We lay paving stones by our own hands

The laying of pavers has become very popular as a type of construction work.

If compared with the asphalt laying process, the paving stones win by several parameters: no heavy equipment is required, the width and bends of the track are easy to control, it is more durable, different patterns can be laid out, and you can do it yourself.

There are the following ways of laying pavers:

• on a sand cushion;
• for sand and cement mixture;
• for sand-cement mortar.

The first option is the simplest. Most of all it is suitable for a garden: the water will flow through the seams between the tiles and go further into the ground through the sand.

The paving stone can be placed directly on wet sand. This way of laying will not be the most unreliable.

Sand-cement mixture is a more reliable method. The bottom line is that cement and sand are used in a ratio of 1: 5, the mixture is used dry.

Once the tiles are laid, it is topped with water. Thus, it grasps.

The latter method with the use of a solution is the most reliable for laying paving slabs.

When choosing any of these methods, first of all, you need to make a foundation and do it right.

Preparatory work

The first stage is preparing the foundation and marking. It is not necessary to do an ideally flat platform, but all pits, hillocks need to be removed, pebbles and plant roots should also not be left.

After that, the ground is covered with geotextile, if neglected, the weeds can sprout and ruin the look of your paving slab.

If it is a question of laying a path near the house, then it will be better to make a slight slope from it, so that all the water flows smoothly and does not damage the foundation.

You can and do not make a slope, but then you need to think about the system of water flow, for example, through the gutters. It is important to think about the height of the future design.

Tile, mound - all takes up enough space. Therefore, the top layer of the soil must be removed to fit everything.

For marking it is easier and more convenient to drive pegs around the perimeter, where the track is planned, to tighten the thread, thus making the guides.

The diagram is presented below.

Next, do the mound. It will consist of two layers:

1. Pour small gravel about 10 cm high. We carefully compact and level;
2. Sand we pour over the rubble. The layer should be at least 5 cm. Also we ram and align.

If your goal is not to lay out a pedestrian walkway, but a platform, for example, under a car, then the base should be more durable, for this concrete is used.

Technology of laying

The technology of laying pavers with your own hands begins with the installation of a curb. This is done to ensure that the resulting track is flat.

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The tile must be level with it. As a curb, you can use a paving stone larger than the main tile, or use already prepared borders.

All will be fixed on cement mortar, but it is not necessary to fill in the fully prepared path, only as each curb is installed.

To simplify the work on aligning the track, you can use the edging board, and lay a border directly to it.

The bars of the tile should lie close to each other.

To ensure a level, level surface, the laying should be done by tightening the cord in advance, as shown in the photo - the technology of laying pavers by yourself.

After installing the curb, you have to wait about a day for it to dry out.

The laying of the cobblestones with your own hands starts from the curb to avoid the increase of the seams. This is done in the direction of "from yourself", from the edges to the center.

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To put the tile itself you need to use a rubber hammer( kiyanki).You can adjust the size of the stone blocks to a Bulgarian.

After the laying of the stone blocks by hand, the final work is done: the seams between the tiles are filled. For filling, fine sand and a regular broom are used.

Additionally, compact the dry paved track with a vibrating machine( vacuum cleaner) using a rubber lining to avoid scratches. Work from the edges to the center.

If necessary, the process of filling the seams is repeated. In the end, the entire surface must be dampened abundantly.
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The correct finished track should be smooth, smooth, with seams of the same width, tiles should not be unsteady.

Laying of paving slabs on a concrete base

Special attention is paid to paving blocks for concrete. This method is much less common, but it also has a place to be.

The very word "concrete" already says that this base will be durable and reliable.

It is most often used if it is meant that there will be a parking lot on the surface or any heavy equipment will be affected.

Concrete base is a level platform, excluding any movement and shrinkage.

The main issue you will face is the problem of water diversion. If a sand-cement mixture or a sand cushion is used, then water will leak into the soil over time.

If you use concrete, water can not escape into the ground due to a monolithic base, it accumulates. And when winter comes and blows frosts, the water begins to expand and push out the surface.

Thus, the tile can crack or swell. Therefore, making a concrete base, create a rainfall - they provide a slope in a certain direction, usually towards the road.

The order of laying the tiles on a concrete base is as follows:

1. It is necessary to remove the soil and clean it of debris, compact it;
2. We make a pillow made of rubble 10 cm high;
3. Arm the previous rammed layer with a grid;
4. We make the marking with the help of pegs and threads, create a contour wooden board. See the video;
5. Concrete. We make a solution of cement and sand 1: 3, we achieve the consistency of sour cream. Fill with layers of 5-6 cm. The second layer is poured after 1-2 days, when the first will harden. The last layer must be liquid;is leveling;
6. Install the curbs. We lay the tile on the sand-cement mix;
7. Fill the seams.

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Before doing any work on laying paving slabs, you need to choose which kind of pavers you need.

Types of pavers

Consider what kinds of pavers are available.

Concrete

The name speaks for itself: the material of manufacture is concrete with impurities. It is obtained by vibrating casting and pressing.

The tiles obtained by vibration casting have low frost resistance. Pressed pavers have higher performance.

The disadvantage of concrete tiles is the possibility of its abrasion. Undoubted advantage is the price and a wide range of colors.

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Clinker pavers

Clinker paving stones have high operational properties.

The cost of such a tile is higher than concrete, but due to its characteristics it wears less, it is abraded, accordingly, it is calculated for a long-term perspective.

The laying of the clinker pavers is simple in the sense that the tile can be turned over, because it does not have a "front" side. It turns out such a paving stone by firing clay at high temperature.

Due to this in paving tiles, the pores are practically absent, and it becomes moisture resistant, and also resistant to temperature changes.

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Of the positive qualities, you can also note its thickness, which is 2 times less than the concrete, which saves space during storage.

The laying of the clinker pavers does not differ from the technology of laying any paving slabs.

Its dimensions allow you to implement various schemes of laying, the presented color scale allows you to also realize the design ideas in reality.

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Granite

Granite paving stones are distinguished by their durability and durability. Granite is considered an "eternal" stone, capable of withstanding heavy loads.

The lifetime of the track laid out from the granite pavers is much higher than when using clinker tiles.

The granite pavers are laid using conventional technology, if using a concrete base, this surface will last a very long time.

It should be noted that granite pavers are resistant to moisture, do not crack, but can fade after time. It's easy to fix with the help of a Bulgarian.

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Laying patterns of pavers can be different: in a circle, petals, fir-tree, staggered, in overlap( the most common scheme), a combination of all these options.

The design of the paving slab is individual and depends only on your imagination and desire. Examples of schemes are shown in the photo above.

The main points on which you should pay attention before laying the paving slab are:

• to determine the load on the pavement;
• prepare the base;
• prepare the mixture( solution);
• make markup;
• with simple instruments to lay the tile itself;
• to seal seams.

Correctly laid pavers will guarantee a long service life, and the use of various patterns and patterns when stacking will warm the soul and delight the eye.