A beautiful and well -groomed area — the dream of any owner of a cottage or a private house. An important role in landscape design is played by pedestrian paths, which should not only harmoniously fit into the surrounding area, but also be reliable and durable. The correct laying of paving slabs, the video of which complements this article, will help solve both problems.
DIY paving slabs laying: select the material
Today, a large number of paving slabs are presented on the building materials market — it has different shapes, sizes and colors. As for this aspect of choice, it all depends on individual preferences. Another thing is the quality of the tiles — unfortunately, artisanal production is found at every step and the quality of the products they produce leaves much to be desired. Therefore, before buying tiles, you must definitely demand a certificate from the seller and the conclusion about sanitary-hygienic.
The thickness of the tile is quite important. The optimal tile thickness is 31.5×31.5 cm in size, however, in order to save money, an unscrupulous manufacturer reduces the thickness of one and a half to two centimeters, which seriously affects its quality and durability. Tiles of 50×50 cm in size of at least five cm thick, moreover, reinforcement will be an additional plus — in this case, the rods of the reinforcement will be noticeable from the back of the tile. The composition of the cement -sand mixture from which the tile is made should not include clay — yellowish spots “signal” its presence. In addition, it is desirable that in the composition of this mixture there is gravel, which gives tiles additional strength.
A smooth, glazed surface of the tile is not always an indicator of its high quality. Often this effect is achieved by the addition of water, while a bona fide manufacturer reaches it by introducing special additives. Determine how exactly the glazed surface was obtained can be slightly struck by the faces of two tiles against each other — the ringing sound will be evidence of the quality of the tile, the deaf will become a argument against its purchase.
To reliably verify the proper quality of the tile, you need to ask the seller (or buy) one tile and break it — there should not be any voids inside. In the event that the tile is colored, it should be evenly painted over the entire thickness. A product covered with paint only on the surface will quickly “extend” and lose color.
Power tile laying technology: prepare the base
To lay the tiles, the following tools and materials will be needed: stakes and rope for marking the territory, several rubber kiyans of different sizes for tamp tamping, level, watering hose with the diffuser, rake, broom, rule, gravel, cement of the M500 or M400, trumpet or m400. Vibroophytus.
After determining the location of the path or a platform of tile and marking it with pegs and ropes, it is necessary to take the excavation of the soil to a thickness of at least 15 cm — this is done so that the laid tile is at the same level with the surrounding area. After that, the soil is aligned with a rake.
Important! In order to subsequently exclude stagnation of water, the base is made with a slope towards the lawn or well (mandatory from the house), the magnitude of which is one centimeter per line meter.
After that, a layer of gravel 5-7 cm thick is poured at the base (based on the thickness of the tiles, taking into account its laying, flush with the surrounding area), which is carefully compacted. Further, a layer of about 5 cm thick is poured with sand, which is spilled with water to standing puddles and the next day (or after 2-3 hours in sunny weather) and is also compacted with a tamping (vibration plate).
You can proceed to install the border. For him, a small trench is strictly dug along the marking line (its width should coincide with the width of the border) into which a little sand falls asleep. The sand is tamped manually, after which the curb itself is planted on a cement solution. Using the level, the unified height of all its links is regulated, in addition, you need to monitor that they fit tightly to each other.
After that, the base under the tile is covered with a layer of sand with a thickness of 30-40 mm, which is also spilled with water to standing puddles. Sand tamping is done after drying it. Next, it is necessary to make a mixture of sand and cement in proportions 6: 1 or 8: 1, which is poured into a prepared base in an even layer and settled using the rule.
How to lay paving slabs?
Put the tiles diagonally in the direction of “from yourself”, while the first row of tiles is put in the upper part of the base. The distance between each of the tiles should be the same — it can be adjusted using ordinary crosses for ceramic tiles. If the height of two neighboring tiles is a little different, then under the “failed” you need to put the sand, tamp it with a trowel, and tile the tile itself with a clay. In those places where you need to get around any bends, you will need to cut the tiles — you can do this with a grinder with a stone disk.
After laying all the tiles, the seams are sprinkled with a cement-sand mixture, whose excesses swing with a broom or broom. In order for the solution to “grab” it must be shed by water from the hose. If necessary, this procedure is repeated.
In order to preserve the tile in perfect condition for many years, you should avoid any chemicals, and when cleaning snow in the winter, do not use metal shovels or scrapers.