints and shrink. Usually the surface is poured several times.
You can walk on the new paving stones 2-3 days after the last watering.