Several budget-friendly ways to lay paving slabs in your summer cottage. Tile path in the country house. Recipes from experts How to properly make garden paths from tiles

Paving slabs for paths in the country are made from a variety of materials. Rubber, wood, stone, concrete - they all have their own pros and cons, different types, manufacturing nuances and installation specifics, which you need to be aware of in order to be able to choose. The more knowledge you have, the easier it is to choose the material that is suitable for your dacha, making the area around the house not just utilitarian, but also beautiful.

You also need to take into account color, shape, size, installation methods, and other nuances with which you can turn design planning into a creative process and searching for beautiful combinations. But the easiest place to start is with materials.

Types of tiles

Before purchasing, it is important to consider all the nuances of a particular type. Let's consider the most current tile options.

Plastic

Plastic is the cheapest material available in any field. It does not require complex processing, the polymers for it are cheap, the resulting performance properties are not too high, but the price compensates for them.

There are different types:

Modular. It looks like a cellular lightweight tile of bright color, which has special fasteners to connect the disparate modules into a single fabric. The material is pure plastic. The cost is very low. It looks cheap, but within two or three years it becomes unusable because it is unstable to temperature changes, easily cracks from frost, and melts from heat. It has a specific advantage - it will not be possible to slip on it if it is not completely covered with ice.

Polymer sand. Looks like solid plastic tiles in bright colors, also with fastenings. The material is plastic mixed with sand in different proportions. The cost is small, but more expensive than modular. It also looks cheap because the plates still look plastic. Not suitable for an old wooden or stone house; it would only be appropriate for a house covered with siding. More resistant to temperature changes and lasts longer. It has a specific disadvantage - it is very easy to slip on it, since the surface remains smooth.

Decking. It is also a terrace board. It looks like wooden parquet and consists of two layers. Below there are modular tiles with fasteners, on top there are several planks with gaps to allow moisture to pass through. The material is plastic mixed with wood shavings in different proportions, most often one to four. It is quite expensive, looks respectable and beautiful, on par with a natural wooden surface. This is the main plus - aesthetics in the absence of the main disadvantages of wood.

Plastic tiles in general have a list of advantages:

But there are also disadvantages:

• Instability to sudden changes in temperature and weather conditions. Plastic fades in the sun, cracks due to ice formed in the cracks, swells in the heat, and can become deformed.
• Instability to aggressive chemicals. Household acid spilled on the coating will cause it to deform.
• Inability to bear heavy weight. It can easily withstand a person, but not a car.
• Fragility. It wears out much faster than rubber and concrete coatings.
• Unaesthetic. In very rare cases, plastic tiles look good unless they are decking.

Advice

Plastic is a good solution if you don’t want to spend a lot of time and effort on installation. You can put it near outbuildings in the depths of the site, forgetting about the problem of paths for several years.

Rubber

To make rubber tiles, recycled materials are used - used car tires. Its price is higher not only than that of plastic, but also than that of cheap clinker or concrete tiles.

The advantages include:

• Safety. Rubber is a soft material that makes it difficult to get injured if you fall on it. If children or elderly people are relaxing at the dacha, rubber paths will be very convenient for them.
• Durability. Rubber wears out slowly and has a service life of ten years.
• Ease of installation and repair. Rubber does not have fastenings, like plastic, but it cannot break, does not require special alignment, and is easily replaced if any element of the finished track fails.

• Resistant to temperature changes and moisture. Rubber does not melt in the sun, does not crack in frost, and is completely insensitive to moisture. Doesn't rot.
• Light weight and resistance to mechanical damage. Rubber cannot be broken, cannot be crushed, and is easy to transport without worrying about being careful. It does not crack and can easily withstand the weight of not only a person, but also a machine.
• Resistant to ultraviolet radiation and chemicals. It will not fade in the sun, nor will it be damaged if gasoline or household acid is spilled on the path.
• Noise insulation. For paths in the country, this factor is not so important, but if you are annoyed by loud sounds, the clicking of heels, the noise of steps, choosing rubber is a good solution, since they are completely muffled.

But no material is perfect, rubber also has disadvantages:

• Lack of ice resistance. In summer you can’t slip on rubber even after rain, but in winter, when ice freezes on top, it’s just as easy to fall on it as on a slippery stone path.
• Flammability. Rubber burns, although it takes time to burn. In the process it emits black, choking smoke.
• Possible dishonesty of the manufacturer. While concrete tiles will simply be brittle and obvious, poorly made rubber may release harmful substances. Therefore, its quality must be checked especially carefully.

Advice

Rubber is a good option to lay near the pool or in a place where children will play. But to make this material aesthetically pleasing enough for a front yard requires considerable effort.

Made from natural stone

Natural stone is made simply - it is simply crushed and leveled to create beautiful shapes. Apply:

• slate;
• quartzite;
• granite;
• shungite

For people who don't mind spending money, there is an option to pave the paths with marble.

The stone has its advantages:

• Durability. Natural stone practically does not wear out - this can be seen on the paving stones of old cities, which were laid many centuries ago. The paths made from it are virtually eternal, the maximum that can happen to them after a couple of decades of rain and snow is that the beautiful, even shape can become somewhat freer, and grass will grow between the slabs.
• Natural beauty. Natural stone is a beautiful material that can only be compared to wood. It is not painted like artificial materials, but the simplicity, naturalness of its colors in itself looks good, especially if you choose them tastefully, so that they match the garden and buildings.
• Insensitive to moisture. Nothing will happen to the stone, even if it lies in the mud or in a puddle for six months.
• Insensitivity to temperature changes, ultraviolet radiation, and ice. The stone does not crack, does not fade, does not melt - nothing can happen to it.
• Reliability. Stone tiles cannot be broken; a person or a car can either walk on it - it will withstand any weight.

But of course there are disadvantages:

• Uniformity of color. Yes, the natural colors of stone are beautiful with their veins, with their different scales, with their variety of shades. But the brightness that artificial material has, the abundance of colors with which you can lay out any design or pattern, is not characteristic of them.
• Heavy weight. Stone is a heavy material. It needs to be loaded onto a vehicle, it needs to be unloaded, it needs to lay out paths for it - all this requires human labor, time, and effort. In addition, not every foundation will support a stone.
• High price. Natural stone is an expensive material, especially some of its varieties, which are usually the most beautiful. Using a different coating may be much cheaper.
• Insensitivity to some biological threats. Moss may grow on the stone, fungus or mold may grow. This in itself will not harm it, but it can change the overall appearance of the track for the worse.
• Difficulties with form. Hard types of stone are difficult to cut into tiles of the same size and shape, so they are often sold in a rather bizarre form, with many angles, and irregular curves. It will take some effort to make a decent path out of this chaos.
• Icing. The stone does not have any protection from ice; even in summer, some varieties can cause you to slip and fall.

Advice

Stone is a universal material. It is better not to place it near water sources, but otherwise it will look good in any area of ​​the site.

Clinker

Paving slabs that came from Holland, invented back in the nineteenth century. It is made of clay with an admixture of coloring substances - first it is formed by pushing it through a hole under great pressure, then it is fired once. The resulting result is highly dense and has a whole list of advantages:

• High durability. Clinker wears out almost as long and reluctantly as natural stone. You can walk on it for decades before the effect is visible.
• Durability. Can last almost as long as natural stone. Neither rain, nor wind, nor the scorching sun can harm it.
• Resistant to temperature changes and frost. No heat, no cold, no ice will affect clinker, just like biological threats.
• Variety of colors, shapes. Clinker is made artificially, so it can be given any color and any shape, from banal plain rectangles to fancy polygons with complex patterns.

The cast variety is considered somewhat more fragile, but there is no big difference between the results of the technological processes.

They have the same advantages:

• Variability. Many colors, many shapes, patterns on the surface - concrete tiles are perhaps the most diverse and can even be made to order.
• Low price. Compared to stone and clinker, concrete begins to look like a cheap solution, although, of course, it costs more than rubber and plastic.
• Sustainability. Does not suffer from temperature changes, is not susceptible to biological threats, does not fade in the sun, does not crack under ice, and wears out for a long time.

There are, of course, disadvantages:

• Relative fragility. Concrete begins to crack and crumble earlier than clinker and natural stone - these are its characteristics. This happens especially quickly if the product was produced in one region and used in another.
• Difficulties in installation. If a mistake was made during the installation process, it will be difficult to correct it and you will have to start from the very beginning.

Advice

Concrete is a universal material that is suitable for any part of the site.

Planning and design

If you can choose a material based on the general idea of ​​the site and tastes, then you won’t be able to do the same with the other characteristics. The design of the tile should match the design of everything else, it should fit into the overall concept.

To make this possible, planning must be approached consistently:

• Draw up a site plan. It needs to be marked with a house, outbuildings, the largest flower beds and beds - everything that has at least some relation to the landscape.
• Make a plan for future paths. Paths should lead from the house to outbuildings and to the gate, and they should go the way the inhabitants of the house walk, and not the way it seems beautiful on the plan. Avoid large obstacles, take into account “little things” such as a branch hanging over the place where the path should pass.
• Assess prospects. Based on the plan, you can figure out what the tiles should be like to make everyone comfortable. If there is a well or a swimming pool on the site, you need to take a rough texture and material that is not afraid of moisture. If the site has weak soil that crumbles easily and does not hold weight well, it is better to forget about natural stone. Also estimate the budget of the enterprise and whether cars will drive along the paths, think about the maximum temperature difference. How much heat and how much cold will the walkway have to endure? How long will they walk on it?

The rate of abrasion depends on how long they walk. From maximum temperatures and differences - the necessary frost resistance. If a car will drive along the paths, the tiles should be thicker. And how expensive it will be depends on the budget.

Having decided what the technical characteristics should be, you can move on to more pleasant and complex matters: design.

You need to take into account:

Advice

According to the standards, pedestrian paths should be no narrower than seventy-five centimeters so that an adult can safely walk along them.

When the plan is ready and the final installation pattern has been selected, you can begin the selection.

Nuances of choosing tiles

First you need to navigate the exact characteristics. Size, shape, frost resistance, wear resistance - you should know all this before going to the store. And already directly in the store, you need to imagine what good tiles should look like, how they differ from low-quality ones, and what documents to ask the seller for.

Characteristics

Each tile has a set of characteristics that need to be taken into account when purchasing. The first of these is size. Exists:

• Small. This is good because you can use it to lay out any pattern or design on a narrow country path, and also because you don’t have to think too much about the base and whether it will hold up. But there is also a big disadvantage - more labor will be required. After all, laying three large tiles in a row is much easier than forming a row of ten small ones.
• Average. A universal option. The drawing will no longer work, but a beautiful complex pattern will do just fine. There is no need to think about the foundation yet; installation difficulties should not arise either. Ten by ten centimeters is an example of a good medium tile.
• Big. The patterns are only the simplest, and you will have to think about the base - if it is not strong and even enough, the tile may sag on one side or crack. But if you have the energy and time to prepare, and you prefer the monochromatic beauty of a geometric order to complex patterns, this is a good choice.

Medium product size - universal option

After the size, you should decide what the shape should be:

• Square. For square tiles, simple patterns are suitable - they can be laid out in a checkerboard pattern or created like a brick pattern. It is best if they are colorful and this will make them look more fun.
• Rectangular. You can also lay it out in a checkerboard pattern, but it won’t be as impressive, but a brick pattern, herringbone pattern, or laying it in waves will look good. You can create a pattern using different colors.
• Wild stone. This is the name given to natural stone tiles, which are made not by shape, but by the way the stone was split. You won’t get any patterns with them, and you’ll have to make an effort to form a path. To make the work easier, you can first do it on paper.
• Complex shapes. Clover, hexagons, circles, stars - they are all patterns in themselves. It is enough to simply arrange them according to the picture.

Very small tiles can be used to make a meaningful design, regardless of the shape - stained glass is made using the same principle.

Also, if you want to do something specific, fancy, invented on your own, for which you don’t have the necessary forms, you can always contact the manufacturer and place an order.

It will cost twice as much as a regular product - or even five, depending on the complexity of the form.

• Then you should select the thickness:
• From two to four centimeters. Used for pedestrian paths. If you are going to lay paths in your dacha solely for the purpose of walking on them, this option is suitable for you.
• From six to eight centimeters. Can withstand very intensively moving people or a passenger car. It's hardly needed at the dacha.

You definitely don’t need thick tiles for your dacha - and that’s good, because the thicker they are, the more expensive they are.

Afterwards you need to select purely technical parameters. The abrasion resistance is indicated on the packaging; the higher it is, the more reliable the track you will get. Frost resistance is indicated next to it - the value shows how many freezing-defrosting cycles the tiles can withstand.

The best options have an indicator of more than two hundred and are worth focusing on.

The last parameter you need to pay attention to is color. It depends on how impressive the resulting path will look.

There are many options:

Having decided for yourself what the material should be according to all its characteristics, you can go to the store and select a specific batch there.

What to look for when purchasing?

The tiles must not only match the design of the site, they must also meet quality standards. Determining whether they are going to deceive you is quite simple. Need to:

• Ask the seller for documentation. Any batch of goods must be accompanied by a certificate of conformity, which will confirm that it is manufactured in accordance with state standards, as well as a test report, which contains all the information about wear resistance, frost resistance, and other qualities of the product. If the seller is fussing and trying to change the subject, there is a high probability that there is something wrong with the product - it is better to go to other people.
• Check a random tile from the batch. Even if the product that is offered to you is bad, the top, visible layer in the packaging will be done well so that you will not guess anything. The request to remove the tile from the middle is normal, especially if you are ready to buy this particular package later.

Beautifully decorated garden paths in the country or at home They are undoubtedly pleasing to the eye and provide a certain functionality. You can choose the material and appropriate technology to create your garden path. Paving slabs in all their variety, wood, also concrete, gravel, plastic and so on in various versions - everything determines your choice. How to make a tile path in a garden, country house or plot?

If you chose paving slabs, then you will undoubtedly be able to lay it yourself following a proven, but expensive and costly laying technology using a gravel bed, cement-sand mortar, curbs and so on, that is, following all the strict rules of builders. However, there is a proven a simple and cheap way to lay paving slabs yourself when creating garden paths in a country house or plot, which allows you to spend a minimum of effort and materials.

And so, you have determined a place for your new garden or personal path, purchased the necessary materials for its construction, prepared all the tools and equipment and chosen a free day for work. You are ready!

List of required tools:

• bayonet shovel;
• shovel;
• level;
• rubber hammer;
• four pegs with twine;
• rake,
• log for compacting earth;
• watering can;
• a brush with stiff bristles on a long handle.

Before you start making the tile path itself, determine its length and width and plan the path directly on the ground.

When planning the width of the path, take into account the dimensions of your paving slabs. Its width should correspond to the total width of the row of tiles. To be neither narrower nor wider. Use pegs and twine to plan the path on the site.

List of required materials:

• paving slabs;
• sand.

Remove foreign objects from the area of ​​your future path and mow the grass; it will be easier for you to continue further work. In this case, we are considering the construction of a straight garden path, so drive stakes into the corners of the path and stretch twine between them, which will serve not only as a border, but also as a level.

2. Preparation of the bed, excavation, compaction

After preparing the area for the future path, you can begin to excavate excess soil. The soil is selected to a depth determined by the thickness of the tile plus 3-5 centimeters of sand cushion

If, for example, your tile is 10 cm thick, then the excavation depth will be 13-15 cm

The result is a path flush with the surrounding surface. To excavate the soil, first vertically pierce the soil with a bayonet shovel along the entire perimeter of your path, then excavate the soil directly from the area of ​​the path itself, controlling the depth of its excavation. After excavating the bulk of the soil, clean the path bed using a shovel. Next, compact the soil in the path bed using a log.

3. Laying sand cushion and tiles

After preparing the bed of the garden path, it is necessary to lay a sand cushion about 3-5 centimeters thick. After you have scattered the sand, level it using a piece of a flat board slightly narrower than the width of the path and pour it well with water, then re-level it. Fill with sand only the area that allows you to lay the tiles, located on the section of the path without sand.

Now start laying paving slabs. You can easily choose the laying pattern yourself; it also depends on the shape and size of the tiles. In this case, a random, chaotic pattern was used.

When laying tiles, use a rubber hammer and a regular liquid level. Don’t try to look for perfection and super-evenness; a slightly uneven path has its own beauty. Continue laying tiles until you have filled the entire bed of the path.

4. Strengthening the edges of the path

If you miscalculate the width of the track a little, it’s not at all scary. You can strengthen the edges of the path using the excess soil you have and suitable sized timber, as in the photo. But this stage is not at all necessary.

5. Filling tile joints with sand

After laying the tiles, it is imperative to fill the existing voids in the seams between the tiles with sand. To do this, pour sand onto the path and use a brush to rub the sand between the seams. Take your time, this work is not hard, but quite long.

After finishing grouting the seams with sand, do not remove all the sand from the tiles; you will still need it, because no matter how hard you try, it is quite difficult to fill the seams completely the first time.

Basically that's it construction of a garden path for a summer house or personal plot from paving slabs finished. Everything is really simple and clear, even for those who will be doing it for the first time.

Important! If you want to be sure of the durability and reliability of your paving stone path, and are not afraid of hard work, read the information in the article. Without a doubt, it will be made to last!

Perhaps such a simple approach to construction may seem too primitive to some, however, time suggests that the path is absolutely viable. And if you don’t drive a car along it, everything will be fine. And for reliability adherents, there is advice and a link to another article just above. But building a path according to the requirements and recommendations of the paving stone manufacturer is really hard work...

6. Construction of a flower garden

If you still have paving slabs, you can make a small but nice flower garden to decorate the area. It is made even easier and faster than the track itself.

You can simply lay tiles on tiles without using cement mortar or tile adhesive, cover it with soil and the flower garden is ready.

If you have the time and desire, you can make a flower garden by fastening the tiles with cement-sand mortar, and you can choose, for example, white cement, then your new flower garden will be beautiful and eternal, but in this case it is recommended to prepare the base with more than 5 cm of sand.

Construction garden or backyard path It is in this way that it is really inexpensive both in terms of time and materials. Such a path can be built without the involvement of specialists and workers. Such a path will serve you for a long time and reliably, especially since something made by yourself is always more pleasing!

Do you know how a woman goes shopping? I went in the evening for kefir and returned with sausage, a cake, a bottle of martini, plus a package of juice as a gift. Maybe along the way you’ll see some jars for bulk products in a nearby store. In principle, she didn’t need them, but she liked the drawing. That’s exactly how I went to the supermarket today to buy essential groceries. Everything was strictly according to the list until I wandered into the sale department. Imagine, I walk in, and there they are... Solar-powered lanterns for the dacha! Since I am an incorrigible summer resident and shopaholic, I simply could not resist such temptation.

And immediately mentally flew to her site. Evening descends on the earth, crickets begin to sing in the jasmine bush, the delicate aroma of night violets becomes entangled with clouds of smoke from the barbecue. As soon as the sun sets, spherical lanterns turn on along the sides of the main alley. Their light is still dim, but when it becomes completely dark, they will illuminate the path well. Okay, stop! A path... This creepy path, trodden between the flower beds, will be proudly called the dacha alley? Well, no, it urgently needs to be planned and improved.

How to choose tiles for a walkway

I jumped out of the grocery store like a bullet and rushed to the construction market. First you need to think about how to arrange the paths on the site. My dacha is not large in area. Landscape designers advise in such cases to abandon straight alleys. After all, straight lines will simply connect the gate with the house, the gazebo with the play area. Boring! To visually enlarge the space, in a small area it is better to make ornate paths with rounded turns. For large estates, rectangular alleys that go around flower beds and lawns of regular geometric shape are ideal. Moreover, they should not cross the central part of green spaces.

How to lay tiles

How to lay out a tile path? There is a whole technology for laying country paths. In principle, nothing complicated, if I wish, I can handle this task myself. First of all, you should make markings on the ground - draw the contours of the future alley. Wooden pegs or stretched rope will do. Then carefully remove the top layer of soil with a shovel. The borders need to be made perfectly even - remember drawing lessons. We remove at least 10 cm of turf, sand will be poured in its place, builders call it a sand cushion. It is carefully compacted and paving slabs for the dacha are laid on top. The only tool that is used is a mallet.

Choice of material - types of tiles

Summer residents have a wide choice of materials from which to make paths on the site. Most Popular:

• a natural stone,
• wood (boards or saw cuts),
• paving stones,
• plastic,
• concrete,
• brick,
• gravel.

Any design specialist will tell you: you need to choose the material from which the tiles for the garden are made, taking into account the overall design style of the site. Is your country house made of brick? Lay out a red brick path to it. Are you implementing eco-design ideas? Use wood cuts against a background of green lawn grass. Do you want to make an alley with patterns? Multi-colored paving stones are best suited for this purpose.

A universal material is stone. It fits perfectly into any style of country landscape. The main requirement here is that at least one edge of the stone be smooth. An alley made of natural stone is durable, this is its most important advantage.

Wooden path

Wood can be used as paving slabs. Densely stacked wood cuts look very beautiful. You can use circles of the same diameter or trees of different thicknesses. Another option is boards of any shape and size. They can be painted, which will give you the opportunity to update your dacha at least every season.

Paving stone path

The best option for a path is paving stones, which can withstand temperature changes, high humidity and heavy loads. Its main advantage is that paving slabs for a summer house will allow you to create beautiful patterns on your path.

But for those who like to save money, paving stones are not suitable. Since this material must be purchased with a good supply. The fact is that if a defect is even slightly noticeable on a separate tile, it can no longer be used. The slightest crack will cause great damage, and this is fraught with problems.

Brick path

If you like “patterned” alleys, you can use brick as a building material. Such tiles for paths in the country are laid on a mortar, unlike all other types. You definitely need to make a border on the sides of the alley, otherwise it will disappear in a couple of years.

By the way, the lanterns I chose, which we talked about at the very beginning (remember?), will fit perfectly with any path. Whatever material I choose - be it street tiles for the dacha or eco-wood - they will favorably emphasize the romantic mood on my site. I bought the lanterns, but I’ll have to wait for a major overhaul of the alleys. My dear readers, which option do you vote for? Maybe you are already realizing your design fantasies in your areas? Share your experience, which is better to buy tiles for a path in the country?

Country paths - 50 photos

In the countryside as a practical, beautiful and inexpensive covering. The sensational discovery of polymers led to the emergence of practical and durable products that successfully replaced expensive analogues made from natural materials. What do manufacturers offer us for our dachas, what are the pros and cons of plastic coverings, and how to install them.

Types of plastic tiles

Manufacturers divide plastic coating for garden paths into three types:

• garden parquet
• lawn grate
• modular coverings

We will try to figure out which one to choose, taking into account their pros and cons.

How to lay plastic tiles

The main advantage of plastic tiles, which thoughtful summer residents have long appreciated, is the ease of installation.

We will discuss how to make a plastic path at the dacha. The general step-by-step installation and installation diagram looks like this:

Preparation

• We mark the length and direction of the path using twine and pegs.
• We calculate the width of the track, which is a multiple of the size of the tiles. That is, if you want to lay two tiles, then the width of the path along its entire length will be equal to the width of two tiles.

• Along the entire length of the future path, we remove the soil to a depth of 10-20 cm. We should get a shallow pit. We carefully inspect the bottom of the pit and remove all roots and plants.
• We lay drainage pipes on the side.
• Lay a layer of sand, moisten it, and compact it thoroughly.

Installation

Each plastic tile for paths is equipped with special locks. On one side of the tile there are its legs, on the other there are brackets. Insert the leg into the bracket until it clicks. We carry out installation in sections.

When all the tiles have been laid out, press them down thoroughly. It is important to ensure the leveling of the coating. To do this, you can use a plumb line. If the path is supposed to have turns, a neat bend can be made using a jigsaw by sawing off excess parts of the tile.

We decorate the path with curbs. The curb should protrude 3-5 cm above the path. If the tiles do not fit tightly to the curb, fill the free spaces with plastic inserts or cement.

Advice! Garden parquet requires a foundation screed of cement and sand. Lay 3 cm of screed, let it harden, and only then lay the tiles.

The easiest way to install a lawn grate is to strengthen the lawn itself. The tiles are laid directly on the ground, covered with fertile soil, watered, allowed to settle, and the voids are filled with substrate with grass seeds.

If you plan to use plastic covering seasonally, then simply level the surface of the ground and lay the tiles on it, pressing them down thoroughly. By winter you can easily dismantle the paths, and lay them out again in the spring.