Tracks in the country - it's easy. Do-it-yourself garden paths made of natural stone

Particularly popular in bathroom design sea ​​style. And it's entirely predictable. Water procedures, high humidity - all these attributes of the bathroom in themselves set you up for thoughts of relaxation and the warm sea. Moreover, immersion in the marine theme can be enhanced by the appropriate design of the room. An effective design technique is the use of sea or river pebbles for flooring. Even a small section of the floor lined with pebbles will look unusual and add originality to the overall bathroom interior. Let's talk about what a pebble floor can be and how to make it yourself.

Pebbles are small stones found on the coasts of seas and rivers. Under the influence of water, they undergo a natural "cutting" that smoothes the corners. Therefore, the shape of the pebble is always rounded and this allows it to be used in cladding without additional processing. But the benefits don't end there. Here is a list of other advantages of pebbles:

• Moisture resistance, low porosity. This makes it possible to lay out pebbles in rooms with high humidity without fear of damage to the material.
• Wide range of shades. Thanks to this, it is possible to create various options lining. The natural colors of pebbles are white, beige, gray, black, brown, burgundy, blue, green.
• Pebble floor has a massage effect on the feet.
• Pebbles can be combined with others facing materials(tiles, wood, mosaics), creating original compositions.
• Small price.
• Ease of installation.

Pebble flooring can be done in different ways:

• From a separate pebble. At the same time, stones matching in color and size are selected, glued to the tile adhesive, the seams are rubbed.
• From pebble mosaic tiles. In this version, the pebbles are initially glued onto the squares of the fiberglass mesh. Designers have already selected a combination of stones in size and color. It is enough to stick the tiles on the floor using ordinary tile adhesive.
• In the form of a pebble rug. Pebbles glued to fabric or rubber can be used as a mobile rug to be placed anywhere in the bathroom.
• In the form of an embankment. In large bathrooms, pebbles, as a decoration, are poured into open niches near the walls. If desired, the stones can be fixed with glue or used without fixation.

Consider the most common options for creating a pebble floor with your own hands.

Option 1. Mosaic tile floor

The easiest way to create pebble floors is to use special tiles. It consists of grid squares (most often - 30x30 cm) with glued pebbles. Each tile contains about 60 pebbles. Due to the fact that its base is a transparent mesh, and the arrangement of stones is wavy, the joints between the tiles are almost invisible. As a result of laying such tiles, a continuous mosaic canvas is formed without visible seams. This greatly facilitates the work of a self-taught master who decides to make a pebble floor on his own.

Necessary materials:

• pebbles on a grid (tiles);
• tile adhesive;
• grout;
• primer;
• water repellent, varnish, impregnation for a "wet" effect - optional;
• wide brush or roller;
• notched trowel;
• rubber spatula;
• sponge;
• knife (for cutting the grid of tiles).

The progress of the work is described below.

It is necessary to lay pebble tiles on a previously prepared surface. The horizontalness of the floor is estimated using a level. Small irregularities will subsequently be leveled with a layer of tile adhesive, so they are not paid attention to. Large potholes, cracks, irregularities close up cement screed or self-levelling mortar.

A primer is applied to the leveled surface (with a short pile roller or brush). It will enhance the adhesion of the tile adhesive to the surface. The primer is selected deep-penetrating, with a moisture-proof effect, without solvents.

If the pebble lining is carried out on the floor of the shower cabin, it is necessary to prevent the formation of leaks. To do this, the floor is waterproofed. To date, the most convenient to use are waterproofing mastics, which are applied to the surface with a brush or roller. Another option is to use roll waterproofing. Cloths of material are glued to the floor, leading the edges to the walls by about 5 cm.

Stage 2 - laying out the tiles "dry"

It is desirable, before fixing the tiles on the floor, lay them out “dry”. This will allow faster laying on the adhesive and prevent possible mistakes when docked. If necessary, at this stage, the tiles are cut with a knife. Pre-layout allows you to see and evaluate the final result before the actual laying begins.

Stage 3 - installation of tiles

For laying tiles, tile adhesive is used, it is better to prefer a mixture for porcelain stoneware, natural stone or low-absorbent tiles. The glue is closed with water and mixed well until a thick, creamy mass is formed.

Laying begins with the wall of the room farthest from the entrance. The adhesive is applied with a notched trowel to a floor area of ​​several tiles. The layer of glue should not exceed 1-1.5 cm, otherwise its excess will protrude beyond the edges of the pebbles.

A mesh with pebbles is laid on the glue, leveled and pressed with the help of palms, a piece of plywood or a metal trowel. The next tile is combined with the previous one, connecting the decorative bends of the grid. Thus lay out all the elements. At the end of the installation, bald spots and voids inevitably appear at the junction of the tiles. The defect is covered with separate stones, which are separated from the grid and installed in empty places with glue.

Stage 4 - grouting and impregnating

The glue dries in about 1-2 days. After that, proceed to. To do this, use the usual grout mixture (fugue) for tiles, add color if desired. The mixture is applied by rubbing it into the cracks between the pebbles with a rubber spatula. After 20-30 minutes, when the grout sets, but has not yet hardened, remove all excess from the stones with a damp sponge.

The next day, the pebbles are rubbed again with a sponge to wash off the grout. After that, a water repellent is applied to the pebbles - impregnation to protect the stones from moisture. To give the pebble surface more decorative, you can apply varnish over the water repellent in 1-2 layers. It will make the pebbles shiny and emphasize its natural beauty. Instead of a varnish, a "wet" effect can give the stone a sealant-enhancer (enhancer).

We will tell you more about how to make the floor in the bathroom with your own hands on the website:.

Option #2. Floor of individual pebble stones

In this case, unprepared solid pebbles are used for flooring, which can be bought in bulk in a store or collected on the beach with your own hands. This option, in comparison with the previous one, requires more painstaking work. You will have to combine stones in size, shape and color on your own.

Necessary materials:

• pebbles;
• tile adhesive;
• grout;
• notched trowel;
• sponge;
• tassel.

The progress of the work is described below.

Stage 1 - surface preparation

The surface for facing with pebbles is prepared in the same way as in the previous version. Preparation activities include leveling the floor, priming and, if necessary, waterproofing work.

For mosaics, stones of approximately the same shape and size are selected. Also perform sorting by color to get the desired decorative effect. Since stones collected or bought in bulk are usually not cleaned and processed, it is recommended to put them in order before starting work. Clean off the dirt with a wire brush, wash with soapy water.

Stage 2 - laying pebbles

Tile adhesive 1-1.5 cm thick is applied to a small area of ​​​​the floor. This is done with a notched trowel. Each stone is laid out on glue and recessed by about a third. The denser and more evenly the stones are distributed, the more durable the lining will be.

It will take several days for the pebbles to be firmly fixed on the surface. Then proceed to applying the grout with a rubber spatula. Without waiting for the grout to dry completely, wipe the surface with a wet sponge. At the same time, the surface of the seams is leveled and excess grout is removed. After 1-2 days, the lining can be washed with water, completely cleaning the pebbles from grout residues.

Stage 3 - Applying varnish (impregnation)

A water repellent, varnish or impregnation is applied to clean pebbles with a brush for a “wet” effect. After the coating has dried (6-12 hours on average), the floor can be walked on.

Option #3. Pebble rug

If you stick the pebbles on a suitable moisture-resistant base, you will get a wonderful portable rug - a piece of a pebble beach in your home!

Necessary materials:

• thin flat pebbles;
• rubber mat;
• transparent waterproof adhesive.

Stage 1 - floor preparation and pebble sorting

The stones are washed, dried, sorted by color, shape and size.

As a basis, a ready-made rubber mat is used, round, square, rectangular or any other shape. If necessary, the desired shape of the product can be given independently, using scissors or a knife.

Stage 2 - sticking pebbles

The stones are laid out “dry” on a rubber base. You can create both a plain surface and decorated with inscriptions, ornaments, patterns (using multi-colored pebbles).

Raising each stone separately, glue is applied to its base and glued to a rubber mat.

Stage 3 - applying varnish

The final touch will be applying 1-2 layers of varnish to the pebble rug.

How to care for such a coating?

Care for any pebble surface is the same as for a regular one. ceramic tiles. enough to wash it warm water with the addition of soft detergents. If the surface is not varnished, then as an additional care, you can wax the pebbles 1-2 times a month. This will give the surface a shine and enhance the water-repellent properties.

garden paths add to the site grooming, elegance and nobility. In addition to practical functions, they also have significant aesthetic value. On the one hand, uniting all the buildings, the paths form a common ensemble. On the other hand, they allow you to zone the site, highlighting functional areas: a vegetable garden, a flower garden, outbuildings, a recreation area. With proper organization, garden paths can correct some of the shortcomings and inaccuracies of landscape design.

Paths can be arranged by the most different ways, but the most surprising, perhaps, was the method of laying out pebbles and stones. Stones can be used, both natural and artificial.

When creating a composition, both river and sea stones are suitable. These stones look very impressive, because. very smooth, polished by waves. They can be different color or size, due to which tint paintings are often created. Flat rocks that do not have much smoothness can also be used. The most important thing when choosing a material is to accurately imagine how it will lie.

When planning to build garden paths from pebbles and stones with your own hands, you should definitely take into account several factors:

1. Planned load - it is important to consider for those cases if the track will be crossed (moved) by a car.

2. The walkway should be sloped to avoid rain water collecting on the track.

3. In a small area, the tracks should not be straight - turns and bends will optically add depth and space to the area.

Stones are required to create a pebble garden path various colors and dimensions, screed cement and sand.

During construction, it is necessary to take into account in what climate zone you live, so for countries with a harsh climate, in particular for Russia with its frosty winters, you should not build long monolithic paths, it is more rational to create small sections of tiles and then lay them on the path.

To create small fragments (which can decorate not only the garden path, but also borders, steps, flower beds), we decide on the ornament of the pattern that will decorate our tiles, select stones by color and size. It is not recommended to use pebbles smaller than 5-6 cm in diameter, as they do not hold well in cement and will surely fall off.

Moisten the pebbles with water, this will increase their adhesion to the cement mortar.

To reinforce our mosaic tile, reinforcement will be required, which should be drowned in cement mortar.

To prepare the site for the garden path, we need to make a pillow of sand with a layer of 5 - 6 cm, carefully tamp.

We knead the solution, put it on a small fragment of the track, level it and lay the pebbles in accordance with the intended pattern. In order to prevent the surface of the cement from cracking, it is necessary to moisten it with water and cover it with a film, this will slow down the process of solidification of the solution.

In order for the stones to lie flat, you need to press them down from above. wood stove and tap with a rubber mallet.

When the path is completed, fill in the gaps between the stones with dry concrete mix, moisten with water and cover with a tarp or plastic bag for a few days so that the concrete is saturated and does not dry out. Let it stay that way for one day.

Open the path and make sure the stones are dry. Using a brush, hammer the concrete mixture between the stones so that no more than a third of the stones remain on the surface. The more you add mixture to the stones, the harder the track will wear out. In high traffic areas, fill the joints almost flush with the top of the stones.

Lightly moisten the mixture until it is saturated. (You can add more mixture if it has shrunk too much.) Leave it for 30-60 minutes to completely soak, do not cover or water, let it dry. Using a stiff brush, “tap” on the seams, shaping them.
Cover the mosaic with a plastic tarp to hold the moisture you gave it. Leave it on for 1-2 days. See if it's ready. Complete drying will be in 1-2 weeks.

When finished, wipe the stones with a rag so they are clean from the concrete.

The most popular solution in recent times is molds for garden paths, do-it-yourself allowing you to get a canvas that imitates stone. Most often, these are special plastic molds(although you can make it yourself if you wish), representing several cells that have an arbitrary shape and are connected together. They form a certain pattern, while the shape is designed in such a way that it allows the plates to be joined together in any direction, to obtain tracks of the required width, and also to perform turns (bends), while the joints are completely indistinguishable.

Making garden paths with your own hands using molds has a number of advantages:

1. External appeal - separate (mosaic) blocks look more attractive than a monolith concrete screed. Additionally, concrete can be painted with special dyes, as well as supplemented, for example, with pebbles.

2. Relative cheapness - if we compare the total costs, then a do-it-yourself concrete garden path obtained using a mold will cost less than laying pebbles.

Garden paths look very interesting, in the form of leaves. Let's see how they can be made.

After spending some time and your work, a garden path made of pebbles, natural or artificial stone will be a wonderful decoration for your garden.

Paths made of pebbles are an excellent decoration for the summer cottage and the courtyard of a private house. In addition to a purely practical purpose, stone paths in the garden perform a decorative function. They emphasize the style and originality of the arrangement of a private territory. At all times, sea and river pebbles have made private property interesting and attractive. By their own performance characteristics natural stone is far superior to asphalt, concrete and paving slabs. In addition, if you lay out a pebble path in the country with your own hands, you can save on building materials and pay for hired labor. Pebbles can be bought at a hardware store or assembled independently on the shore of a reservoir, in a quarry or at an abandoned construction site. Consider how to make a stone path and what you need for this.

In order for pebble garden paths to last for decades, it is necessary to take into account all the nuances of construction. The basis of success is right choice building materials. You need to buy and use only the highest quality raw materials in your work. The paths made of river pebbles are distinguished by the greatest reliability and durability. They are vastly superior to their peers artificial stone. The pebble coating has a high resistance to abrasion, maintaining a presentable appearance for a long time. appearance.

In order to build a country path from pebbles, you will need the following tools and fixtures:

• roulette;
• oil level;
• rubber mallet;
• puncher with mixer;
• grinder with a disk on a stone;
• bayonet shovel;
• a hammer;
• rake;
• paint brush.

At large volume works (several sites, hundreds of meters of tracks), it is advisable to buy or rent a concrete mixer.

To make a garden path from natural pebbles, you need to purchase the following materials:

• washed and sifted river sand;
• fine gravel;
• cement M400;
• oblong stones, polymer or concrete posts for the curb;
• a piece of board 1.5 m;
• dye for concrete;
• thick cellophane;
• geotextile.

Before purchasing building materials, it is necessary to complete the scheme of the future path. This will allow you to accurately calculate the need for the necessary property. The optimal width of the path is 80-120 cm. It is advisable to sort the acquired stone into fractions. So it will be much easier and more convenient to carry out its installation.

Stone laying technology

On the suburban area you can lay out monophonic and multi-colored stone paths. They can be decorated in a bright Mediterranean or discreet country style. However, the technology of laying decorative paths of different design is practically the same.

A do-it-yourself pebble path is made in the following sequence:

1. The contours of the path are outlined. It is best to use wooden stakes and a cord for this. Filmed upper layer soil to a depth of 20 cm. Large stones, roots of trees, bushes and grass are removed from the pit. The earth is carefully rammed.
2. Geotextile is laid at the bottom of the pit. The fabric is necessary in order to prevent the germination of grass and prevent the soil from washing out under the stones.
3. A mixture of gravel and sand is poured onto the geotextile. The pillow is leveled and wetted with water. This technique prevents the pillow from absorbing cement milk from concrete.
4. Borders are installed along the edges of the trenches. They are used to fix cement mortar or steel pins driven into the ground.
5. The solution is mixed. The optimal proportion of water, cement and sand is considered to be a ratio of 3:1:3. The solution is poured between the curbs. The fill level must match their height. The solution is leveled using a board and an oil level.
6. Stones are being laid out. Pebbles are sunk to half their thickness so that there are as few gaps between the stones as possible. If it is planned to build a mosaic path, then it is advisable to lay the stones in a pattern next to the trench filled with mortar. After that, you need to lay them symmetrically to the laid out sketch.
7. The laid out stone is leveled. This event is carried out using a flat board and a mallet. The board is laid across the path, and light blows are applied to it. The quality of work is checked by an oil level.

The garden path is covered with polyethylene and left alone for a day so that the cement hardens. After that, a liquid cement mortar is prepared in the ratio of 5 parts of water, 3 parts of sand and 1 part of cement. Dye is added if necessary. The solution is poured onto the track and evenly distributed between the stones so that there are no voids and cracks left. The surplus is collected paint brush and foam. The path is again covered with cellophane and left alone for 15 days. After this period, you can walk on the canvas and roll carts.

Despite the fact that stone paths are quite durable structures, they need to be regularly maintained. Plants are the main enemy of the pebble bed. Their roots can easily destroy the cement slab. Based on this, it is necessary to cut down bushes in a timely manner and pull out large grass on the sides of the path.

Cement can lose its strength and become cracked from prolonged exposure to water. To prevent this, it is necessary to treat the canvas with special impregnations twice a year. This will not only protect it from moisture, but also improve its appearance. In addition, the cement will stop dusting and thinning.

If the pebble falls out of the hole for any reason, it can be glued into place with synthetic glue or liquid nails. The crumbled edges of the hole are covered with cement mortar and treated with a deep penetration primer. The burst stone is glued together with thermal glue, the seam is rubbed and painted over. If necessary, you can paint the stone completely.

River pebbles are great for outdoor projects, their rounded shape gives an unusual and beautiful effect for walking garden paths or yard areas.

You will need:

• flat pebbles of river pebbles (fraction 5-10 cm);
• concrete (sand, cement, water);
• stone chips (not necessary, but looks good in decor);
• wooden or rubber mallet.

On average, it will take three days to make such a track. In the first, you will need to sort and arrange the stones (by size and color). On the second day, the base for the path is filled up and the pebbles are laid out, and on the third, water is added and the grout is made.

We make a path of pebbles with our own hands

Step 1

Wash all the stones, sort the stones into buckets near the future path. Select as many stones of the same color and size as possible.

Step 2

It is better to lay out a mosaic of pebbles first on the sand for a test (sinking the pebbles into the sand a couple of centimeters) in order to understand if you have enough stones, how many pebbles you need for one element, etc. Take a picture of the resulting track element so that you can focus on it when laying it out and not get lost.

Step 3

Clear a place for the path, cut off the top grass layer, if any. From above, cover the path with a tarpaulin, roofing material, or at least a film. From above, make a sand cushion a couple of cm. It is better if the path is slightly higher than the rest of the site.

If the edges of the track are not limited by anything, put the formwork. Bricks can also be used as it.

Pour dry concrete into the formwork and level with a long stick.

Step 4

Wet the concrete mixture with a garden sprayer, it should stop volatile and dry and become crumbly (but not wet!)

Step 5

To make a spiral shell, you will need a homemade compass.

Take two long nails, tie a rope to them. Stick one nail in the middle of the first section of the track, wind the rope and start drawing a shell, gradually unwinding the rope.

Step 6

Now start laying out the pebbles on the future path, starting from the center.

Insert the pebbles firmly, filling the concrete in between. Place the stones tightly, deepening a couple of centimeters.

Step 7

When you finish laying a small area, go over it with a mallet, after laying the board on top so that the pebbles are at the same level. Do not knock too hard, otherwise the mosaic may fall apart.

After that, backfill the gaps between the pebbles with concrete mix, use a brush to spread the mixture evenly everywhere. Pswarm with a spray gun, okay strait mixture so that it seizes. Do not pour water onto the path from the bucket - this can wash out the mixture.

Tuck the mixture in one place to make sure that there is no dry concrete left inside - it should all be saturated with water.

After 30-60 minutes, go over the path with a stiff brush to clean the pebbles well. Run the spray gun again.

Step 8

Cover your pebble mosaic garden path with cling film to keep moisture inside. Spill it with water several times over the course of 2 days. Complete solidification of concrete will occur on the third day.

With this technique, you can create real masterpieces on your garden paths. Here are some examples:

Do not be afraid to make your fantasies come true: working with pebbles is easy and pleasant, you will quickly be carried away by this activity. Of course, for this you need some minimum costs on materials, but nevertheless it is cheaper than buying ready-made tiles and mosaics.

Landscaping quite often contains paving elements that go well with many garden design styles. Alleys lined with pebbles turn out pretty and look very nice. A natural stone, especially polished to a shine, is an ideal material for creating garden and park paths.

The technology of paving with pebbles, in itself, is not complicated, and anyone can do it. It is often used not only to create garden alleys and park paths, but also to decorate walls, borders and parapets, because the use of this material gives an effective and very attractive coating.

The material for paving, as such, can be of marine origin, as well as lake or river origin, the variety of colors and sizes of which provides an incredible a large number of options for decorating suburban areas.
However, one of the important issues on which the possibility of the existence of the path depends is the cost of pebbles. The price of the material, for the most part, depends on the color and origin of the stones. So, sea pebbles, heterogeneous, will cost approximately 4,000 rubles per ton. The price of large sea or river pebbles can be about 250-300 rubles per 25 kilograms.

However, pebble paving is very popular. It is used not only for outdoor, but also for interior decoration. For example, if you finish the floor in the bathroom in this way, then your feet will receive a wonderful foot massage with a pleasant sensation of the seashore.

Pebble paving technology

Laying pebble tracks, it is advisable to start by making a diagram on paper, especially if you want to get a complex pattern. At the same time, colors must be indicated on the diagram. Then, you can start putting the idea into practice.

Pebbles are laid on cement mortar, but here, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of the work, which has its own subtleties.

First of all, you need to prepare the surface. To do this, you need to dig a pit, no more than 35 centimeters deep, and level its bottom. Sand, a layer of 10 centimeters, cover the bottom and tamp it down. Then, a 20 cm layer of fine granite rubble will follow, which should also be compacted. By the way, it is better to buy crushed granite at wholesale prices, in specialized firms. Pour a mixture of sand and cement on the crushed stone, in a ratio of 3: 1. Level the surface.

A path with a complex pattern should be laid out with pebbles over the entire surface by the time of paving, according to the scheme, taking into account all the elements and the distances between them. Also, it is necessary to monitor the size of the stones, not to lose sight of the row and width of the formed seam. For this purpose, you can use pegs between which to pull the twine.

After laying the path of pebbles, you need to pour water over it using a hose with a special nozzle, making sure that a strong stream of water does not fall on the pebbles. In no case, you can not immediately walk along the path. The mixture will begin to gain strength when it settles after watering and is saturated with water. After a while, the kneading procedure cement mixture you need to repeat and fill the gaps between the stones with it. With pebble paving, you can get a surface that looks great, provided that the stones do not protrude too much from the solution, no more than a few millimeters.

Walkway made of concrete and pebbles

One of the options for decorative paving with pebbles is a path made of pebbles and concrete. This styling is quite simple and can be done by hand, but the result will be excellent.

To make such a track, you first need to make a regular concrete track. Everything is as it should be: foundation, formwork, concrete pouring. Until the surface has hardened, pebbles are poured, which must be leveled and compacted a little, while making sure that the stones do not completely sink into the solution. Here, both the thickness of the concrete layer and the size of the stones play an important role.

Can be done, using this technology, and original track, using large boulders for the surface, in combination with small pebbles. Everything is very simple. On the prepared base, you need to lay large stones, laying out a drawing from them, and fill the gaps with small pebbles. If you manage to create a color contrast, then the track will turn out simply, wonderful and original.

Such paths are good, both in rock gardens and rockeries, and among ordinary lawns and flower beds. They can be absolutely any size, but it is best to make them sinuous and not wide.