Benefits of using

If you want to equip the interior of your site, then concrete paths in the country are an excellent choice. This is explained not only by the ability to lay them on their own, without the involvement of builders, but also by a number of advantages of this material.

Among them:

• durability and strength;
• ease of construction work;
• ease of subsequent decoration using paving slabs or in other ways at the choice of the owner;
• low cost and minimum effort in the delivery of materials;
• the ability to choose any form;
• water resistance and fire resistance.

You can choose the way to lay paths in the garden. They can be, for example, straight, connecting certain sections within the territory of the site. This option is simple to implement, but you need to clearly calculate the width. At the same time, this solution will not be original and often visually reduces the area near the house.

With paths that have bends, you will have to work harder, but often only they can fit into the sophisticated style of the garden interior. You should also take into account the recommendation of designers — the width of the central paths should be about 1 m, but for additional paths such parameters are not required. For them, you can limit yourself to 50-70 cm.

How to prepare a solution

Many people are interested in the question of how to make a concrete path near the house on their own and how difficult it is. The technology for arranging this element of a country interior is simple, but a number of nuances are still worth considering.

And one important element of the implementation of construction work is the high-quality preparation of the solution for pouring.

Composition of concrete

To prepare a concrete solution, it is necessary to prepare cement, sand, and gravel. They are mixed in different proportions, depending on how the destination of the path is planned.

For example, for a path that is intended for pedestrian movement of residents, if it does not experience serious loads, it is enough to observe a ratio of 1:2:4.

But if you equip access roads with increased surface loads, then you need to increase the strength and density. Therefore, when preparing a solution, these constituent elements are mixed in a ratio of 1:1:2.

Manufacturing technology

It is important not only to choose the right proportions of the future solution, but also to prepare it with high quality. After all, if you decide to lay out the tracks with your own hands, then you should not be mistaken at this stage. Pick up a convenient container and fill it with gravel and sand. Then they are thoroughly mixed so that a homogeneous mass appears.

In it, you need to add a given volume of cement and mix everything again. And only then the dry mixture should be diluted with water. Liquid consumption averages 2-2.5 liters per 1 kg of cement.

Water should be poured in the following way. A hill is formed from the dry mixture, in the center of which a recess must be made. Water is slowly poured into this hole, raking the mixture from the edges to it.

To simplify the process, you can use a concrete mixer. At the same time, it is recommended to add fiberglass to the solution, as well as appropriate water-repellent additives.

If you draw a spatula over the surface of the prepared solution, the mixture should instantly smooth out. When pierced with a shovel, grooves will appear, which confirms the readiness of the solution.

Arrangement of a concrete path

The whole complex of works does not require special knowledge and skills. It is enough to prepare the necessary tool and follow the proposed instructions.

Preparatory activities

After you have decided on the shape and width of the future track, you need to take small pegs and drive them around the entire perimeter. The more pegs you use, the more accurately you will build a path. This is especially important for winding contours. A twine or cord is stretched between the pegs.

Then it is necessary to dig a trench 20-25 cm deep, on the bottom of which insulating material is laid. Geotextiles or roofing material should not only cover the bottom, but go onto the slopes of the trench.

The laying of this material in the base of the concrete path will help protect the concrete from the negative effects of water, and also has reinforcing properties. Drainage is also formed by subsequent backfilling of several layers of sand. Their total thickness should be about 10 cm.

After laying each layer, it must be moistened with water and compacted. To improve the properties of the drainage cushion, crushed stone with gravel is added between the sand levels.

Formwork installation

For the construction of formwork, it is necessary to use boards with a thickness of 15-20 mm. Their width should correspond to the height of the path. In this case, it is necessary to raise the formwork level by 2-5 cm above the level of the surrounding soil and provide for a small clone up to 1 cm.

The boards should be nailed to the inside of the pegs that were installed as markings. It is also important to install dividers in 1.5 m increments. They will divide your path into separate sections. The resulting slabs for the tracks will help protect the integrity of the structure from increased load and temperature fluctuations.

Metal plates or siding residues can be used as expansion joints. After the concrete has dried, they can be left there or removed. In the latter case, the plates should be lubricated with grease.

Reinforcement

Reinforcement gives rigidity to the structure. For these purposes, you can use improvised materials — the remains of a chain-link mesh or pipe. But it will be more effective to use a special mesh with cells of 100×100 mm from rods with a diameter of 8 mm. In this case, garden paths will last much longer.

The reinforcement should be placed in the center of the future structure. It is advisable to fix it with the help of special wire legs or on bricks. Reinforcement allows you to reduce the concrete layer to 8-10 cm.

Features of pouring the solution

If you want to learn how to pour a concrete path correctly, then follow our instructions. It is necessary to carry out work in dry weather, choose days with positive temperatures for this. The prepared portion of concrete is poured in full. Then a new batch is prepared. Do not leave the diluted composition the next day — this will subsequently lead to cracking of the plates.

The solution should be poured into the formwork to the level of its edges. For uniform placement of the composition on the surface, a construction vibrator or an ordinary rod is used. Piercing the mixture with a spatula and tapping on the formwork and reinforcement will contribute to a more dense laying of the mortar.

The top layer must be leveled. To do this, apply the usual rule or a flat board. The bar is placed on the upper edges of the formwork and led along them like on rails. The solution must be leveled over the entire surface and remove excess volume.

The track dries for about 4 days, but after leveling it must be covered with a film. This way you will avoid rapid drying, which can lead to brittle boards. Formwork should be removed after drying — on the fifth day.

Decoration features

To give the path originality and sophistication, as shown in the photo of concrete paths, you need to use a variety of decoration technologies:

• on wet concrete, they are carried out with a spatula to give any images, for example, to imitate tiles;
• making small depressions in the path, followed by driving soil into them and planting grass;
• giving shine by impregnating with liquid glass;
• placement of drawings using plastic forms;
• surface aging, etc.

A concrete path for a garden is not only a necessity, a guarantee of the comfort of living in a country house, but also an exquisite, original element of a garden interior. The material used provides sufficient strength and durability of the structure. And you can build it yourself.

Photo of concrete paths