How to prepare a base for paving slabs. We level the summer cottage ourselves. Arrangement of a sand cushion for laying paving slabs

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The paths and paving slabs finished with paving slabs look very aesthetically pleasing, but the durability of this beauty depends on adherence to the technology of laying this coating, and especially on the correct preparation of the base. A guarantee of high strength is provided by the technology of laying paving stones on a cement-sand mortar or concrete, but due to the laboriousness of do-it-yourself execution and high costs, this technology is not available to everyone.

You can refuse to use concrete when laying paving slabs if sand is used correctly to prepare the base. This will save both effort and money.

Let's break down the entire scope of work into its component parts, which includes laying paving slabs on the sand:

• Marking tracks and sites.
• Removal of the top layer of soil, followed by compaction of the surface and laying the first layer of geotextile.
• Construction of crushed stone cushions and installation of curbs.
• Laying the second layer of geotextile.
• Cement-sand preparation device.
• Laying paving stones.
• Joint filling.

We will briefly consider the traditional types of work performed when laying paving slabs, paying more attention to the technology of installing paving stones on a sandy base.

Marking tracks and pads

The marking of surfaces to be faced with paving stones is made taking into account the following factors:

• location;
• slope away from buildings;
• surface load (pedestrians, vehicles);
• configuration (conditions for the safe passage of vehicles).

The squares are marked out with their own hands using a construction tape 10 meters long, wooden pegs and twine.

The paving of the paths is carried out with a slope of 3% in the direction opposite to the existing buildings, in order to divert storm and melt water from them.

If the movement of light vehicles is planned along the paths, then the thickness of the paving slabs used should be at least 6 cm. When arranging the passage of vehicles, the width of the paths should provide the pedestrian and the car with the opportunity to safely pass each other. The radius of curvature of uneven sections of driveways should allow the car to make a turn, and the dimensions of the site or parking lot should turn around.

Removing the top layer of soil

From the surfaces planned for tiling, the top layer of soil 25-30 cm thick is removed, this is approximately one bayonet of a shovel. If the areas are significant, this operation is performed using a bulldozer. Then manually level and level the new base. If the soil is sandy or sandy loam, then it needs to be compacted.

Sealing is performed with a tamper made by hand from a piece of log 1 meter long with a transverse handle-crossbar nailed to the end. Better compaction is carried out with a movable vibrating plate with an electric drive, the use of which, in addition, will save time and effort.

Then on the compacted base it is necessary lay down in one layer geotextile with overlap to the sides, in order to isolate the soil from the equipped crushed stone preparation and to prevent the subsidence of the paving slab in the future tiles.

The type of geotextile used in this technology does not matter.

Crushed stone pillow and curb installation

On the compacted base, covered with geotextile, crushed stone of 20-40 mm fraction is poured and leveled, taking into account the planned slope, with a layer of 12-15 cm. -10 mm. To form ovals, the curbs with their own hands are cut in length into 4 parts with a grinder with a dry cutter and smooth mates are laid out from the quarters.

The upper mark of the curb should not be more than 5 cm higher than the curb. After the installation of the curbs, the joints between them are filled with cement-sand mortar and rubbed over. A day later, with a rake, a fine gravel cushion is graded with the designation of the slope and taking into account the selected transverse profile of the track (flat or convex), and then compaction with a mobile vibrating plate with an electric drive.

After compaction, sand is poured over the crushed stone, spread over the surface with a layer 3-5 cm thick, and the compaction of the base with a vibrating plate is repeated, filling the voids in the crushed stone with sand.

Laying the second layer of geotextile

On top of the compacted sand-crushed stone cushion, a second layer of geotextile should be laid with an overlap on the curb stone. This technology allows you to isolate a sand cushion from crushed stone, which is to be built on top for laying paving stones.

Arrangement of a sand cushion for laying paving slabs

On top of the second layer of geotextile, a layer of sand 4-5 cm thick is poured, leveled and compacted. Geotextiles will not allow sand to crumble into the lower layer of rubble and thereby cause the paving stones to settle. On this sand preparation, paving slabs begin to be laid.

However, there is a technology that is not much different from a sand preparation device in terms of costs, but guarantees a higher paving result in terms of strength and durability. On the second layer of geotextile, you need to put a thoroughly mixed dry mixture of sand with cement in a ratio of 7: 1 with a layer of 4-5 cm and level it.

Cement in this proportion will slightly increase the cost of laying tiles, but, gradually absorbing moisture due to its hygroscopicity, it will make the pillow monolithic. The procedure for preparing such a dry mixture is incomparable in terms of laboriousness with making concrete with your own hands, on which paving slabs are also placed, but gives a result close to it.

Laying paving stones

After the installation of the sand cushion, they begin to lay the paving stones. The paving slabs are laid in the direction "towards themselves" with a gap between the products of 2-3 mm. A trowel and a rubber mallet are used to lay the paving stones and adjust them in place. Trimming of tiles is also done with your own hands with a grinder with a dry cutter disk, which allows you not only to cut concrete, but also to grind it with its side surface.

When laying paving slabs through each running meter of masonry, the observance of the slope and profile of the cross-section of the coating is checked. Correctly forming the convexity of the track profile allows you to periodically apply a self-made plywood template to the coating.

Arrangement of seams of paving slabs

Having laid the tiles, they begin to process the joints of the paving stones with each other and with the curbs. To do this, using sifted sand, they prepare with their own hands a dry cement-sand mixture in a 1: 1 ratio, which is poured one bucket onto the laid tiles and swept with a hard broom towards the slope, filling the joints and seams of the coating.

When the entire surface has been processed, the paving stones are lightly watered with water from a garden watering can, just to moisten the seams and achieve shrinkage of the dry mixture in them.

After a day, the procedure for filling the seams with a dry solution followed by wetting is repeated. When re-filling, do not put the mixture in the joints flush with the surface of the tracks, the joints must be clearly marked on the surface of the coating. 5-7 days after the arrangement of the joints, the paving pavement is washed with water from a hose using a stiff brush to remove traces of cement mortar.

Conclusion

The use of this technology makes it possible to obtain a strong, durable coating that does not sag from the effects of storm and ground waters, with minimal use of cement and without the expenditure of physical efforts for mixing concrete.

If you want to beautifully equip the paths at the summer cottage, then you will need to learn everything about paving slabs and methods for preparing the base. A particularly important factor becomes directly creating the right cake from sand, gravel before laying the tiles in a dry mortar. By itself, the technology of creating a cake of layers of sand and gravel has proven itself quite well, and all due to its strength, beauty and durability.

Today, there are dozens or even hundreds of types of tiles, which allows everyone to choose one that will fully meet all preferences. At first glance, laying concrete tiles may seem like a rather complicated process. But do not be alarmed, everything is not as difficult as it seems. This work, depending on the volume, can be done in just a few days. And for small areas, everything is done independently.

Tile selection

Before starting work, you should pay special attention to the type of tiles. In total, there are two main categories:

1. Vibrated tiles.
2. Stamped.

For the most part, it is best to give preference to the first option, since it is quite economical in financial terms, and in addition, such material has an attractive appearance.

Also, attention should be paid to the thickness of the material. Depending on where the tracks will be laid out, different material should be used. In particular:

1. When laying paths and garden paths, tiles with a thickness of 2 centimeters are suitable.
2. When exposed to heavy loads, for example, machines, it is worthwhile to provide thicker tiles. It is desirable from 40-45 and up to 60 millimeters. Note that 4 centimeters will be enough for an ordinary car, but with the possible impact of many tons of vehicles, it is worth protecting yourself from damage by more expensive tiles.

The next factor for selection is the drawing to be performed. For the first time, it is worth using a standard tile with bundles. There is no need to take a diamond, brick or paving stone, since the beginner does not have the skill level for such a job. Therefore, you will have to attract specialists.

And the last is the color range, which has hundreds of shades. You can choose something for yourself personally. The only difference is cost.

Before making the right pie for laying paving slabs, depending on the base soils and the purpose of the coating, it is important to determine the technology of work.

Substrate preparation for installation

And gradually we move on to preparing the base for laying the tiles on the mortar. Now, the first thing to do is to investigate the slope of the site you will be laying on. At the same time, we note that it is imperative that the coating must be provided with a slope of at least a few degrees, in order to avoid stagnation of water in the yard.

Required tools and materials

Now let's move on directly to the necessary "weapons" to carry out the work. So, we need:

1. Quite a lot of sand, since it is necessary to make a base from it. Its amount will depend directly on the area of ​​tiling.
2. Of course, the tile itself.
3. Additionally, you will need to equip the curb.
4. Cement for mixing cement mortar.
5. For marking, you need a strong thread, as well as metal or wooden pegs.
6. You will also need a hammer and a rubber hammer.
7. A wheelbarrow for garbage collection and delivery of materials.
8. A rammer for the device of the base.
9. Building level and rule.
10. Buckets, shovel and trowel.
11. For cutting concrete, you need a special or grinder.
12. Also two steel pipes.
13. Broom.
14. And the last ingredient will be knee pads, since you will have to work on your knees.

The use of penoplex when arranging the base of a garden path

Perhaps the best substitute for concrete when arranging a sidewalk path is a foam sheet that makes an additional bridge from freezing of the soil and serves as an outflow of groundwater. This situation can be prevented by using a gravel cake and thermal insulation with extruded polystyrene foam before laying paving slabs. Usually, a lot has been described about arranging a blind area around the house using foam and polystyrene sheets, but this technology is suitable for sidewalk paths and is considered the best option.

The technology of using expanded polystyrene in the arrangement of paths is to draw up the correct cake of layers of dripping.

At the first stage, the soil is leveled with a sand cushion and rammed. Further, the installation of the slabs on the sand is carried out with staggered seams. The thickness of the foam under the sidewalk is usually 5-10 cm, depending on the load and the composition of the soil. Then crushed stone is poured onto the insulation, which serves as a drainage. The next layer is laid by a layer of geotextile (it is possible to replace the geotextile with a fine fraction of crushed stone).

When arranging a walkway, it is important to set the curbstone straight, observing proportional dimensions.

For the immobility of the tiles, it is better to use a dry mixture of sand and cement in a ratio of 1 * 4, this will allow the tiles to be tightly fixed. On this composition, we begin to lay paving slabs, leveling them. Ideally, when carrying out work, use a vibrating plate.

Then rub a dry mixture of sand and cement into the cracks of the surface to increase the waterproofness of the path and fix the tiles.

Tile markings

To create a slope, we take the street level as a basis, this will become the starting point, namely the zero level, which must be guided by. We mark a straight line in relation to which the slope will be made. We drive in pegs along the edges of this line and pull the thread between them. The thread itself must be strictly horizontal, which is checked by the level (it is best to apply it from below).

The next step is to tie a thread to one of the pegs, and pull it perpendicular to the first mark. At the same time, the second end of the thread should also be fixed to the pegs, while in such a way that its level is slightly higher than the first end. Those. the thread will be at a slight incline of a few degrees.

Next, we pull the next one, the tension is carried out parallel to the first thread. It should be strictly horizontal. And the last step is to connect the first and last pegs, thus getting a closed contour in the form of a square or rectangle.

Concrete pouring technology

First, you need to remove the soil a little. The depth of a small pit will be 20-25 centimeters. After its arrangement, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the surface of debris, then fill it with rubble by 10-15 centimeters, and, depending on the required slope, tamp it.

And finally, you can proceed directly to pouring the base, for which a solution of crushed stone, cement and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 3 will be used.

First of all, we build the formwork, the height of which should slightly exceed the concrete layer. In addition, the thickness of the boards must be more than 4 centimeters, otherwise the structure will not hold the concrete pressure.

We lay the reinforcing mesh on the crushed stone and start pouring. Initially, a layer of 5 centimeters is poured, after which an additional mesh is laid and the remaining 10 centimeters are poured.

Three days later, after the mortar has dried, the tiles are laid on the concrete base.

Laying tiles

The base is ready and the tiles can now be tiled onto the concrete. And then we will consider a step-by-step algorithm for carrying out work on this issue. In total, the process itself will be divided into several parts, including:

1. Arrangement of the curb.
2. Backfilling of the site with a cement-sand mixture.
3. Directly laying tiles on a concrete base.
4. Joint filling.
5. And the final stage is preparation for operation.

Let's get down to business and consider each of the stages in more detail.

Arrangement of a curb

The first thing to do is to install curbs to fix the paving slabs and prevent its displacement.

To install a curb, it is necessary to perform a markup, the one that was made for pouring concrete is also quite suitable. In this case, the threads are located at the height of the future curb. At the same time, it is important not to forget about the bias.

A trench is dug along the markings, which in its depth fully corresponds to the part of the curb that will be located underground, plus 3 to 5 centimeters are added for the cement pad. For example, if you plan to make a fence with a height of 15 centimeters, and a material with a height of 25 centimeters is used at the base, then the approximate depth of the trench will be 13-15 cm.

The width should correspond to the dimensions of the stone, taking into account a gap of 1 cm on each side. Accordingly, with a stone width of 8 centimeters, the trench should be 10 cm in size.

Now we knead the cement mortar and spread it with a layer of 3-5 cm on the bottom of the trench, after which the curb itself is laid.

It is important that the stones must be driven into the layer of cement mortar, for which a rubber hammer is used.

After a day, the distance between the walls and the border of the trench is filled with sand. In this case, it is necessary to moisten it and tamp it.

Backfill with cement mixture

The next step is to fill the mixture, for which it is necessary to divide the marked area into separate lines (stripes). Their width should correspond to the length of the selected rule (in particular, 20-30 centimeters narrower than it itself).

Further, from the zero mark we retreat the selected distance, while hammering in the peg. We also do, on the other hand. These pegs must be connected together. The height of the thread must be aligned in accordance with the sides parallel to which it is stretched. Thus, the division of the entire area is carried out.

Now you need to fill up the base. As you know, usually the laying of paving slabs on concrete is carried out using a dry cement-sand mixture. This contains one part of cement and six sand, without adding water.

Backfilling is carried out over the entire site with a layer of 6-7 centimeters. In this case, alignment and tamping becomes an indispensable factor.

And the final stage of preparation of the base is its alignment in accordance with the markings. Thus, in places where the distance from the thread to the harness is too large, it is necessary to add the mixture. In the same areas where the thread is too low, it should be removed a little. Note that the gap should be approximately 1.5-2 times the thickness of the selected tile.

And a particularly important factor is the ramming of the harness in those places where it is poured. For this, a special device is used - a rammer. You can see an example in the photo below.

In some cases, clean sand is used instead of this kind of mixture, but it is less effective, since it fixes the tiles much worse. In contrast to the cement base, which, when absorbing moisture, adheres well enough to both the concrete surface and the tiles. Accordingly, using clean sand makes it much easier to replace broken tiles or repair surfaces.

In the case when it comes to laying in a place where heavy equipment is accumulated, then even the decision to use a ratchet does not help, but in this case, special glue for paving slabs comes to the rescue.

Using this kind of solution allows you to maximize the durability of the tiles, but the pitfall is that this kind of coating cannot be repaired. Thus, even if several tiles are broken, then they will have to be removed with a puncher, respectively, they cannot be re-laid.

Laying garden tiles

In the next step, we will analyze how to lay the tiles on the concrete base. And everything is done quite simply. The tiles are laid on the sub-base and rammed into it with a rubber hammer. Accordingly, it is necessary at the same time to fully control its horizontal position and correct position, which is done using a bypass, a level and a stretched thread.

The technology of laying concrete tiles implies a gradual advancement and laying directly from itself. Thus, you will be moving along the freshly laid surface. In the event that you come across obstacles on the way that cannot be eliminated, go around them with whole tiles.

Preparation of the base for paving slabs is, perhaps, the most important stage in the entire cycle of work on the arrangement of paths and areas near the house. The quality of the future masonry and the durability of the coating largely depend on how correctly the base will be made. In order to avoid serious mistakes, you need to consider this process in more detail.

The most important step in laying paving slabs is the preparation of the base.

Styling options

There are several basic technologies for laying paving slabs. At the same time, the list of preparatory work and the materials used depends on the composition of the mixture on which it is planned to lay the paving slabs.

The following techniques can be distinguished:

• Sand. The tile is fixed on a sand cushion without auxiliary materials and is fenced with borders for greater reliability.
• Sand-cement mixture. Dry cement is added to the sand and placed on a sand-cement pad. After filling with water, the mass sets.
• Solution... The tile is laid on a slurry. In order for the masonry to be even, you need to prepare a concrete base.

Laying options for paving slabs

Despite the difference in approaches, the initial stages practically do not differ from each other in the technology of work.

Surface requirements

In order for the final result to satisfy you, and the sidewalk itself does not deteriorate over time, you must comply with some requirements that are mandatory for laying such material. Most of them relate directly to the quality and degree of preparation of the surface itself.

The following basic requirements can be distinguished:

• Drainage. Diverting accumulated water and preventing its destructive effect on the sidewalk.
• Waterproofing. Prevention of excessive accumulation of moisture thanks to the use of a special substrate.
• The drain. Drainage of water through the arrangement of a slope and special drainage grooves.
• Evenness. The surface must be almost perfectly leveled in order for all elements to fit properly.
• Stability. Lack of movement of individual elements and deformation during soil subsidence.
• Deepening. It is necessary to dig a hole for the arrangement of drainage and deepening of the path itself.

Preparation of the base is an important stage that requires compliance with certain rules.

The question often arises - is it possible to lay new paving slabs on old tiles or asphalt? The answer depends on the condition of the base under the platform. If there is a risk of soil subsidence, you need to radically rebuild the sidewalk, starting from scratch. If the old coating has simply outlived its own, and the base remains in good condition, you can install it on top of it. When doing this, note that the level of the track will rise. This may require additional registration of the adjacent territories.

Gravel pillow

The first thing on which paving slabs are laid in the future is gravel and crushed stone. It is with this that you need to start work on the arrangement of the site. First you need to prepare a sufficient indentation. In most cases, it is enough to remove a layer of soil up to 25 cm.If you plan to create a parking lot or an entrance to the house, due to the significant load, you can increase the depth by another 10 cm.

The soil is removed in such a way that the curbs can be fixed and drainage can be laid out. To prevent subsidence, the soil is thoroughly rammed with water. After it dries, you can fill in gravel. The thickness of the drainage pad should be approximately 2/3 of the total thickness of the sidewalk with the base.

Schematic representation of the base device for paving slabs

Since crushed stone contains particles of different sizes and shapes, the mass must be vibrated to compact the substrate. This will prevent further shrinkage and make the cushion more resistant to stress. Sand is additionally used to fill the voids. It must be spread over the surface and filled with water. Further, the procedure is repeated until an even base is created. Further work should not violate the integrity of the drainage layer.

Hydrostatic and insulation

It is very important to protect the base from water, which can wash out some of the material over time and lead to the destruction of the site. Among the entire list of modern materials for laying paving slabs, geotextiles should be distinguished. This material provides reliable waterproofing. It is also used to equip garden ponds. It does not rot and is highly durable, and it also prevents the germination of plants at the joints between the tiles.

In order for the waterproofing to be performed in accordance with all the rules, and in the structure of the sidewalk after rainfall, moisture does not accumulate, it is important to provide for the presence of a slope for water flow. On average, it is 2 degrees per meter of track. You need to plan such a slope even at the stage of removing the soil layer, but if you forgot about this, the situation can be corrected by laying gravel in a layer of different thicknesses.

To drain water, it is also necessary to additionally provide for the presence of drain grooves, they are mounted together with the tile itself.

In order for moisture not to accumulate under the tiles, it is necessary to provide a waterproofing layer and water outflow

Sand pillow

After the basic work has been completed, you can proceed to the design of the final layer. It consists of clean sifted river sand. In order for the sidewalk to be stable, but at the same time depreciation remains, you need to fill up the sand with a layer of about 7 cm. It is best to orient yourself by the thickness of the tile itself, because it will be partially deepened into it.

Such a thick layer of sand is required for the first two installation techniques. For the second method, you need to additionally fill in about a third of the total layer with a mixture of sand and cement powder. A little more of the mixture must be left for further processing of the seams.

The base for laying on the sand is prepared in several stages. First you need to fill in dry raw materials and tamp it thoroughly. For the best effect, a vibrating machine is used. Additionally, it is recommended to spray the surface with water to compact the material. It is better to repeat this procedure several times until the desired layer thickness is achieved.

Before laying, it is necessary to level the dried sand. To do this, you can use a rule and guides. Only after reaching a perfectly flat surface, observing the specified slope, can you start installing the sidewalk.

To level the sand layer, guides and a rule of the required length are used

Concrete base

Another way of laying is with mortar. In this case, you need to take care of the construction of a reliable concrete base. Since the base will take up some space, you need to go deep into the soil 5-10 cm more than usual.

The initial stage of arranging the site or track essentially completely coincides with the activities already described. However, you do not need to fill in a layer of sand that is too thick. Just a couple of centimeters will be enough to fill the voids in the gravel. The rest of the space will be filled with concrete.

When laying paving slabs on mortar, it is necessary to prepare a solid concrete base

The solution can be prepared using different methods. The most popular method is to combine sand, cement and fine screenings, and add slaked lime as a plasticizer. It can be replaced with PVA glue or detergent. It is necessary to pour concrete in such a way that it can be leveled with a rule. In order to maintain the contours of the sidewalk, formwork from wooden boards or plywood is installed on the sides. It is recommended to lubricate it with grease to prevent adhesion of concrete.

Tiles can be laid on the subfloor without prior screed after drying. Some craftsmen lay the pavement directly on the slurry. In this case, care must be taken to ensure that the layer thickness is sufficient to fit the elements.

It is quite difficult to answer unequivocally what exactly is better to lay paving slabs. It all depends on the specific conditions and capabilities of the master. If a heavy load is not planned, you can get by with sand and cement, but if we are talking about a parking space, it is best to pre-fill the concrete area.

There are three types of foundations for the subsequent laying of paving slabs:

1. sandy, for fixing the coating on a tamped pad without additional materials;
2. sand-cement, obtained by preparing a mixture of dry sand and cement for the purpose of its further laying as a top layer;
3. concrete, for laying tiles on adhesive mortars on a prepared solid surface.

It does not rot, does not decompose over time, has good durability and provides reliable protection against water. If you could not buy geotextiles, then the waterproofing layer can be laid from a polyethylene film folded in half.

The waterproofing layer should have a slight slope for more efficient moisture removal. This should be foreseen even at the stage of constructing the drainage cushion.

Three types of bases

As mentioned above, three types of base for tiles are used for arranging paths and platforms. The choice depends on the thickness and type of tiles. The sandy base is used when the tile thickness is large, which is also called paving stones.

The sand-cement base is prepared for paving slabs of medium thickness. In turn, the concrete base is well suited for thin paving slabs, which are glued to it with adhesive solutions.

Sand pillow

After the backfilling of the drainage layer and the waterproofing device have been completed, you can start backfilling the final sand layer. It is best to use sifted river sand as a material.

To ensure good stability of the paving stone, the thickness of the bearing layer must be at least 7 cm. It should be borne in mind that when laying, the tiles will be partially immersed in the sand, and pour a layer that will ensure that the upper level of the track or platform is 2-3 cm above the ground level.

For high-quality compaction, it is better to use a construction vibrator, but if it is not there, you should do this work manually, more actively spilling sand with water.

The top layer of sand must be carefully leveled using a plastering rule. It will be possible to start laying paving stones only after obtaining a perfectly flat surface.

The device of such a base for paving slabs is performed in the same way as a sand cushion, but a dry sand-cement mixture must be used as the top layer. To prepare the mixture, take one part of cement and three parts of sand by volume. This layer is also rammed like the previous layers.

Laying of this layer should be done in dry weather, just before laying the tiles. Most often, the lower layers are poured and tamped, and the third, sand-cement, is poured in small areas immediately before laying the paving slabs.

Concrete, as a base, is used for laying thin paving slabs on adhesive cement mortar. This preparatory work is done after you have been able to prepare the waterproofing layer and consists of four steps:

• installation of formwork;
• reinforcement;
• installation of beacons;
• pouring concrete.

The formwork device is necessary in order to prevent the spreading of concrete when pouring, if its upper level is higher than the ground level.

Any flat material with at least one smooth side is used as the material for the formwork. These can be boards, chipboard, sheet plastic, etc. The sheets are fastened using stakes driven into the ground or installing spacers.

The best material for concrete reinforcement is a ready-made welded wire mesh with a diameter of 6 mm and a mesh size of 100x100 mm.

All metal parts will need to be tied together with a knitting wire. The mesh is laid at the bottom of the trench. It will be even better if you lift it up a little by placing stones or pieces of brick underneath.

Lighthouses

After installing reinforcing materials, you need to put up beacons. These are longitudinal metal slats, the upper level of which will indicate to you at what height the base will be located under the paving slabs to be laid. As beacons, it is very convenient to use a galvanized steel profile for installing drywall.

The lighthouses are fixed in slides made of cement mortar at the required height, parallel to each other. It is impossible to use gypsum solutions to fix the beacons.

Pouring concrete

In front of across the tracks and platforms, it is necessary to install inserts of sheet material with a thickness of 3-4 mm. After the concrete has set, they are removed and technological joints remain in the monolith to compensate for possible thermal expansions.

Concrete for pouring the base for laying paving slabs can be ordered ready-made, with delivery to the place of work. It is advisable to do this if the amount of concrete to be poured exceeds 3 cubic meters. With a smaller amount, you can prepare concrete yourself. This will require the presence of cement, sand, gravel and a concrete mixer.

The ratio of the components directly depends on the brand of cement. If you purchased M400 cement, then for each of its volumetric parts, you need to add 4.2 parts of crushed stone and 2.5 parts of sand, and for M500 cement you need 4.9 parts of crushed stone and 3.2 parts of sand. As a result, you get concrete of the M200 brand, the strength of which will fully ensure the durability of your walkway or platform.

First, all the components are loaded into the mixer in a dry form, mixed, and only then water is gradually added until the required mixture density is obtained. Pouring is carried out in such a way that no voids remain in the concrete mass. Leveling the surface is performed with a plastering rule or a solid wooden lath, by pulling it along the installed beacons.

Finally

Regardless of what type of base for paving slabs you make, you must strictly follow the technological process when performing the work described above. The quality of laying paving slabs and the durability of the coating depend on the high-quality arrangement of the base of the path and platform.

High-quality preparation of the surface for laying paving slabs with your own hands is quite possible, but this work requires the application of great physical strength and clear execution of instructions.