How to make a track from concrete by yourself

Garden trails are an integral part of modern landscape design. They should be strong, beautiful, fit well into the surrounding area, the overall "picture" of the backyard plot. The tracks in the country with concrete are optimal in all respects, they are relatively easy to make with your own hands, to give an intricate shape, to decorate.

Advantages disadvantages

Like any other pavement, concrete roads have many advantages:

  • strength, reliability, durability - the surface remains for dozens of years;
  • It is easy to give surfaces almost any configuration;
  • reasonable price - cement, sand, water, of which the coating consists, cost very little;
  • ease of installation - easy to create with your own hands, without special skills;
  • high resistance to mechanical damage, wear resistance, even with active use;
  • the material does not lose its qualities, even when exposed to severe weather conditions - rain, wind, frost, heat, snow;
  • the ability to enter the path even in the most difficult terrain, garden design.

But there are also disadvantages:

  • because of the seasonal mobility of the soil, the tracks often crack;
  • the concrete surface is a capital structure, it is difficult to change its location;
  • if done incorrectly, the track will spoil the appearance of the plot.

What to consider when designing

When arranging paths in the country, take into account:

  • depending on the destination, the width of the tracks is recommended to allocate 150-210 cm for the main ones, 80–110 cm for decorative, walking ones, located between the beds - 40–70 cm. The canvas of the latter may be intermittent;
  • the main roads connect the main “points” of the site - the house, the gate, the garage, the bath, the pool, etc., therefore it is desirable to make them straight;
  • it is desirable to equip paths, especially those located near the house, with drainage systems;
  • all paths are made of texture - this will allow you to safely navigate along them even in the rain and ice.

When drafting a project, it is necessary to depict the site plot on a scale, indicate where the house is located, the main outbuildings, the garden, the vegetable garden, the pool, large flower beds, etc. .

When the site has a slope, the process of creating paths is a little more complicated. If the angle of inclination does not exceed 10-20 degrees, the surface is easy to align. With a greater deviation from the roads, it is better to refuse - their presence is traumatic, since on a smooth place (unlike a lawn) it is easy to slip in the rain, ice. In the latter case, the paths are made on several levels, connecting with steps.

Types of concrete tracks

There are three main types of concrete roads:

  • monolithic - continuous, ugly or textured, are installed using formwork;
  • molded - manufactured using molds into which the solution is poured;
  • from concrete tiles - forms, ways of laying are applied various, store or self-made.

When performing installation work should be borne in mind that for the manufacture of a rigid base is necessarily made bedding from coarse sand or gravel. This layer is able to save the structure from deformation, cracking during seasonal swelling of the frozen soil. The more often a track is used, the thicker the drainage is.

To ensure natural drainage, the path is made with a one-sided slope or central bulge. Where puddles form on the site after rain, the road is installed above the ground. Here it is necessary to make a higher bedding, using crushed stone, equip the surface with a drainage system.

How to calculate the amount of concrete

To determine the approximate amount of materials, that is, cement and sand, you need to know what the ground is on the site. When the earth is clayey, heavy, concrete layer is made no more than five to seven cm. If the soil is loose - loamy, sandy, and weight is moved along the paths, the coating thickness is 9-12 cm. six cm

An approximate calculation of a small part of the track, measuring 10 meters in diameter, with a 12 cm thick underlying layer, looks like this:

  • sand - the width of the path is multiplied by the length, thickness. One cubic meter of sand is approximately 2400 kg. Accordingly, with a thickness of 0.1 meters - 240 kg;
  • proportions of cement mortar - it is recommended to take one part of cement, four parts of sand for one part of water. One meter of cubic concrete mixed in the sand weighs 2800 kg, for a layer of 10 cm, that is, 0.1 cubic meters - 280 kg. Cement in this case makes up one fifth of the total composition - 56 kg, the remaining 224 kg is water and sand.

To calculate the amount of cement for paths 6 or 8 cm thick, the resulting weight is multiplied by 0.6 or 0.8.

Ways of decoration

To make the path beautiful, a different decor is used. The surface is smooth or textured, solid or colorful.

There are several options for decorating:

  • stamping;
  • manual dyeing;
  • the use of stencils, forms.

The easiest way is tile imitation. To do this, take a metal rod, with which arbitrary lines are drawn, a width of five to seven mm, imitating tiles. In other embodiments, the use of stamps is acceptable.

If you want to add a landscape of bright colors, the trails are painted in any color scheme. To do this, apply acrylic paint applied to the frozen concrete. Sometimes dyes are added directly to the solution - it allows you to perform bulk painting.

The very original shape of the roads will be the best decoration. If there is enough space in the garden, they make labyrinths of paths, a lot of forks, and steps. Along the tracks are often planted "live curbs, mixborders. Rows of colored glass or plastic bottles, a mound of "glowing" pebbles will easily become the frame of the "pedestrian paths".

Coloring

Concrete is painted with acidic, acrylic compounds, polyurethane varnishes. It is recommended to use special paints that penetrate deep into the surface. In their composition, in addition to Kohler, contains polyvinyl chloride, epoxy resins, latex. A quality coating does not lose color for several years. Paint should be resistant to abrasion, sunburn, cracking, but breathable.

To apply the paint will require:

  • iron brush;
  • putty knife;
  • brush, roller or spray;
  • containers for dye;
  • the dye itself;
  • primer, putty for concrete.

Smooth surface is simply swept, degreased, consisting of individual tiles - cleaned from growing grass. It is permissible to paint after at least a month after pouring concrete, at a temperature above +10 degrees. Further, with a difference of 12-15 hours, layers of paint are applied. It is recommended to paint the textured surface with a brush, even - with a roller, with an airbrush gun - any.

Use of forms, stencils

Stencils, tile cutters are usually made of plastic - the thicker it is, the more durable the product. Silicone options are less common, self-made are made of wood. Forms have a bottom, stencils are deprived. When using these items, lubricant compositions are additionally used to prevent the finished tiles from sticking. If you want to diversify the design of the coating, take elements of different configurations. Many manufacturers produce form stencils with several different cells.

The composition of the tiles is often added to porcelain, multi-colored pebbles, plasticizers, etc. Round stencils are easy to make from cut into 8-12 cm pieces of metal pipe, square, polygonal - from plywood, bars, metal. Sometimes molds are cast from silicone - for this, a suitable sample is taken, placed in a bucket or formwork, pre-lubricated with grease, and the space between them is filled with silicone from a tube.

Specially made tiles faithfully imitate stone, brick, wooden surface. From small tiles spread mosaic.

Stamping

The most interesting way to decorate is stamped concrete. This is a concrete plane, which is embossed using stamps (purchased or self-made).

Drawing usually imitates:

  • tile;
  • leopard skin;
  • brick;
  • circles on the water;
  • rock art;
  • traces of palms, feet;
  • footprints of animals and birds.

Before starting to perform stamps, concrete must acquire sufficient ductility.

Step-by-step instructions on how to make concrete paths

To create beautiful roads on your site you will need to make a project, pick up tools and materials. The base requires careful preparation, alignment. You also need to pre-install the formwork, reinforce the surface, and then begin the process of pouring the road, its decoration.

To create high-quality concrete mortar is recommended to use cement brand M500.

Required materials, tools

The following materials are used to create garden roads:

  • concrete;
  • asphalt;
  • sand;
  • natural stone;
  • paving slabs;
  • brick;
  • gravel;
  • paving stone;
  • "glowing" stones;
  • remnants of building materials - bottle glass, broken ceramic tiles, pieces of brick, etc.

From the tools you will need:

  • shovel;
  • building level;
  • wooden pegs;
  • mixer (construction);
  • wooden pegs (for marking);
  • gloves;
  • buckets (for water, solution);
  • car (for transportation of material);
  • polyethylene;
  • dyes (to make the road colored);
  • boards (for the manufacture of formwork).

To increase the life of the path, geofabric is often used instead of polyethylene film. Reinforced geotextiles reduce the likelihood of coating deformation under high loads, since they evenly distribute the latter.

How to mark the track

After a detailed plan has been drawn up, where the tracks are supposed to be located, the turf is cut with a bayonet spade. According to this marking, they pour a little sand, slag, lime, etc., the sod layer is removed, set aside. Further dig trenches - their depth depends on the type of soil in the area. Works are recommended to be carried out in a dry, warm weather.

Foundation preparation

The coating here consists of approximately 10-15 cm of sand or crushed stone, 7-10 cm of concrete. It is desirable that it protrudes three to four cm above the surface, because the trench depth is 15-20 cm. If there is drainage, you will have to dig deeper - up to 22-35 cm. .

The soil remaining after digging the trench, is used for bedding in the lowland areas of the site, irregularities, pits.

Installation of formwork, curbs and thermal joints

Concreting begins with the creation of formwork from the boards. They are mounted on the edge of the trench with the help of pegs, on top - with lintels laid across. Such formwork does not spread out spontaneously. In order to avoid chipping and cracks in the future, it is divided into expansion joints, sections, using a metal layer. The latter must be pre-lubricated to freely remove from the concrete solution. The distance between the seams should not exceed five to six meters. The bottom of the formwork is covered with a waterproofing layer of polyethylene film - this technique prevents the absorption of water from the soil by the concrete to increase the cold resistance, extending the service life of the coating. To the edges of the road did not collapse, on both sides of the mount curbs made of concrete, bricks, plastic parts, curb tape.

To create the formwork it is allowed to use sheet metal, pieces of slate, plywood.

Reinforcement

Reinforcement helps to compensate for the load on concrete, inevitably arising during the operation of the structure, allows you to make the concrete layer smaller. The armature is placed in the middle of the structure, representing the base fixers. The reinforcement, the brand of cement used, the dimensions of the sections directly affect the durability of the slabs. The smaller the latter, the lower the risk of cracking under mechanical loads, seasonal changes in the soil.

The use of reinforcement laid with one layer does not guarantee that no cracks will appear at all, but the probability of such an outcome is significantly reduced.

Concrete Pouring

The construction of the path begins with mixing the concrete solution - cement is combined with water and sand, adjusted to the consistency of thick sour cream. A large amount of the mixture is created with the help of a concrete mixer, a construction mixer, and a perforator with special nozzles. It is desirable to add a little rubble to the solution, water-repellent compositions - this will increase the strength of the coating.
Next, the formwork is poured - the solution is laid out using a spatula, as if piercing the mixture. To slightly condense the surface, on the reinforcement, formwork, tap, level with a narrow board or a smooth stick. The finished plane is covered with a film so that it does not get wet from the rain, do not dry out in the sun. When it is too hot, the concrete is irrigated with water. Decorating is done in a day - drawings are put, stone, tile is laid, etc. For walking, the path is suitable in three days, the formwork is removed in five.

To make the path shine beautifully, it is decorated with special impregnations and polished.

Care Tips

After a long winter, a long absence of owners in the country, concrete paths often require cleaning, repair, restoration. On the surface, along the edges, cracks, grooves, chips, pits, which do not always add decorativeness to the coating, are formed, because with time the damage will become more, the grass will sprout through them.

Experts advise the following:

  • correct the edges of the canvas - clean the surface, treat with a primer, formwork around the edges, coat the defects with concrete;
  • align the entire plane of the canvas - prime the surface, install the formwork, fill with a semi-liquid solution until a flat surface forms;
  • large potholes are reinforced with metal mesh before pouring;
  • if the road is made of tiles, the broken fragments are replaced with intact ones, a little cement is poured in under the sagging places, having previously removed the parts;
  • when instead of a tile wooden cuts are embedded in concrete that have become unusable, it is easiest to replace them with new ones, pre-saturated with hydrophobic compounds;
  • weeds, even the smallest ones grown near the path, need to be removed in time - their root system gradually destroys the surface;
  • it is important to ensure that the paths are not eroded with water, to clean them from snow in a timely manner;
  • painted tracks are periodically hosed to prevent dust from accumulating.

All paths must be kept clean - so they will last a long time, while maintaining a beautiful appearance.

Conclusion

Properly made country paths for a long time will decorate the yard and garden. It is important to fill them with a special technology to avoid cracking. Master classes on how to create narrow paths step-by-step or a full-fledged sidewalk on the garden plot are easy to find on the Internet, on the sites for arranging the dacha farm.

Watch the video: How to Pour a Small Concrete Slab (March 2024).

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