Concrete tracks in the country with their own hands

Together with the development and construction of the house, do not forget about such important details as the territory itself, which must be removed and put in order. Most often, people prefer to install gazebos, make flower beds, and plant the rest of the territory with a lawn. But so that you feel comfortable moving around the territory of your site, you should think about the tracks. The best and practical material for this purpose is concrete, which will be able to withstand more than one year, regardless of temperature and humidity, but only subject to compliance with the technology. It is quite easy to equip concrete walkways in the country, for this you need to buy all the material, as well as get acquainted with the tips from the experts, which will be discussed in this article.

Advantages

If you have not yet decided whether such paths are necessary on the territory of your site, then you should familiarize yourself with their main advantages:

• the durability and strength of concrete will allow the tracks to remain in their original condition for many years;
• the process of creating such tracks is quite simple, so everyone will cope with it;
• available material;
• resistance to adverse weather conditions.

The concrete path can easily withstand almost any mechanical stress, so children can run along them all the time. Optionally, you can use special forms that will give a more aesthetic look to the territory of the villa. There is no need to involve specialists in the work process, as it is very simple and does not require special knowledge.

Varieties of technologies

Since the concrete garden path implies the use of a grout, each has a unique opportunity to give it any shape. For example, in the simplest form, use the technology of the foundation. So, on the planned route a trench is dug in, a formwork is developed and the prepared cement mortar is poured.

Special forms are also used, thanks to which you can get a relief surface with a clear pattern. Enough to buy or rent a few forms. Do not forget that the cement can be painted in several colors, using special pigments.

When choosing a technology for pouring concrete, you should not go too deep into the ground, 15-20 cm is enough. The track should rise 5 cm above the ground level. This will allow rainwater not to linger on the surface and flow.

Features

The original garden path is made of concrete

When arranged it is necessary to use a bedding or drainage layer, due to this moisture will not flow to the concrete path, as a result of its operational life will increase. The surface should not be flat, but have a small slope. Also in the center you can make a bulge that will allow rainwater to flow and not linger on the surface.

It is worthwhile to study in advance the condition of groundwater, which will be indicated to you by puddles, which do not dry out for a long time after rain. That is why the track height should be slightly above the ground level. In order for water to flow in the right direction, it is worthwhile to equip a drainage system from a perforated pipe.

Along the concrete paths, you can install additional lighting or plant the plants. You can use large stones in the form of decoration.

Planning the space for the tracks

Since the garden paths do not belong to large-scale construction, for their organization you do not need to receive any permitting documents. So, the width can be from 50 to 80 cm. They can be placed in absolutely any place, but it is worthwhile to think in advance about the convenience of moving around the site.

In order to accurately plan the location of the tracks throughout the site, you should first examine it. This will place them correctly. If there are intersections, then there is no need to make sites on them. The width of all parts of the track should be the same. Do not forget that first all the routes must be put on the territory plan, and then transferred to the site itself.

It is believed that the best route is already trampled down places that the owners have done and use by themselves.

Preliminary work

If you do not know how to make garden paths out of concrete, then pay attention to the following tips and recommendations. After the route is selected, preparatory work is carried out. At the first stage, the top layer of the soil is removed by at least 20 cm in the planned direction, since a special layer will be placed on the bottom, and wooden formwork will be installed on the sides.

Flatness of lines and smoothness of structures will depend on the correctness of formwork formation. Experts recommend using a board or plywood for this.If borders will be installed along the edges, then it can be fixed directly during the pouring of concrete, but in this case it is important to observe evenness, which will require a building level.

Each layer must be thoroughly rammed so that after the first rain the structure does not collapse and the water does not penetrate the concrete layer. It is also necessary to remove air bubbles from the solution, which may form during mixing, and after drying in the voids, mold will quickly form, from which destruction will begin.

Materials for formwork should be chosen durable, as the cement mortar is very heavy. For interlayer used gravel or crushed stone, in rare cases, sand.

Performing the basic work

When the base of the walkway is fully prepared, you can proceed to the direct pouring of concrete. It can be kneaded independently or ordered from a construction company if it is a large volume. It is important to withstand all proportions: 1 part of cement is 3 parts of gravel and sand. Making the batch is best with the help of a concrete mixer, since manually this process will be too laborious and difficult.

It is recommended to pour the concrete solution in one step, only in this case you can get a uniform and smooth surface. If, however, the procedure is carried out in several stages, then it is worth aligning the layer each time so that it lays down very smoothly. After completion of the work, the track surface must be watered with water for several days, and also covered with polyethylene. It may take a week to dry completely.

To get the most durable construction, you should use additional materials (reinforcing metal). So, before you pour the concrete solution at the bottom of the formwork stack various pieces of reinforcement or mesh.

Colored garden path

Because of the gray color, many people prefer paving slabs, which can be not only different shapes, but also colors. In fact, it is necessary to carefully study different technologies and techniques, since recently professionals have easily painted concrete. For this purpose, special coloring pigments are used, which are added directly during the mixing of the solution in the concrete mixer.

If you want to get a multi-colored path, then you can enter a different amount of pigment in each batch, or use other colors. This method is perfect for pouring concrete into special molds. If the technology was observed incorrectly, then a stratified solution with flakes can be obtained as a result, which is not suitable for laying garden paths. Also a good option for coloring is a multi-colored stone crumb, which is used instead of rubble.

When choosing this technology, it is necessary to carefully calculate the amount of the coloring matter, moreover, after drying, the color may change. It is important to initially make a test batch.

To create a pattern on the surface of a concrete one should use various methods. Until the cement is frozen, a relief is created. Some artistic natures for decoration use the leaves of trees, thanks to which an original ornament is created. It is so easy to create concrete tracks at the dacha. If you have experience in this direction, then share it, leaving comments after this article.

Video

Thanks to this video footage, you will be able to visually familiarize yourself with one of the popular technologies for making concrete tracks: