Paving slabs - a material very popular among owners of suburban areas. Using this cladding, you can make the courtyard of the house and paths in the adjacent territory as convenient as possible for movement and beautiful. There are many types of paving slabs on sale today. Such material can vary both in operational characteristics and in design.
Types of tiles by manufacturing method
On this basis, the following types of such facing material are distinguished:
vibrocast tile;
vibropressed;
hyperpressed;
polymer sand.
All these types of paving slabs can be used including for facing courtyards of private country houses. The difference between them lies in the manufacturing method used in pouring materials, as well as in operational characteristics.
What is vibrocast tile
Such material is most often used for facing courtyards and paths of small country houses or cottages. The main advantages of the tiles of this variety are low cost and a variety of designs. Yards lined with such material look very impressive.
In terms of performance, vibrocast tiles are somewhat inferior to other varieties. However, at the same time, it is still quite strong and durable. Some disadvantage of this type of tile is only that it is not recommended to use it for decorating areas of the territory exposed to severe loads (for example, the parking place of the owners' car). With constant strong pressure from above, this type of tile can begin to collapse.
Also, tracks lined with such material have to be cleaned with some caution in winter. It is, of course, impossible to break ice on such a tile with a crowbar or a shovel. It is not recommended to sprinkle the tile of this variety with salt to remove compressed snow, otherwise its top layer may begin to crumble.
How to make vibrocast material
This type of paving slabs for paths and yards is usually made in small batches and only by hand. Such material is most often sold by small private workshops, equipped, for example, in garages or hozblok of country houses.
The technology for manufacturing vibrocast tiles looks like this:
a solution consisting of cement, coarse sand and chemical additives that increase the strength of the finished material is poured into plastic or rubber molds previously lubricated with machine oil;
forms are installed on a special vibrating table;
the vibrating table is turned on for about 5 minutes, as a result of which the mixture in the molds is leveled and compacted.
After the solution has dried, the vibrating plate is removed from the molds and placed in batches to mature in a dark room for several days. Further facing comes to the implementation.
The solution for such a material is in most cases made of white cement. At the same time, coloring pigments are added to it. Forms for the manufacture of this type of paving slabs can also be used very different. All this determines the variety of design of such a facing material. The vibrating plate can have different colors, be square, polygonal, rectangular.
What is vibropressed material
This type of paving slabs for a summer residence, for example, due to its high cost does not suit too well. Usually only owners of houses and cottages use it to decorate courtyards. Such material is more expensive than vibrocast. However, at the same time, it is distinguished by greater strength, and also lasts longer. If desired, vibropressed tiles can be used for cladding areas of the yard, exposed to significant loads.
Some drawback of the material of this variety (in comparison with vibrocast) is just not a special variety of designs. Such tiles can differ mainly in color only.
Manufacturing technology
This type of paving slabs, the photo of which is presented below, is most often made at large enterprises. The technology for pouring such material involves the use of quite expensive equipment as well. They make tiles of this variety also in forms on a vibrating table. However, it is also further subjected to pressing.
Tiles of this variety are made using a mixture containing little water. Due to the thick consistency, such a solution cannot be evenly distributed in shape during vibration. Therefore, it is additionally pressed from above. As a result, when applying this technology, a very strong and durable tile is obtained.
Hyper pressed material
Such tiles are also manufactured in enterprises. The main feature of this variety is its small thickness and weight, increased strength. In general, this material can last several decades longer than any other type of tile in the courtyard of a country house. But the facing of this variety is, of course, quite expensive.
Hyperpressed tile production technology
Such material is made without the use of vibration equipment. A semi-dry mixture consisting of cement, sand, limestone and chemical additives is subjected to pressing on special machines under a pressure of about 20 MPa.
Using this technology, a tile is obtained that does not contain absolutely no voids. After pressing, the material of this variety is additionally exposed to hot steam. It also greatly improves its performance.
What is polymer sand material
This type of paving slabs is made without the use of cement. Sand in this case is mixed with the polymer. Unlike other types of tiles, such cladding is made with strict adherence to standards regulated by the state. Therefore, the quality of this material is usually very good.
The advantages of polymer sand lining (compared with the types of concrete paving slabs discussed above) include ease of installation, low weight and frost resistance. Also a distinctive feature of this material is that it does not absorb water at all. Washing the courtyard finished with such tiles is allowed using any household chemicals.
Since polymer sand does not weigh too much, it can be used not only for decorating courtyards and garden paths. Such cladding is often used for cladding building socles, pillars of fences and even the roof of houses.
Paving slabs: types and names by design
The facing material used to decorate the courtyards can vary, of course, not only by the manufacturing method. Among other things, there are several varieties of paving slabs in shape. The following types of material can be used for facing the countryside:
paving stones - tiles imitating masonry old or modern;
spool - a material tapering to the middle, similar in shape to a skein of thread;
clover - has rounded “petals” at the edges;
checkers - tiles with a relief of protruding parts and recesses;
four - material divided into four equal or unequal parts;
well - imitates masonry with radial divergence;
turtle - square tile with a shell pattern;
figure eight is also a square material, consisting of 8 rectangular bricks;
Florida - a tile with a pattern of relief lines.
In addition, there are also the following types of paving slabs:
The material of the first variety is made in one color. But at the same time, different tiles have a slightly different shade. Being laid in the yard, this material imitates the old lining. Paving stones have a slightly ribbed surface.
Quite a spectacular appearance is what distinguishes all these types of paving slabs. In the photos presented in the article, you can see that the courtyards lined with the use of such material really look neat and attractive. But in order for the territory of a suburban area to look beautiful and solid, it is necessary to select the tiles according to the design correctly.
When buying such material, it is worth considering the style of landscape design of the territory, as well as the exterior of the house. For the building of classical forms and design, for example, paving tiles or checkers are best. The courtyard of a house built in the Provence style can be decorated with a coil material, creating a delicate “lattice” on the surface. For Art Nouveau, for example, clover or florida are good.
Varieties by size
Thus, we found out what designs and names of types of paving slabs exist. In the photo you can see that the design of such material often varies significantly. At the same time, a facing tile can have not only a different design, but also uneven sizes.
GOST defines the thickness of a tile as follows:
for pavers - 6 cm;
eights - 5 cm;
square - 7 cm;
coils - 8 cm.
California tile, Florida, well, clover, checkers, fours and turtles should have, according to standards, a thickness of 3 cm.
Thus, a different thickness is what (among other things) different types of paving slabs differ. And the dimensions of this facing material, of course, are also determined by its specific type. So, for example, a tile of California, checkers, florida, a well and a four has a length and width of 300 mm. For a square, this figure is 500 x 500 mm, for a figure of eight - 400 x 400 mm.
The standard reel has dimensions of 200 x 168 mm, and clover - 295 x 295 mm. The width of the pavers can be equal to 120 or 140 mm, and the length is from 70 to 140 mm.
Of course, the standard tile enterprises engaged in the manufacture of such a facing material are sold most often. However, if desired, tiles of arbitrary sizes can be used to decorate the courtyard of a country house. Hand-made vibrocast material, for example, can have a variety of dimensions.
In any case, it is believed that the smaller the cladding is, the longer it can last in the yard. The life of a small tile is usually much longer than that of a dimensional one. Indeed, in this case, the load on the material is distributed much more evenly over the area of the finished territory.
What other types of tiles are
Such a facing material is made, as we found out, mainly from cement or polymers. But sometimes the courtyards of private houses get off with special varieties of paving slabs made, for example:
from plastic;
a tree;
rubber.
All these types of paving slabs also in most cases have an attractive design and are relatively inexpensive. But a wooden, rubber or plastic material will last, of course, in the future, most likely, less concrete or polymer. What to absorb? This is decided only by the owners of the site where it is planned to lay the tiles.