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Nothing emphasizes the owners’ love for the dacha so much as well-groomed trails on the site. Neatly paved stone garden paths not only decorate the landscape, but also bring great practical benefits – it is easier to roll garden tools on a hard surface, and it is also more convenient to walk. There are several methods for arranging paths on your own.
Stone types
Natural stone is considered the best material for landscaping, although it cannot be called cheap. It is easy to resolve the obvious contradiction if we remember that the paths paved with stone in the garden will serve not for years, but for decades, without requiring repair, withstanding serious loads and resisting the harsh domestic climate.
Several types of natural stone are used in construction:
- Slate. It has a layered structure, the material is easily split into flat plates, the thickness of which varies. Plates are small in size, which facilitates the work. Quartzite slate is suitable for paths. You should not purchase material with high porosity, its performance properties are much worse.
- Granite. The most durable and durable among the rest, it will serve for several centuries. The color of the material depends on the quantitative composition of the spar present in it, it can range from dark red to gray. He is not afraid of either the scorching rays of the sun, or snow, or rain.
- Quartzite. It is difficult to process, when changing lighting it is able to change the tone of the color. Beautiful, lasts a long time.
- Shungite. The colors are dull, ranging from gray to black. If you find material interspersed with quartz, you can lay out tracks with certain patterns in white or golden color. Not afraid of frost, withstands very heavy loads. It occurs with a monolithic and layered structure.
- Sandstone. The cheapest, and therefore the most demanded material. Not as strong as granite, but will still serve for many decades. Easy to handle. On sale there are stones of different shades: green, pink, brown, yellow, etc.
When choosing a stone of a particular breed, be sure to pay attention to its type:
- paving stones and sawn stone, matching in shape and dimensions;
- cobblestones, boulders and flagstone – their size and shape can vary widely.
Flagstone is the most convenient for do-it-yourself laying. Its thickness and dimensions can be different, but the surface is always even, while the material is easy to prick into fragments of the desired size. Chipped edges do not need to be processed. Laying is carried out on a sand cushion, compacted gravel or a concreted surface.
Chipped paving stones look rich and aristocratic. It has a strong structure, can be split into blanks of the desired shape. When laying, due to large irregularities, seams of a decent size are formed, which have to be sealed.
The sawn stone passes factory pre-sale processing. The material is evenly cut, the edges are polished. When laying, a monolithic canvas is formed with almost no seams. It is comfortable to walk along such paths even in stilettos.
The cobblestone pavement makes it possible to pave a decorative path framed by lush flowering shrubs, giving the site a wild look. Using multi-colored materials, you can lay out mosaic panels. But due to the oval shape of the cobblestones, the path is replete with unfilled voids, so walking along it (as in the wild) is difficult.
Video “Do-it-yourself stone garden path”
From this video you will learn how to make a stone garden path with your own hands.
wild stone
Natural material has a variety of sizes and shapes. For installation, one of three methods is used:
- in the form of arcs with a segmented or scaly structure;
- in an arbitrary form, i.e., randomly;
- in the form of even rows, which requires practical experience.
The following types of wild stone are used to decorate the paths:
- granite;
- sandstone;
- slate;
- the foot.
Whichever type is chosen, the design of the paths is similar.
granite tiles
The material is more appropriate for city streets, but is often used as a cover for country alleys. Masters have developed several styling methods, the most popular:
- braid;
- herringbone;
- arched;
- chess.
Processed and unprocessed granite is suitable for paths, sawn, chopped and sawn-chopped paving stones are equally in demand.
Sawn is used to obtain a perfectly flat and smooth track. If the tile is sanded and heat-treated, the feet do not slip on it.
Chipped allows you to give the tracks an antique style. The surface will be rough, but durable. This is one of the most budgetary types of paving.
Sawn-split tiles have two chipped edges and two sawn ones. As a result, the surface can be made either smooth, but with uneven joints, or rough, but even.
Pebbles
The material is mined in nature on the sea, river and lake shores. For garden paths, it is recommended to use the river path, which is not so smooth, the feet do not slip.
Paths and alleys are formed by one of two methods:
- Bulk. Advantages: the surface can be paved with tiles or other material in the future, pebbles will serve as an excellent base. Among the shortcomings, one can single out the fact that the material gradually creeps under load, so you have to fill it up. The layer is made at least 7 cm. It can be combined with rubble, but the view of the path deteriorates from this.
- Monolithic. The trail is solid and stable. Using even black and white material, it is possible to lay out complex patterned ornaments.
Artificial rocks
With all the advantages of natural stone, this material is very expensive. If the budget does not allow such expenses, you can stop at a decorative artificial stone. According to its characteristics, it is not inferior to natural: it withstands heat and frost, is moisture resistant, and does not collapse under load. But the appearance has many variations: a stone is produced under raw rock, under granite, and even in the form of wood.
All parts of a tile of the same type have the same size, since they are poured in standard forms. It is easy to work with artificial stone, you do not have to select and combine parts. For paving paths, plates with a thickness of 2 cm or more are suitable.
How to build a path on your own
Before paving, you should sketch out a rough plan of the tracks, how they will pass and connect. Then markup is made, along the way finding out how much material will have to be purchased. Stone can be laid with or without cement mortar.
The height of the path should exceed the ground level by 2–3 cm. You will need a rubber mallet for work.
Base
According to the markings made earlier, they dig a trench, the depth of which is equal to the thickness of the tile plus 10-15 cm on a sand and gravel cushion.
If heavy equipment will move along the path, it is advisable to initially fill it with concrete, correctly guessing the height of the future sidewalk, taking into account the thickness of the tile, and then lay the coating.
If pebbles or small stones are used, it is better to use cement mortar. Fixation will not allow the material to spread, on this basis you can safely lay out the ornament.
sand pillow
Gravel (crushed stone) is poured first, then sand comes. The pillow is poured with water and carefully rammed. To increase the strength, it is recommended to use a vibrating plate.
Stone laying
The material is placed on a sand cushion, tightly hammering with a mallet. The surface should be as flat as possible, so from time to time it is checked by a level by placing the tool on nearby tiles.
Having installed all the elements, the seams and joints are covered with dry sand. Large voids are filled with small pebbles.
Be sure to lay out a border on both sides. This will strengthen the path, save it from sprawling and give a more aesthetic appearance to the entire structure. The border is mounted at the very end.
Paths made of stone give the appearance of the site solidity. The result will please not only you, but also your grandchildren.