Neatness, nobility, elegance add beautiful pavement paths to the site. They carry not only practical functions. Footpaths add aesthetics to home ownership. Combining all the buildings, they form a single ensemble. In addition, the paths zonate the plot, separating the outbuildings, vegetable garden, flower garden, recreation area. Their competent organization allows you to correct some inaccuracies and shortcomings in the area.
Track design
Initially, you should carefully consider the layout of the paths. Make a drawing and plan where the paving path will lead. In the case of a small site, designers recommend organizing them "nowhere."
If the area is quite impressive and allows you to plant flowers, fruit trees, shrubs - the paths need to be planned in those places where households will most often walk. They can lead to a bench, a source of water, beds, raspberries.
It is very important that your paths do not have visible dead ends and do not abut the fence. Thinking over design, try to connect all paths among themselves. In addition, do not forget that they should not stand out from the general color scheme.
Determined with the material
A modern paving path can be made from a wide variety of components. Therefore, the next step in creating the path is to select the appropriate material. To choose the most suitable, you should study the advantages and disadvantages of the most common options.
The most popular materials used for the manufacture of tracks are:
- Brick. It is a strong, reliable material. However, one should not forget that ordinary brick or facing bricks are not suitable for the track. Since the first crumbles under the influence of weather conditions, and the second becomes slippery after snow or rain. A special brick is intended for paths. The use of such material allows you to create various patterns, drawings on the tracks. To realize your plan, the brick can be laid flat, rib. A significant drawback of the material is its high price.
- Blocks or paving clinker. Such material is made of clay or concrete mixture. Sidewalk clinker is made in different colors, various forms. You can choose material with zigzag edges with which the tiles are connected. It is durable and reliable, characterized by high quality indicators. However, it is also expensive.
- Concrete. This is a fairly cheap road material. A big plus is its strength and durability. Such a coating does not require special care. To make the track more attractive, you can add dye to the solution, or apply interesting patterns, patterns, lines to the finished surface. If we talk about the shortcomings, it should be noted that an assistant will be needed to lay the concrete path, since one person will not be able to cope.
- Gravel. Simple enough and at the same time very beautiful are the tracks paved with this material. Gravel is cheap, very easy to stack and does not require knowledge of complex technologies. With such obvious advantages, it has significant disadvantages: constant leveling, regular bedding, frequent weeding from grass and weeds.
- Tile coating, natural and artificial stone, paving stones. These are reliable, practical and aesthetic materials. They allow you to create not only a well-groomed and neat path, but also embody quite original architectural drawings. The path from paving slabs, due to the many shapes and colors, can become a real design masterpiece.
DIY path
Many owners prefer to lay garden stitches on their own. After all, the built paving path with your own hands can significantly reduce the cost of services of construction companies and landscape designers. In addition, valuable experience is gained in construction. And, of course, the owner of the house takes great pleasure in the opportunity to realize all his design ideas.
However, before you make a sidewalk, you need to consider a number of important rules:
- Mark up. If the path is intended only for pedestrians, its width should be 0.5-1 m. But if the car will drive along the path, take a section of more than 2 meters.
- Direct directions do not look very aesthetically pleasing. Curved tracks with smooth lines look beautiful and elegant.
- When laying tiles between them, you can plant grass. It looks quite natural and beautiful.
- It is recommended to lay tracks in the autumn days, as the soil settles in winter.
- The edges of the track should be placed under a certain slope. This will allow free flow of water.
- If gravel is used when laying the track, it is necessary to start with the installation of borders.
- Using natural stone, keep in mind that it will become slippery in inclement weather.
Special forms
Making your own garden path is not at all difficult. Especially if a special form for the pavement is used. It is made of polystyrene and can be purchased at any store.
Many varieties of such forms have been developed, which allows you to create the most sophisticated patterns on your tracks.
If you plan to use these blanks, you will need to purchase about 4 of them.
How to make a form yourself
For the manufacture of paving paths, you can pick up any workpiece. Some craftsmen use plastic food containers. However, choose durable containers that do not crunch. They are able to maintain their shape after several fills, so they can come in handy for creating tiles.
It is much easier to make a paving path with your own hands, if the workpiece resembles a rectangle. Do not use containers with intricate shapes. Otherwise, the installation will be much more complicated.
Some owners independently make a mold using any improvised materials for this. For example, from a tree you can create a regular hexagon hollow inside. Such a blank will allow you to create tiles that will ideally adjoin each other.
Preparatory work
Having determined the width and location of the path, outline the site with pegs and a rope. The shape for the sidewalk has, as a rule, uneven edges. But each piece, like a puzzle, perfectly adjoins each other.
So, where to start:
- Dig a trench along the intended bed. Its depth is 8-10 cm. Tamp the ground.
- Pour pebbles or gravel. About 3-4 cm.
- A layer of river sand (5-6 cm) should go on top. Pour it with plenty of water.
- Using forms, be sure to lubricate them with machine oil (or any other). This will make it easy to remove the workpiece.
- For the solution you will need the following ingredients: 1 part cement, 3 parts sand, 4 parts crushed stone. After introducing a special binding mixture, you can add water and mix the solution.
Styling recommendations
Having finished with the preparatory work, we move on to the main stage. Any paving path is made according to the following principle:
- The form is laid out on the site reserved for the path.
- With a trowel, it is filled (to the brim) with a solution, while the formation of air bubbles should be avoided.
- Excesses are removed with a plastic (iron) rail.
- After 30-40 minutes, the solution will โsetโ and the mold can be carefully removed.
- Transfer the workpiece to a new location in the future track and repeat the procedure.
- Half-baked tiles can be decorated with colored tiles, porcelain stoneware, various pebbles or other material.
- Remember that your paving slab is not yet dry. Therefore, protect it from attacks by households and animals.
Original solutions
As you can see, itโs not difficult to make pavement garden paths yourself. Having figured out the technique of execution, connect all your imagination, and then your path will become a real design masterpiece.
You might find the following tips useful:
- The combination of a rough frost-resistant tile with a brick looks harmonious. Such a path can give the garden a Mediterranean luxurious style.
- Unusual and interesting look small blotches of grass between paved slabs.
- Wide paving slabs complemented by gravel look original.
- Adding dye to the solution, you can get a path of various colors. At the same time, a track that has only some elements painted is beneficial.
- A variety of parts can be used during pouring. This will create an unusual surface.
- The original solution will be the addition of tiles with backlight. Such a track looks especially beautiful at night.
Conclusion
Consider before you create sidewalk paths, photos posted in the article. Some ideas may prompt you to create a true masterpiece that will be your pride.