Modern cities are filled with dust, and life in them is accompanied by fuss. After the end of the working week, I so want to relax and get distracted, take a breath of fresh air, enjoy a warm evening, and in the morning go for a walk along garden paths. In this case, each summer resident thinks about what it is better to build this zone of the personal plot from.
When the tracks are simply trodden paths, then this can not be called aesthetic and convenient. In most cases, paving stones, which is also called paving slabs, are used today. 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 refine the area near the pool, terrace or bathhouse.
The choice of pavers
Concrete paving stones can be laid in several ways, one of them assumes the location of the material in an arcuate manner, the other arbitrarily. Sometimes products are stacked in regular rows. Craftsmen lay tiles around, fan and scales, sometimes you can find the arrangement of pavers in a checkerboard pattern, herringbone or pigtail. It is up to you to decide which method to choose, but before that it is important to decide which concrete block to choose. Here you have to solve the issue of size and shape. If you need to lay a small pattern, you need to purchase a tile of irregular shape, the dimensions of which can look like this: 7 x 7 x 5 or 5 x 5 x 3 cm. When you want to lay a simple geometric pattern, it is best to choose tiles made of clinker brick, while the dimensions of the product 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 paving stones 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 to thoroughly prepare the foundation. The surface must be leveled, the roots of the plants and large stones removed, and the area free from potholes and pits. In the next step, 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 ramming of several boards and logs is suitable.
Marking and planning of the territory
Before you lay out the concrete paving stones, you need to draw up a site plan, 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 are 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.
Excavation
The technology of laying concrete paving involves excavation, it is necessary to do this to such a depth that the surface of the site reaches the desired level, taking into account the litter of cement or gravel and sand. The territory as a result may turn out to be equal to the ground level or turn out to be slightly higher, however, it should not be made lower, since in this case water will accumulate on the site.
Foundation preparation
Concrete paving stones should be laid on a flat surface, gravel or sand should be laid on the bottom. If the soil is sufficiently dense, then sand can be used as a litter, which is laid in a layer from 5 to 20 cm thick. If you have to work with loose soil, it is better to cover the base with gravel, putting it to a height of 10 to 15 cm. The layers are compacted 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 site has a difficult terrain, then it is best to use concreting or cementing. In the latter case, you need to use three parts of fine sand and one part of cement. The height of such a pillow should be approximately 5 cm. To increase the paving strength, 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 geotextiles.
Work on the curb
Paving concrete paving stones must be laid after the installation of the border, which will give the whole system completeness. As it is possible to use larger paving stones. If there will be a curb, then along the nylon cord it is necessary to lay another trench, and then prepare a cement mortar.
Experts do not advise pouring the entire trench at once, part of the solution will have time to dry, so you should prepare the solution as you install the curb. Its ribs should be in contact with the nylon cord, and each subsequent element should adjoin the previous one. To do this, use a rubber hammer, tamping the curb as needed. To create a durable system, you should use a trim board, which is fixed in the trench. After close to it, you will need to strengthen the tile.
Installation of pavers
Paving concrete straight line is laid a day after installing the curb, because it should dry well. If a sand substrate is used, it must be abundantly poured with water. Before starting work, wooden boxes should be knocked down, the optimal size of which will be 1 x 0.7 m. They are installed right next to each other, and then fixed in the ground and begin installation work.
Paving stones should be located close to each other, while sticking to the selected pattern. Products are leveled with a level, and the bars are knocked out with a rubber hammer. Paving stones can be cut if necessary with a grinder with a diamond disk. This may be required when there is a need to design complex areas.
After completion of installation work, it is recommended to seal the paved surface with a rammer. It is necessary to use it together with a rubberized base so that the surface of the tile is not damaged.
The final stage
Sometimes paving stones are laid on a concrete base, this technology will be discussed below. However, if you decide to use the method described above, then at the final stage you need to fill the cobbled area with fine-grained wet sand to fill the joints. Then the master walks through the rammer again with a rammer, however, you can use the old method, which consists in rubbing the sand at the joints with a regular mop with a hard pile. It is necessary to use clean and fine sand for this, because otherwise, weed seeds may be contained in its composition, which will certainly germinate afterwards and adversely affect the integrity of the coating.
Mounting pavers on a concrete base
Laying pavers on a concrete base, the technology of which will be described below, will provide higher coating strength. However, when pouring a concrete base, special attention should be paid to water disposal. At the first stage, the site is broken down, pegs are installed, and a thread is stretched between them. After installing the curb, you can start pouring concrete, but not earlier than in a day. The surface will have to be reinforced, for this a grid with mesh sizes of 15 cm is used.
To remove moisture, an asbestos pipe is used, which is cut into pieces and laid out on the territory taking into account one unit per square meter. Once the concrete has hardened, you can prepare a sand-cement pillow. To do this, sand is mixed with cement and poured onto the site with a layer of up to 10 cm. Laying pavers on a concrete base is carried out not end-to-end, but with 5 mm seams. This will eliminate the cracking of the material when it moves from exposure to moisture and temperatures.