How to lay a sidewalk tile so that it lasts a long time?

In inclement weather it is much more pleasant to move around the site along cobbled paths. That's why many owners of villas try to make comfortable and beautiful paths, using for this purpose handy materials. For the first time, rubble, sand or chopped bark will do. But after a few years the gardener begins to wonder where to buy cheaper and how to lay the paving slab.

Why is this happening? The answer is simple. In the first few years, any site owner is busy building a house and planting fruit trees. The basic means go to the building material, so waste is used for the tracks. But after completing the basic work, I want to refine my site, and beautiful paths become a top priority.

If you want for several decades to use the convenient and beautiful covering of garden alleys, then choose a brick or a special tile. It is a durable coating that withstands high loads and retains a good appearance for a long time. But before laying the paving slab it is necessary to carry out preparatory work.

We will begin with the development of the site plan. Tracks should harmoniously fit into the overall design and be easy to navigate through them. Do not make them too tortuous. This will lead to the desire to reduce the distance along the lawn. After a while you will see trampled paths that will spoil the whole appearance. Straight paths also do not look very harmonious and give the site a strict look.

Before laying the paving slab you will need to accurately calculate and buy all the necessary building materials. Draw on the plan of the site the location of the tracks. Measure their length and width. This will determine the number of tiles required. To the result, add ten percent. They will go to waste and stock to repair the tracks. Now calculate the amount of sand, gravel, geotextile and curb stone required.

After finishing the calculations, go shopping. Do not save on the cost of the material. It is better to think how to lay the paving slab with your own hands without involving a team of workers. Carefully having studied the instruction and adhering to the exact sequence of the works, you can quite cope with this.

Now let's look at how to lay the paving slab properly. Let's start with the layout of the site. Note the location and direction of future tracks using pegs and twine. Remove the soil to a depth of 30-35 centimeters and ground the bottom. After this, lay geotextiles, covering the entire surface of the prepared area and side walls. Pour a 15 centimeter layer of gravel or gravel on top and spill it with water from a watering can.

On each side we install a curb stone. After the completion of all construction work, it should rise above the covering of the track by 5-10 centimeters. Cover the rubble with a 15 centimeter layer of sand. Every five centimeters of sandy cover is spilled with water from a watering can and a ram. Before laying the paving slab on the prepared pillow, pour a small layer of cement-sand mixture.

We begin to spread out the chosen pattern, adjusting each element as closely as possible to the rest. It should be remembered that you can conduct construction work on an area of no more than 1.5 square meters. This will allow you to lay out the tiles more qualitatively. At the end of all the work we pour water and cover the finished pattern with a layer of sand. We pass along the path rammer several times in different directions. Formed voids between the tiles fill with sand. We remove the surplus with the help of a broom.

Do not forget that the path can not be used for 2-3 days, and the driveway 5-8 days. During this time, the cement slurry will harden completely and fix the tile.