Decorative design of courtyard spaces and landscape design of garden areas is impossible without the use of pavers. The industry produces several of its varieties with many shapes and colors. The cost of such material depends on various factors and varies over a wide range. Today, even there are a lot of special molds for independent paving tiles. To create harmonious paths and paving areas in the garden, you need to understand what kinds of paving slabs exist.
Paths from paving slabs in the garden.
Types of paving slabs: their advantages and disadvantages
Today, hardly anyone can be caught unawares by the beautiful design of the main entrance to the house or the country garden area with the use of paving slabs of absolutely unimaginable colors and shapes. But very few people know that behind this variety there are only a few of the main types of all known paving stone pavers, classified according to the mode of production:
- Vibrolite.
- Vibropressed.
- Hyperpressed.
- Polymer-sand.
All species have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. They have different cost, and also fit differently. Self-paving tiles of any variety can be put, detailing its specific features.
Tile manufactured by vibrating technology
This is the simplest and cheapest option for the production of this material. It relies on the ability of the concrete to compact when there is a vibration in the layers of the solution. The liquid solution is filled with plastic molds and installed on a special vibrating table that performs vibrating random movements. After that, the blanks are sent to a thermal chamber, where they are dried at a very high temperature. After a certain time, the tile is completely ready for use. The entire process described takes very little time and resources.
The process of manufacturing of paving slabs.
To obtain a different color palette used a variety of dyes, which are mixed into the solution. Thanks to this, today we can choose a tile for the sidewalk of any color or shade. It does not present any difficulty even to launch your mini-garage in the garage, which would produce a similar type of paving slab for own use or for sale. Automate it will not succeed, but it is possible to produce a not very large number of products.
Among the main advantages of vibrating paving tiles can be identified:
- Presence of a particularly glossy front surface.
- Receptivity to the use of a wide variety of dyes.
- Costs for its production are the lowest, therefore it is cheaper than other types.
In this case, paving, produced by vibration method, has significant drawbacks, which limit the scope of its application:
- Very weak strength.
- Poor resistance to low temperatures.
- Service life is too short.
Among other things, it is absolutely impossible to automate the production of this cheap material. Proceeding from the technical characteristics, the vibrating plate can successfully be used in the device of garden paths and, preferably, in southern regions, since significant temperature changes can quickly lead to deterioration. When choosing a vibrating tile in a store, its quality can be checked in a very simple way. If it is made without disturbing the technological process, then when you hit two tiles against each other you will certainly hear a ringing sound. Its absence indicates a lack of quality or a violation of the technological process.
Pressed types of paving slabs
The technology of manufacturing vibropressed tiles is very different from the one considered above. Forms that were previously filled with concrete solution are connected by means of a special mechanism to the piston making vibrating movements. This creates an alternating pressure in the entire working chamber. In the course of these changes, a strong over-consolidation of the mixture takes place. Any heat treatment is no longer needed. This tile is much stronger than the vibrating plate.
Vibropressed paving slabs.
Hyperpressing makes it possible to completely abstain from vibrating pistons. The pressure in the installation is created in a different way and much higher. It very hardens the concrete. It is noteworthy that the use of this method makes it possible to achieve a very high degree of automation of the entire production process.
Pressed pavers have a number of undeniable advantages, among them:
- Low susceptibility to damage caused by mechanical stress.
- A large share of production automation.
- Prolonged and trouble-free operation.
- Weak susceptibility to very low temperatures and their sharp drops.
Vibropressed tiles and certain disadvantages are not lacking, which can not be avoided with this production method:
- Too few standard colors.
- A small number of forms.
Due to its sufficiently large strength and durability, any pressed paving slab can be used for the main entrances to the houses, because it is able to easily withstand the intensive transport of passenger cars while observing the laying technology. Laying their own hands vibropressed sidewalk tile is capable of everyone with basic skills and the availability of the necessary tools.
When choosing vibropressed types of paving slabs in the store, you must pay close attention to the degree of color saturation. Quality products can not have too bright colors. If you have met a very beautiful and bright shade, then most likely it is a fake, and the paint will be washed at the first decent rain. Therefore, you need to carefully choose.
Sandwich paving slab
This is a modern innovative type of paving. From other it differs not only and not only the way of its manufacture, but also the content of the main components used. In the composition of such a tile there is absolutely no cement. At the same time, its basis is simple sand. Various polymers and plasticizers act as binders. To add a variety of colors, different dyes are used.
Sand before production is sieved, thoroughly calcined and mixed with polyethylene. After this, the resulting composition is heated to 250 degrees and the remaining components are covered. The resulting mass is poured into special molds and pressed. The tiles produced in this way do not allow moisture to penetrate into them, which completely excludes the possibility of cracking under the influence of permafrost processes.
Polymer sand tiles - the most durable version of paving.
This kind of tile pavement has a lot of indisputable advantages:
- Wear resistance, coupled with strength in it is an order of magnitude higher than that of other types of tiles.
- Does not abrade even after several seasonal cycles.
- Absolute water resistance, thanks to the use of polymers.
- Not afraid of even severe frosts.
- Chemically absolutely not active.
- Simple and convenient installation.
- A small unit weight of the product.
- Large color palette and a variety of geometric shapes.
- Long service life in all climatic conditions.
In this case, there is one small drawback - linear expansion in very hot weather. For this reason, the laying of tiles is carried out with gaps whose width should be at least 3 mm.
The quality of polymer sand paving tiles is determined by examining its rear surface. If you find yellow spots on it, then it can be said with certainty that the production technology was broken. Instead of quality sand was poured widespread clay. This circumstance greatly reduces the strength of the product for fracture.
How to lay the paving slab on the site
If you decide to create a path, pavement or a platform from any type of paving slab, you need to know the basic elements of this process. There are a lot of ways of laying pavers. It depends on the wealth of your imagination. You can put any picture. It can be a Christmas tree - the laying of each subsequent tile face to the edge of the previous one. Chess stacking order will never go out of fashion either. There are bizarre ways in the form of weaving and circles, snakes and geometric ornaments. Very original can look like a chaotic styling of various shades of tile.
The technology of laying paving slabs is of three main types:
- On the underlying layer of wet sand. With this method it is necessary to build a sand cushion before laying. To do this, remove the sod, the fertile layer of the earth and fill the pit with a 10 centimeter layer of sand, which is then moistened and rammed.
- On a layer of sand-cement mixture. It differs from the first method in that a small fraction of cement is added to the sand. This provides better adhesion of the tiles with the pillow.
- Sand mortar and cement mortar. This method is the most reliable, since it is actually glued to the cement slurry. The solution is prepared according to the standard recipe: 1 share of cement for 3 parts of sand.
If you have decided on the pattern and method of laying the tiles, then you can lay it down using the following simple algorithm:
- The top fertile layer of the soil is removed by 15 cm.
- We form slopes, both along the road and across the future path to create the drainage.
- The marking of the site where construction work will be done is carried out by pegs and any twine.
- Arrange curbs, if necessary.
- We form a pillow 10 cm thick.
- Align its surface to the level.
- We lay paving stones and press it with a rubber mallet.
- We carry out the final grouting of joints.
Scheme of a pave of a garden path from a sidewalk tile.
The garden walkway made of paving slabs with its own hands will please its owners for a long time with impeccable service in absolutely any weather, but only with the right choice of the type of tile and strict adherence to the laying technology.
