Paving slabs in the country: varieties of forms and materials

The paving slabs at the dacha are a peculiar indicator of taste at the owner of a site. It would seem that such an unsightly detail is a tiled path. Meanwhile, these paths look elegant, delicately playing around the landscape and the design of the area.

Most of us, when pronouncing the phrase “paving slabs”, have an image of tracks in parks and city squares. The tile has long been a favorite place for itself there. Wear-resistant, is not afraid of either frost or excess moisture, puddles do not linger on it, and apparently it is attractive, fits into any landscape.

This paved surface will last for several decades. (from 15 to 20 years). It is easy to install and repair. Simply wonderful material to lay out both an unpretentious path for walking, and a spacious paved area.

Today there is a huge selection of the most diverse paving slabs. One way or another, they will all cope perfectly with their task - to be a reliable cover for the road. Only when packing products one aspect should be taken into account - the load on this coating. Will it pass motor transport or will it be made only evening promenades.

In the first case, you will need a tile thicker 4-6 cm, and besides, you will need to further strengthen the base.

The paving slabs possesses one unpleasant feature. When mounting it is necessary to have a stock of material. On average, approximately 5% of the total planned volume. If there is an excess, it may be needed in the future for a piece of repair.

Varieties of paving slabs, there is a huge mass. It may differ in design, be a certain shape, have a different size and thickness, and, of course, be different in the method of manufacture and the materials spent on its production.

If we take into account the materials from which the tile is made, then it can be:

• concrete;
• from a natural stone, its cuts;
• with rubber crumb;

• clinker made of special clay;
• polymer or plastic;
• as well as luminous (with integrated LEDs).

In turn, concrete products can differ in their characteristics, as they are made in two different ways: by casting or vibropressing.

For example, as close as possible to nature, you can use eco-style tiles. It is intended for laying of a covering where greens will grow further. Grass will make its way through the holes in the tile.

In terms of the choice of textures, colors, shapes and design, pavement tiles have in their arsenal a wide range of models. It can take the simplest and most typical forms for a plate (square, rectangle), or it can be a hexagonal, round, scaly, and other original silhouette. In addition, paving slabs can imitate various textures of natural stone, wood.

Versions of popular paving slabs on design:

• Cobblestone - not quite the paving slabs, rather, its “progenitress”, but very popular material for laying the tracks. Differs exclusively rectangular shape, large thickness of products (the tile is much thinner), characteristic colors.
• Classic - most often square, simple, without pictures, with a lot of color options.

• 12 bricks, 8 bricks - they contain a drawing consisting of two or three rectangles arranged horizontally and vertically.
• Brick - the name fully corresponds to the form.
• Gzhelka is a double-tile model with a repetition of patterned lozenges of various sizes. As a rule, they are combined with each other with the help of contrasting colors.

• Scales - original products, which consist of small scales. There are many color variations of a similar tile.
• Grid - a square with the corresponding imitation. A distinctive feature is the large cells.
• Cobweb - a large plate, on which is located a round pattern, imitation of a web.

• A cloud is a square plate with a fantasy pattern that looks like cracked ice or earth.
• Parquet - a square with an imitation of several strips, something like a candy toffee.
• Honeycomb - hexagonal tiles.
• Wave - elements in shape resemble a wave, a broken curve.

• Fleece - tile similar to interconnected two scales, the semicircular parts of which are directed in different directions.
• Clover - carved rhombus; to understand its basis, it is worth looking at the “Clover relief” tile.
• Clover relief - squares with corners cut under a circle and, accordingly, circles themselves.

• Flower (daisy) - square, contains an ornament that imitates a flower.
• Kaso, Gothic and other similar options - they are decorated with an ornament that has been used since ancient times by the Greeks, the Romans.
• Maple leaf - the name itself conveys the shape and design of the products; they look like maple leaves.

• Coil - shaped like a Tesla coil or from under the thread.
• The shell is a triangular rounded tile with arc-cut edges.
• L-shaped - reminiscent of the Latin letter L.

• Modern - rectangular tiles of various sizes and colors.
• Under the tree - “Hemp”, “Boards”, “Pieceboard” perfectly imitate wood cuts, although they are tiles. May be square, round, or rectangular.
• Border, gutter - a special small tile to its intended purpose.

And this is not all types of common paving slabs. Here are the most popular.

As can be seen from the broadest designer diversity, pavement is different. For each product - its size, thickness, width and length. The thinnest paving slab may be 20 mm thick, the thickest - 80 mm. Similar parameters for pavers will be from 40 to 120 mm.

If the walkways will only be walking, then a tile of average thickness of 3 cm will do, if the transport will enter the floor, then its height will be at least 5 cm, in some cases it will be necessary to lay paving stones.

In addition to thickness, important parameters are the length and width of products. A large tile breaks easily; it can be “adjusted” to the bends of the walkway. But it also cracks, due to its size, as well. It should be noted that there are no standards for tile sizes. Each manufacturer has its own developed models with specific parameters.

Average sizes range from 200 to 500 mm in length, from 100 to 500 mm in width; sizes depend on the shape and design. Moreover, some manufacturers can offer the same tile in several versions, from the smallest to the largest.

The color range of paving slabs is very diverse. But when choosing products you need to be especially attentive to color. If there is too much dye in the concrete mix, then such details can be fragile and short-lived.

Natural colors prevail in the design of paving slabs, similar to the shades of stones - cobblestone, granite, basalt, marble and others. But if you wish, you can also find colored tiles — yellow, red, white-boiled, green.Fortunately, today the pavement market is replete with a wide variety of color solutions.

Yes, and the black paving slabs itself looks very attractive.

Designed by design, but if the tile was initially poor quality and from poor raw materials, it will not last long and will please its owner only after installation. And it is possible that even in the process of installation, a good “half” of parts will be unsuitable for carrying out such work.

The most common products for paving are made of concrete.

They may differ in manufacturing technology: to be vibropressed or vibrocast:

• Vibrating casting - the form is filled with concrete solution, installed on a constantly vibrating base. Then the workpiece is removed, dried and painted.
• Vibropressing - the concrete mix is ​​placed in a form, which, in turn, is installed in special equipment, where the workpiece is affected by vibration and pressure.

As a rule, tiles made by casting are ready on the 2nd day. For their manufacture does not require powerful professional equipment. In appearance, such products are smooth, with a shiny surface, can be of the most bizarre form. In terms of performance, good quality vibro-molded product is only slightly inferior to the vibropressed counterparts.

Vibropressed tiles are manufactured on factory equipment within a few days. On the type of products are rough, with a variety of color options and patterns. By their characteristics, they are better vibrocast products. In addition, there is an additional warranty from manufacturers. As a rule, vibropressed slabs are made in factories.

In addition, the concrete tile can be in addition strengthened by a grid from metal rods. The reinforced paving slabs contain metal elements. A distinctive feature of such products are its impressive dimensions (about 500 mm in length and width). Such concrete products can be of the most diverse colors and designs, they are usually used for those areaswhere there will be a small movement of passenger vehicles. For sites where trucks will call in, it is recommended to use paving stones.

The paving slabs from a natural stone represents a saw cut of a stone or several stones. The main thing is that one side of the stone hemp was smooth. These limestone are made of granite, basalt or marble. Stone tile is very durable, environmentally friendly. However, it has a fairly high price, due to which many turn to the choice of another coating.

The paving slabs with a rubber crumb or rubber is made of automobile tires. It is presented in a wide color spectrum. Its main advantage is good shock-absorbing properties. Quite often, rubber tiles can be seen on children's and sports fields, stairs and walkways where anti-slip coating is necessary.

The clinker paving slabs are made of special clay. It is burned at a very high temperature. It differs in natural shades. It has good anti-slip properties and fire resistance. However, the price of such products is not at all budget.

Polymer-sand tile consists of sand and special polymers that have been baked in a special way. Also, this kind of tile is also called plastic, because their parts, in fact, are made of plastic.

When choosing paving tiles to the country should be guided by the following considerations:

• Estimated load on the paving area: for small footpaths, on which only occasional walks will be made, narrow tiles are suitable. If a car drives on the road, then you should take a closer look at the most reinforced thick options.
• For what purposes the path is built: perhaps there is a need for an anti-slip effect, for example, in front of a porch or when making an exit to the street. Then we need elements with a ribbed pattern, rough or rubber. The latter will be appropriate in the construction of the site under the children's or sports area.

• Taste preferences. Product design is diverse, for every taste and color.On the market today, you can choose calm, classic versions of a square or rectangular shape, or complex shaped elements with an unusual pattern. In addition, even the most ordinary tile can be favorably beaten with an unusual styling - a herringbone, a wicker, a chess, a combination of various colors, and a display pattern.
• Financial opportunities - there are both expensive, exclusive options, and more budget.

In order to determine a good concrete tile, you can make the following test. Lightly knock two items together. In a good quality tile, the sound must be ringing, and otherwise low-quality mixtures were used in its manufacturing process. A good product should not contain any defects, blotches, stains. The color should be uniform both on top and bottom of the product.

Reputable manufacturers and retailers can provide certificates for their products.

The model range, versions and the choice of paving slabs today is simply huge.Production of this kind of products can even be carried out independently at their dacha. What then to say about the giant plants? Vybor-S, Gothic, Kamenny Vek, Braer produce several million square meters of tiles per year.

The production of clinker tiles stands apart. Here the leaders of production are western companies, especially from Germany. Brands such as CRH, Mhur, Wienerberger, Feldhaus Klinker and others are firmly entrenched in the clinker tile market. However, domestic manufacturers, such as, for example, Terex, have found their niche in this segment.

In small areas, designers recommend erecting flowery paths of smooth shapes. But large areas can be "lined" with clear straight lines.

The main purpose of the paths in the garden is to connect different objects together, and the path should be entered into the landscape in the courtyard of a private house. In addition, the "object" on the site can be selected using paving slabs. Coverage can be around the house, gazebos, playground, flower beds.

The country aesthetics dictates the choice in favor of environmental friendliness and naturalness.Young green grass, making its way through the concrete, will always look fresh and relevant. Natural materials (stone, wood) and their imitations will also organically fit into the dacha space.

On how to properly lay paving slabs, you will learn from the following video.