There must be paths on the personal territory to move comfortably from building to building, between flowerbeds, beds and flower beds. The easiest way to create them is using concrete. In this design, they will be combined with any landscape design.

Advantages and disadvantages of concrete walkways

• The positive sides of concrete walkways in the garden:
• convenient movement between buildings;
• durability and strength;
• low cost of the final product due to cheap materials;
• availability;
• ease of use for the realization of any idea.

• But there are also disadvantages:
• lack of functionality in the case of incorrect calculations (you have to walk on the grass);
• the distorted appearance of the landscape when making a mistake in design;
• the need for careful care;
• construction of a solid foundation to avoid deformation;
• the laborious process of mixing concrete in the absence of a concrete mixer.

Which cement is better for the tracks

With the right selection of material, the concrete track will last for many years. Builders with experience recommend choosing cement no lower than M500. It must be combined with sand in a ratio of 1: 3. The final consistency should resemble sour cream in density.

Important! When building a track, it is not recommended to add a lot of water, since the more it is, the lower the final quality of concrete.

How to correctly calculate the weight of building materials

Cement, sand and water are all you need to create tracks. But before their construction, it is important to correctly calculate the weight of the final product, so that the soil can withstand it. If the ground is heavy, then the concrete layer should be 60 mm. For sandy unstable soil, about 100 mm is needed.When the width and length of the canvas reaches 2 m, and the thickness is 2 cm, then under it it is necessary to line 30 cm of a special layer. To find out the required amount of sand, you need to multiply the parameters of the track by the weight of the building material (take from the directory). The weight of cement is also determined. To find out the volume of concrete, you need to divide the specific gravity into five (this will be part of the cement, the rest is sand).

Preparatory work

Garden trails should be above grass level so that water does not collect on them. Be sure to design the tracks so that in the central part there is a slight elevation. The path is made step by step. First, the soil is prepared, and borders are marked on it with pegs driven in at regular intervals.

Important! If you do not remove all the roots, then moisture will begin to collect under the concrete, which in winter will cause cracks.

They are connected by ropes. Then the upper turf is removed with a layer of 6 cm. This allows you to get rid of the roots of plants that impede the normal process of laying the track. After that, you can already install the formwork and begin to form a pillow. The preparatory phase is completed by fixing the reinforcement.

Track design

Before you begin to create a track on the ground, you must draw on paper. You need to sketch the entire territory of the cottage plot on a scale to understand where the trails will be placed. Straight lines define the axes of future products. It is advisable to plan them so that they are rounded and also have different widths, depending on the distance on the ground.It is also necessary to take into account the topography of the territory, because it is much easier to lay concrete on a flat surface than on a hilly surface, where it is necessary to fill in depressions or reduce mounds. Be sure to plan the location of the drainage holes, which will collect rain and melt water.

Marking and soil preparation

After leveling and marking the site, you need to create a pillow. If the soil is prone to movement, it is necessary to remove its upper layer and fill the trench with textile material. Pour sand on top and carefully compact it. For reliability, add a layer of crushed stone. Then pour soil.

Did you know? The first concrete structures date back to 1950 BC. e., but they were found in Egypt.

Necessary materials and tools

Creating concrete paths in the garden, you need to arm yourself:

• construction mixer;
• a shovel;
• pegs for marking;
• level;
• a bucket;
• a wheelbarrow;
• capacity for solution.

You also need to prepare:

• formwork boards;
• film;
• gravel;
• sand;
• cement;
• gloves.

Step-by-step construction instructions

To make a track correctly, follow the instructions below.

Formwork installation

Formwork is assembled from boards. In the lower part they are connected by pegs, and in the upper - by jumpers. Such fastening eliminates the distortion of the structure. To prevent the formation of cracks and chips, expansion joints are used. The role of them is metal plastic, which concrete products are divided into parts, sections.

Be sure to divide the partition wall to make it easier to pull out of the solution. To prevent the concrete solution from absorbing excess water, polyethylene is laid to the bottom. Its presence will increase the frost resistance of the structure and its operational characteristics.

Pillow shaping

The pillow's task is to evenly distribute the load and play the role of drainage. It represents sand mixed with crushed stone, carefully compacted. Such material does not retain water, so the soil will not freeze and will not expand. But it must be borne in mind that the sand is fine-grained and is easily washed out by water, seeping with it into the soil. Therefore, when laying it on crushed stone, it should be expected that in a few years there will be no trace of it.

Because of this, it is necessary to lay waterproofing material (roofing material, geotextiles, agrofibre). The pillow should be well leveled and compacted. If there is not enough sand at hand, then you can replace it with a thin concrete screed or flat stones. Then it is necessary to increase the depth of the trench by the thickness of the material used.

Installation of reinforcing elements

To compensate for the operational load on concrete, resort to the help of reinforcement. It is stacked between layers using special locks.. When using a reinforced structure, the concrete base can be smaller, and without it - 15 cm. The presence of elements does not guarantee that cracks will not go along the concrete, but increases its service life. After laying the reinforcement, you can fill in the concrete solution.

Pouring concrete

The composition of such a solution includes cement and sand, taken 1 to 3. You can mix them yourself or buy ready-made ones. The fill is combined with water and brought to the state of "thick sour cream". To do this, it is best to use a compact concrete mixer, since it is extremely difficult to mix the mortar and turn it into a homogeneous mass. In the process, water-repellents can be added to make the concrete last longer. Before pouring, you need to take into account such a moment: for pedestrian coverage, a layer of a pillow of 5 cm is sufficient, for large loads - at least 7.5 cm.

Concrete the site must be gradually. Pour concrete in portions, level it and pour it again. Press the last layer gently and compact as much as possible until a cement milk appears. When the solution sets slightly, it can be slightly trimmed with a spatula. If you planned to decorate the track - it's time to do it. In order for concrete to solidify, rather than dry out, it must be covered with a film or periodically sprayed with water. After 2-3 days, you can disassemble the formwork, and after a couple of days you can operate the track. To give the resulting product shine, it is polished or impregnated with special solutions.

Dressing

Frozen concrete looks inconspicuous. To refresh it, resort to the help of decor. You can do this in any way convenient for you.

Painting

One of the easiest ways to refresh a track is to paint. To do this, wait for the completion of the cementing process of the solution and use acrylic dyes to turn the surface into a work of art. Volumetric coloring can be done so that the color covers not only the surface, but also penetrates inside. In this case, the dye must be added to the solution during its mixing. The color will be more resistant to abrasion.

Did you know? The composition of modern concrete (based on cement) was discovered in 1844.

Using forms and stencils

You can create a concrete walkway that resembles lined pavers. For this, a special plastic mold is used. She allows to make any drawing. Modern stencils make it possible not to interrupt the process of creating pavers. The form is filled with ordinary concrete mortar, after which after 10-15 minutes you can move it to another area. Elapsed time is enough for the material to seize.In this way, at low cost of time, effort and money, you can create a track from elements that mimic expensive tiles or paving stones. Stencils, which are rubber mats with a pattern, are also in demand. They are applied 45 minutes after pouring the solution and the pattern is forced through a cardboard tube.

Stamping

Stamped concrete is a common material with decorated embossing, which is applied using special dies. This option of decorating the paths is also very popular, as it requires minimal costs. You can choose different patterns: for brick, stones, animal skin, animal tracks or their silhouettes, plant motifs. It is applied the next day after concreting the track using a special stamp.

Limestone imitation and mosaic styling

Paving slabs are very popular with many owners of private areas. But not everyone can use a real block stone in the country due to its high cost. It is possible to solve the problem using concrete mortar and a special form. The final product will be slightly inferior in quality to the original, but it will cope well with the role of the footpath.Several forms need to be used, since the solution poured into them should completely seize. It takes at least 2-3 days. The stencil must be lubricated with oil for better separation from concrete, and each tile should be reinforced. Those who do not like boring and standard solutions can make a mosaic track.

You can create it from improvised materials:

• old plates;
• small stones or jewelry;
• glass.

You need to take a metal baking dish, preferably round, grease it with petroleum jelly. Prepare a concrete mortar, put in the mold part of the decor, reinforcement. Half fill everything with concrete, lay out the remains of the mosaic and pour out the entire solution. Leave to freeze.

Features of care for concrete tracks

It’s not enough just to concrete the track and enjoy the work done calmly. It is necessary to carefully care for the coating, because no matter what durable material, it will be destroyed under the influence of temperature and moisture. Therefore, in order to maximize its service life, it is necessary to impregnate it with hydrophobic agents annually, timely remove weeds that break through at the junction of coating elements.In winter, snow should be cleaned with a non-metallic shovel, and sprinkled with sand on the path without salt. It is absolutely necessary to equip a drainage chute so that moisture does not accumulate and does not erode the coating. Having decided to make a garden path from concrete on your own, you can significantly save on the final product, while obtaining an unusual and functional element of decor for a summer cottage.