Garden - decoration of any garden. And garden paths are a kind of highlight that gives completeness to landscape design. But not so simple. Paving paths is a science. The choice of materials for these works is wide enough. We offer you to get acquainted with the advantages and disadvantages of various types.
Paving Materials
Landscaping continues to evolve, offering more and more materials for paving paths. Now the choice is so wide that many find it difficult to decide what to prefer for their site.
Based on the manufacturing technology, the types of paving paths are as follows:
- Hard - paving made of natural stone, clinker brick, concrete, wood, asphalt and the like. This type of coating is most popular.
- Soft. They use bulk materials such as sand, gravel, gravel and so on.
- 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 manufacturing technologies. It can be decorative concrete or green paths.
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 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 also lasts for many years.
Natural stone for paving paths is characterized by a variety of textures, shapes, color palette. There is a wide selection of stones:
- Limestone.
- Granite.
- Marble.
- Sandstone.
- Basalt.
- Gabbro
- Labradorite.
- Quartzite.
- Slate.
- Dolomite and other breeds.
The main advantage of natural material is considered to be a long service life and its durability. The advantages include a variety of color palettes. Another positive characteristic can be called the fact that natural stone harmonizes perfectly with the surrounding landscape.
Natural material has its drawbacks. The most important is a rather high price. The minuses include a certain complexity of the paving process. Another significant drawback - 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 track, it is not necessary to use cobblestones. The most common material used for paving paths is flagstone. It looks like a flat plate of various shapes. This type of stone is economical enough, which has gained its popularity. Looks great when the seams between the stones are filled with grass. This styling method is also called "step by step".
Limestone 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 range of thickness (can be used at different loads).
Such a natural stone is not only practical, but also fits perfectly into almost every design.
Paving stones made of natural stone
Another quite popular material is natural stone blocks. It has an attractive appearance, wear resistance and high cost. Such a stone can be considered a distinctive choice for luxury homes. Paving stones have the correct shapes, which allows you to lay it out with a variety of patterns. The most durable material comes from granite, dolomite, quartzite and sandstone.
This type of paving also has its own classification:
- Chipped paving stones are the most economical and, one might say, classic, look. Get it by cutting stones from six sides on special machines. As a result, elements of a cubic shape are obtained, but at the same time they have an uneven perimeter.
- Chipped paving stones. Such a coating is obtained by sawing faces from above and below, and chipping from the remaining 4 sides.
- Chipped-sawn pavers have the same essence as sawn-chipped. The difference is that chipping occurs on top and bottom of the stone. Accordingly, the remaining 4 faces are obtained by sawing.
- Full-sawn pavers. Sawing is applied to all 6 faces.
It is worth noting that sawn-chipped and chipped-sawn pavers are the optimal ratio of price and appearance.
Wooden walkways
Paving of wood paths is also often used by landscape designers. This coating is very environmentally friendly, creates a feeling of comfort and maximum proximity to nature.
They use wooden flooring for pedestrian areas that connect different parts of the garden, as well as for patios, terraces and the area around the pool. Paving made of wood is an excellent option for playgrounds, since in the sunshine such material heats up less.
When choosing wooden paving, it is worth considering the fact that the tree is subject to rotting in conditions of high humidity. It is also worth noting the need for its processing with special tools that will help increase its service life.
For such paving, larch is used, since its wood contains a large amount of gum, which protects the tree from decay. Wood is used in the form of boards, sawdust, hemp round shape or just use the bark.
Brick brick
Another 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.
Burnt brick has a lot of advantages: durability, strength, frost resistance, moisture resistance, a wide palette 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 is “face to face” with this material.
Clinker brick paving is most often used in small areas near buildings, on terraces, near ponds, in recreational areas and in playgrounds. This option is ideal for places with heavy loads. And you can lay out the track in different ways: herringbone, fan, wicker, rows, both in the direction of travel, and perpendicularly.
Paving with paving slabs
Such material is quite versatile, as it is suitable for the improvement of the city, and for the development of residential areas. Paving paths with paving slabs is one of the most common options.
There are several types of tiles. But the most common - vibrocast and vibropressed. The main difference between the two is the mode of production.
Vibration casting consists in pouring concrete solution into a plastic mold and keeping it on a vibrating table for a day. It is important to adhere to a clear ratio of water to cement. In case of violation of the composition of the tile will have a short service life. At the output, the product is obtained with an attractive appearance and smooth surface.
Vibrocast tiles are excellent for areas with low traffic. It is easy to clean, but in winter you can slip on it.
The essence of vibropressing 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. Two processes occur - vibrating and pressing.
Thanks to this method of manufacturing, vibropressed tiles are characterized by increased strength and frost resistance. It can withstand loads, so it is often used for paving access roads and public places with high pedestrian traffic.
A concrete paving slab has several advantages:
- Affordable price.
- A variety of shapes, colors, textures.
- It has high performance.
- Pretty durable and environmentally friendly.
- The presence of a systematization of shapes and sizes.
Bulk material track
They are distinguished by their natural look, which harmoniously fits into almost any design style. These materials include gravel, coarse sand, pebbles, gravel, and more. Accordingly, the finer the bulk material, the more convenient it is to walk on it.
Such material has several advantages: naturalness, affordability, low price, environmental friendliness, ease of paving. Due to flowability, any shape can be betrayed from such materials to the track. Great for areas where you often need to be (for example, for caring for plants).
In addition to the advantages, there are some disadvantages. Such material requires maintenance, but you cannot use a garden vacuum cleaner or blower. This can damage the coating, or even draw 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 ensure that the material does not "creep", you need to do the edging.
Rubber paving slabs
One of the types of paving materials that is gaining popularity is rubber. Most often it is used for paving children's and sports grounds, the perimeter around the pool and moorings.
Rubber coating has many advantages:
- Resistance to any weather conditions. Rubber perfectly withstands active ultraviolet radiation, frequent rains and even temperatures up to -45 degrees, while it does not fade and does not fade.
- Lack of slip. Even in severe frosts, ice does not occur on rubber plates.
- It has great mechanical strength, is not subject to deformation and corrosion.
- Resistance to aggressive chemicals.
- Rubber is resistant to mold and mildew.
- Thanks to this coating, air and moisture remain at the roots. The load on the soil passes evenly, because of which there is no inhibition of the root system of plants.
- It is possible to lay a rubber tile both on loose surfaces, and on a solid base.
- A variety of shapes and colors.
Cobblestones
Cobblestones and boulders are often used to pave garden paths. These are rounded stones of different sizes. Most often they cover pavement, cultural and historical territories, it is excellent for a Japanese-style garden.
Paving from cobblestones ennobles the track.
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 picture of such a track that can satisfy even the most demanding taste.
Conclusion
Each material for paving paths has its advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes it’s very difficult to dwell on one thing. The variety of offers is simply amazing. But each of the materials will bring something of its own to the garden and make it ideal.