Plastic garden paths: rules for laying polymer slab modules, work step by step + photos of the best design solutions

Benefits of modular decking

Plastic tiles have the following advantages over traditional concrete walkways:

• low cost, since it is not necessary to mount a capital foundation;
• fast installation;
• if necessary, the plastic coating track can be moved to another location;
• low weight, thanks to which delivery can be carried out independently without hiring a truck;
• reliability – the average allowable service life of a modular coating is 15 years.

Polymer coating as garden paths has only one significant drawback – the appearance. It is really inferior to concrete, ceramic, granite, marble coatings. That is why its experts recommend using it only if the house on the site is also covered with a similar synthetic material – like siding or plastic decorative panels. Otherwise, the combination of a natural stone building in combination with plastic walkways will look simply ridiculous.

Video “Strong DIY garden path”

From this video you will learn how to make a garden path with your own hands.

Varieties

Plastic garden paths are conditionally classified into:

1. Modular cover. In fact, this is a plastic tile that imitates ordinary concrete or ceramic. It is durable, but it loses its primary appearance pretty quickly. But it is very easy to mount, the soil under it is prepared in literally 15-20 minutes – just level it.
2. Lawn grill. Its laying is even easier than a modular coating. It has a perforated structure, so it can be mounted on top of the lawn. But it must be laid on a powerful sand and gravel cushion, since over time it can deform (after all, it has no support as such, the grate is pressed into the ground).
3. Plastic-sand tiles. It is a kind of modified variation of the modular coating. It perfectly retains its original appearance, but at the same time it costs almost 3-4 times more.
4. Decking, aka garden parquet. These are boards based on plastic and wood flour. It visually looks like wood, has a similar texture, but the base is polypropylene. The most expensive of these coatings, but also the most beautiful.

Now almost every day more and more manufacturers are engaged in the production of plastic garden paths. The most popular among them are Zager-Group Gmbh, PlastDor, Lignatek, Darel.

In a separate category can be attributed rubber coating. But for paths, it is not the best way, although sellers in hardware stores say the opposite. Such material requires special bedding based on fine gravel, followed by pouring with an adhesive base. It is impossible to do this at home.

Installation technique

Do-it-yourself installation of plastic flooring is carried out according to the following algorithm:

1. Site preparation. It implies the removal of the top layer of soil with a depth of 5–15 cm (it is worth focusing on the thickness of the most used coating, adding 5–10 cm to it on a sand cushion).
2. Backfilling of a sand cushion. The optimal layer is up to 10 cm. It must be delimited using geotextiles with a density of 100 to 200 g / m².
3. Laying a modular coating.

If we are talking about laying a lawn grate, then a sand and gravel cushion up to 45 cm deep is initially prepared under it, a small layer of soil for the lawn is placed on top, and then the plastic coating itself is laid.

Tile

Tiles are the easiest to work with. It is connected to each other with the help of grooves-locks; after that, it will not be necessary to fill up or overwrite the seams. The connection is sealed, and a drainage groove remains along the perimeter of each module, due to which water does not accumulate on such a coating.

Decking

Consists of two layers. The bottom is a special perforated mesh. It is laid on compacted sand. The tile itself is mounted on top, it is also connected with the help of slots-locks. The seams are not rubbed, not filled with sand – they act as perforations, preventing the formation of puddles on the plastic coating.

Care instructions

Maintaining an attractive appearance of plastic garden paths is costly. In fact, it is only necessary to periodically remove dirt from the modules. The best way to do this is with a pressure washer. Naturally, no household cleaners are used, and greasy stains can be removed with ordinary laundry soap.

Plastic tracks can be painted. This is true, since from ultraviolet their original color fades rather quickly. It is best to use acrylic spray paints for this purpose. Hardware stores now also sell special tonics for painting plastic panels – they are also great for this purpose. It’s just that such paint is found in only 2-3 variations, there is no wide choice of colors.

More careful care is necessary for decking. Manufacturers indicate that such a structure must be disassembled at least once every 3 years to clean the drainage layer. If this is not done, then due to excess moisture, the tile will simply begin to crumble around the edges.

Plastic track from improvised means

You can also make a plastic garden path in the country from improvised materials. In this regard, perfect:

• capron covers;
• plastic bottles;
• plastic cans.

They are mounted by pressing into a dense sand cushion. From above, it is recommended to fill them with either an adhesive, or simply varnish them in a minimum layer. It will turn out beautiful and durable. Naturally, such materials in terms of reliability are significantly inferior to the traditional modular coating, but if you need to get a small narrow track, and the above materials are in abundance, then why not save money in this way?

Garden paths should not be considered as an alternative to traditional ones made of concrete or bulk material. This is a simpler and cheaper variation, but also less durable.

This option should be considered in the case of a very limited budget.