How to choose a universal coating for garden paths?

For many, a dacha is a place where you can relax and unwind. Therefore, everything should be thought out there for a pleasant pastime. The level of comfort with which you will spend your time there will partly depend on how the pedestrian zones on your site will be decorated. It is much more enjoyable to walk along beautifully designed paths than to paddle around unkempt territory. Let's try to figure out how to decorate the garden landscape with the help of paths.

Regardless of what raw materials are made of tiles for paths on the street, it is a universal remedy. The path performs not only an aesthetic function - with it, any garden ensemble acquires a complete look, but also solves the practical side of the issue - it protects the area around the house from dirt and debris. In order for a plot in the country or around the house to have a beautiful view, it is necessary to plan in advance the places where the path will be laid, and also to study the laying technology.

There are many ways of styling:

• Chaotic styling. Paths in private garden plots are often laid out in random order. Almost any tile is suitable for this method, there are no restrictions on size, shape or color.

• Bias. For this method, brick or paving stones are most often used. The peculiarity of this technology is that the joint of each previous row does not coincide with the next one.

• Herringbone, or as it is also called, braid. Outwardly, such a pattern really resembles weaving from several rows. The tiles are laid at right angles to each other.

• Chess. As well as on a chessboard, tiles of two colors are required here. The most common elements are square or rectangular.

• Circle. Brick tiles or paving stones are also suitable for this method. In this case, the elements do not have to be all the same - they can radically differ both in color and in shape.
• Geometry. In this case, a combined tile is also used. Various geometric shapes are laid out from various elements. These can be simple elements such as a rhombus or square, or there can be complex patterns consisting of several fragments.

Not only paths inside the garden are laid out of tiles, but also blind areas around the house itself. Most often they are made from the same tile from which the garden paths are laid.

In addition to the aesthetic role, blind areas also perform a number of important tasks:

• They protect the foundation of the house from the penetration of water in the form of rain or melted snow, from the roots of trees that may grow around the house, as well as from possible digging of animals. Water can also leak through these holes.
• Minimizes the risk of soil displacement, which can lead to damage to the integrity of the building.
• They keep warm and prevent the soil around the house and underneath from freezing in winter. This reduces heating costs.

The choice of materials for the manufacture of tiles is very diverse. The most popular types of raw materials for the manufacture of outdoor paths in the garden:

• A natural stone. As a rule, it is marble or granite. Basalt is used a little less often. The most important advantage of this material is its durability.Such a plate is capable of withstanding constant significant loads. In addition, natural stone will easily fit into any style of outdoor area decoration. The stove looks very impressive with built-in lamps, especially with motion sensors. Agree, it's great to walk along the alley when a marble walkway lights up under your feet. However, this material has a significant drawback - its cost is very high.

• Wood. These can be ordinary boards or round cuts from logs. This material is more affordable and such a track can be done by hand. For all the seeming simplicity of this material, a track made of it can look very presentable if you approach the process creatively: for example, wooden boards can be painted in a bright color or laid in some intricate way. And if you pick up cuts of the same diameter and cover with wood stain and (or) varnish, such a path will delight you for more than one year. However, under the influence of precipitation, the tree quickly collapses and the path will often have to be repaired and updated.

• Paving stones. It is usually made of granite. This material has a longer service life than wood. It is equally good for regions with high humidity and low temperatures, and for hot climates. Paving slabs are unpretentious to use and no special skills are required for their installation. From elements of different colors, you can add various patterns and compositions.

• Plastic. It is made from a complex mixture of polymers, sand, dyes and other elements. Plastic tiles for summer cottages differ in their properties. The lightweight version has a perforated surface, weighs about one and a half kilograms and is about 2 cm thick. Externally, such an element looks like a ventilation grill - it has the same holes.

The second option is more solid and more expensive. In appearance, it somewhat resembles paving stones, and when laying it requires some experience. However, in terms of its operational properties, it is significantly superior to the first type.

• Concrete. According to the manufacturing technology, two types of concrete tiles are distinguished. Vibrocasting is the most affordable option both in terms of price and manufacturing method. You can make it yourself. To do this, it is necessary to pour cement mortar into the finished form and wait until it hardens completely. If desired, you can get different colors and shapes of the tiles.

Vibro-pressed tiles are manufactured at the factory. Having a larger thickness compared to vibrocast tiles, it is more expensive and more durable. Most often, it is used not so much for pedestrian paths as for equipping a parking space for cars. It does not fall into the ground under the influence of gravity. However, there is not as wide a choice of colors and shapes as in the first version.

• Brick. The main difference between this material and the rest is that it must be laid on a cement mortar. Brick is good because you can lay out various intricate patterns from it, combine it with various types of materials. Such a path will give the site a special charm. And in order to preserve the integrity of this structure, on the sides it must be fastened with a curb tape.

At the same time, not every brick is suitable for pedestrian purposes - a special grade of clinker tiles with increased resistance to moisture and temperature extremes is required. It is made from special types of clay and fired at very high temperatures. Clinker tiles can be of different colors, while they practically do not fade in the sun and are not sensitive to abrasion.The bricks for the paths are not glazed so that they do not slip. And to increase durability and protection from dirt, they are covered with special impregnations.

• Gravel. This is nothing more than broken pieces of rock. It is quite often used in the design of park areas. Among the advantages of this type of material can be called an affordable price compared to solid stone slabs, ease of installation and high speed of creating products from it. From gravel, you can fill a path of any width, as well as arrange a slide of plants.

However, walking barefoot on such paths is a dubious pleasure. And maintaining it in its original form is quite problematic - grass and other vegetation will certainly grow through the stones.

• Rubber. Produce rubber tiles from waste old car tires. With a weight much less than a concrete base, it is no less durable and can withstand not only heavy weight, but also severe frosts. The service life of such a tile is about 10 years. There is no need to talk about the moisture resistance of rubber - this property is known to everyone.

Rubber coating for tracks has sound-absorbing and shock-absorbing properties. If you have children, this is the perfect solution for your summer cottage. Rubber tiles do not slip and therefore are not traumatic; if dropped, they soften the impact.

Garden coverings should be made in accordance with the style in which the entire yard is decorated.

• For the classic or, as it is otherwise called, the French landscape regular lines and shapes are characteristic. When paving paths, exclusively natural materials are used: tiles can be stone or wood. The presence of multi-colored elements is allowed, but the shades should be muted, not bright.

• English style tracks take bizarre sinuous forms, but natural ingredients are also used for manufacturing. It can be granite or marble, as well as wood logs laid across, or garden parquet - the options are limited only by the size of the wallet.

• Country style. It is also customary to call it country style. Here you can allow more saturated colors in the design, but the materials can be diversified. In front of the house, you can lay out a platform made of lining or wooden beams, fence it with a small fence made of forged metal, and in order to get a full-fledged alley, you can sprinkle the path with gravel and decorate it with a vine on top. In this design, plastic or rubber tiles are allowed.
• Minimalist style usually used in small areas. Its main idea is simplicity and brevity. This style is characterized by repeated repetition of the same element or pattern in different places. The paths most often take on an arched, rounded shape. They are usually laid out around the house in rings or in a spiral.

• Eco style. Natural materials are also welcome here, but as an exception, some imitation of nature is allowed: you can take green plastic tiles and alternate them with elements of wood or grass. As design elements, you can use tree bark, stone and other materials. Eco-style paths are characterized by the absence of borders and blind areas. The color scheme is restrained, muted, the shades are exclusively natural.
• Japanese landscape. This style is characterized by irregular shapes, a combination of various materials with a smooth transition from one semantic zone to another. Asymmetry is evident in everything: no two parts are alike.None of the components is repeated in color, shape or size.

When arranging a garden, you can use several style directions, but this should be done correctly.

When choosing a road slab, you should be guided by several factors - this is the functional purpose of the track and the style direction.

In the first case, it is necessary to take into account the expected load on the area on which the coating will be located. In busy places where there is constant traffic, it is recommended to lay paving slabs. Particularly durable materials should be selected for access roads. This can be clinker tiles, paving stones or concrete pavements with special strength. In places that are not so popular, in remote suburban corners, you can limit yourself to bulk materials - pebbles or gravel. You can also put plastic tiles with holes through which vegetation will break through.

In the second case, it is necessary to take into account the general style of the site. If the facade of the house is faced with bricks, it would be logical to repeat this material in the road surface. If this is a wooden house with carved frames on the windows, wood cuts or a path made of boards will be appropriate. If you like complex patterns, it is better to choose paving stones of several colors for these purposes.

In order not to get confused in the variety of materials and types, it should be understood that all road surfaces can be conditionally divided into three groups:

These include:

• wood is planks, log cabins, decking, bark, vines and other materials.
• stone - marble, granite, basalt, etc.
• concrete - paving slabs.
• clay-clinker brick
• plastic.

These include:

• All types of bulk materials - gravel, sand, pebbles, sawdust, crushed stone, etc. They are poured in a layer of at least 2 cm. To prevent grass from growing through them, the material is poured onto a pre-laid film. Fill tracks can be of the same color and of the same material, or they can consist of several colors and represent a certain pattern.
• Grass coverings. This type is considered the most difficult to install and maintain. A special variety of lawn grass is used for them, which is resistant to trampling and moisture deficiencies. Such tracks are traditionally made quite wide.

Distinguish here:

• Decorative concrete. Its peculiarity is that such a coating is produced right at the place of its laying. The dye is added directly to the solution, so that the color of the tiles does not wash out or fade. To achieve the special strength of the slab, during its production, special polypropylene fibers, as well as granite chips and quartz are added to the concrete solution. The thickness of the layer can be different depending on the purpose. For pedestrian paths, a five-centimeter layer is sufficient; for a car parking area, at least twice as much is required. To achieve sealing of the coating, at the final stage it is coated with special substances that form a protective film.

• Asphalt. Such tracks are suitable for constant intensive use. Most often they are laid near a workshop, garage or utility block. The color scheme is not very diverse: in addition to the traditionally black color, red and green asphalt are produced.

• Tennis. It is made from clay with the addition of lime and brick chips. For all its softness, this type of coating is quite durable.It retains moisture, reduces the risk of injury in the event of a fall, and does not contain contaminants harmful to humans.
• Lawn grates. They are made from plastic and polyethylene. In appearance, they resemble a honeycomb, hence the name: lattices. They are laid on prepared soil and sown with grass. As a result, the lawn is less trampled and can even be used as a parking lot.

One example of cladding a pedestrian zone in a garden area is the stepping stones style. It is as if you are crossing a puddle or shallow stream and jumping from one stand to another. Translated, this means "stone for the transition." However, this does not mean that other material cannot be used for this performance technique. As elements of performance, you can use not only traditional material such as stone or wooden slabs, but also completely unexpected objects - for example, bottles stacked upside down, plastic lids, etc.

Slabs for step can also be cast from concrete right on your site. The main thing is that there should be an illusion that all objects appear directly from the grass or from the ground. To complete the picture, you can pour the space between the slabs with gravel or expanded clay. You can play in contrast and lay out bright yellow or red slabs against the background of lush green grass. It will look extraordinary.

Garden parquet. Its second name is "decking", which translates as "deck". The decking path can be a continuation of the terrace or barbecue area. You can build something interesting from garden parquet - there are many ways to install it. For example, you can lay slabs with an offset, and between them pour small pebbles painted in some bright color.

Round river pebbles make it possible to realize a huge number of a wide variety of ideas. From it you can lay out not only individual ornaments, but also whole pictures. Or you can pick up stones in the same color scheme and lay out in increasing colors. However, working with this material requires some skills, as well as a huge amount of patience - it is very difficult to process.

In a very unusual and creative way, you can use the remains of old ceramic tiles, which remained, for example, from the dismantling of an old stove in the house. From fragments and whole tiles, differing in color and shape, you can lay out a mosaic, creating an exclusive pattern on your site. Such a path can be laid out directly on the ground, and then a multi-colored rainbow from a tile will mix with young greenery. If you do not want to spend a lot of time on the maintenance of the track, lay the tiles on a previously prepared surface made of special film.

Gravel is not the most original material, but the most budgetary one, and if you have artistic taste and imagination, it can also turn out to be a very interesting coating. Paint the stones with street paint and lay out a family monogram from them on the path, the name of a loved one, or draw a daisy - after all, where should they be, if not in the country? Just do not forget to put curbs, otherwise all your efforts will be washed away by the first good rain.

For information on how to make garden paths, see the next video.