Laying paving slabs on a concrete base: theory and practical advice

"Old Town" is one of the most popular and attractive types of paving slabs

Laying paving slabs on a concrete base: the expediency of the procedure

The procedure for laying paving slabs with their own hands is not only interested in the owners of country houses and cottages, who seek to equip and improve their personal plot. Tiled flooring is also popular in urban environments.

As indisputable proof of such popularity, there are not only eloquent photos of examples of laying paving slabs that can be seen on the net, but also real solutions found on the streets of any city.

The area in front of the private house is paved with "Brick" tiles

Most often, paving slabs are used to organize coverage:

• around shops, pharmacies, office and administrative buildings;
• on paths leading through the lawn;
• in park areas;
• in car parking lots;
• in places for storing large equipment;
• in city squares and other areas where there is increased traffic and sidewalks (areas near theaters, train stations, markets, cinemas, large companies and shopping centers, stadiums, educational institutions, libraries, sports complexes).

Note! For parking areas for cars, the thickness of the paving slabs is selected taking into account the weight loads. You cannot use material purchased for footpaths to arrange parking. Such a coating will quickly deteriorate.

The tile is a material that is perfect both for covering city paths and for paving on the territory of suburban ownership

Paving slabs on concrete: is it possible to lay the coating over the concrete base?

Most people are used to thinking that the installation of a tiled covering is carried out exclusively on a sandy surface, therefore, the feasibility of the technology of laying paving slabs on a concrete base is questioned by many of them.

In fact, the concrete surface is considered the most reliable basis for the formation of paths and areas from paving stones. This is because concrete prevents the tiles from moving over the surface, called “walking,” and is highly resistant to heavy loads. In some cases, if the technology for laying concrete paving slabs is violated, the result may be the opposite. Therefore, it is recommended to strictly follow all the requirements and recommendations regarding the construction of such a coating.

Related article:

Laying paving slabs on sand: technology and specifics of work. Sidewalk paving technique. Recommendations for the choice of the basis, materials, tools. Prices for different types of turnkey services.

The technology of laying paving slabs on a concrete blind area is equally interesting to both the owners of country cottages and city residents who have their own store or any other type of business. The blind area itself has many advantages, and in combination with a tiled surface, you can get a really optimal solution in all respects. Due to the slope of the blind area, water will not accumulate on the surface of the tile.

Laying paving slabs for paths with your own hands on the blind area

The blind area is considered an independent structure, which is usually formed around the building in order to protect it. It may be completely devoid of coverage. It is recommended to lay tiled elements on top of it, but this is not a mandatory procedure.

Creating a concrete blind area around a private house

Helpful advice! To make the exterior of your garden plot effective and harmonious, use the same type of tile for arranging paths and blind areas. On the Internet, you can find successful photos of options for laying brick paving slabs in the blind area around the house and in the yard.

Despite the fact that finishing the blind area is not mandatory, it is still worth doing, since the concrete surface looks unattractive and can ruin the appearance of the house and the yard as a whole. For this reason, it is worth spending money on the purchase of material and calling specialists or performing the procedure yourself.

The price of laying paving slabs on a concrete base (specialist services):

Advantages of the method of laying paving slabs on concrete

Benefits of working with concrete surfaces:

1. Simple installation system - for the formation of asphalt sidewalks, you will definitely need to hire special equipment, while laying paving slabs on concrete is much easier and faster and you can do it yourself.
2. The result is a strong, reliable and durable base. The modern assortment of stores is able to offer special varieties of tile elements that ensure the absence of a sliding effect on the coating even in case of heavy rainfall.
3. The coating remains stable even under the influence of sharp temperature changes.It is resistant to various types of mechanical damage. In most cases, the manufacturing company provides consumers with long warranty periods for the operation of decorative materials. They depend on the type of tile flooring and can be in the range of 10-40 years.

Diagram of a concrete blind area with a paving slab coating

Note! In the winter season, the structure is not exposed to serious icing, since excess moisture enters the soil through the seams and is absorbed.

The wide range of materials expands the design possibilities. The existing schemes for laying paving slabs "Old Town" themselves are capable of offering several unusual design options.

In addition to this material, there are others that differ:

• size;
• form;
• quality;
• colors;
• characteristics and properties.

You can evaluate from the photo the ways of laying paving slabs, their variety and the decorative effect they create.

The process of laying paving stones on the site in front of a private house

Tiled flooring is easy to repair. To do this, you do not need to completely replace the entire sidewalk, it is enough to replace only the damaged elements. If you are working on laying paving slabs "Old Town" or some other coating, experts recommend purchasing the material with a margin.

Description of the technology of laying paving slabs: video and recommendations

There are many options for laying paving slabs over a concrete base. The blind area does not put forward special requirements for the choice of finishes, therefore the quality and your personal taste are the determining factors. It is even possible to lay paving slabs on an old concrete base.

The process of forming a blind area begins with a marking. To complete this stage of construction, you will need a marking cord and a set of wooden pegs. They are placed around the house in accordance with measurements, after which a cord is pulled through each of them. The quality of the blind area depends on how carefully and accurately the markings are made.

Laying paving slabs on a sand-concrete mixture

Note! When recreating the pattern of laying paving slabs on the blind area from a photo, do not forget about the slope. Most often, this indicator fluctuates between 1-3 ° / m. There are also exceptions to the rules when the slope angle is 5 ° / m.

After the marking is completed, the upper soil layer is excavated in the area of ​​construction work. Most of the types of paving slabs shown in the photo involve the installation of a 40 cm wide coating. Taking this indicator into account, the depth of the excavation of the upper soil layer is determined. Do not forget that the concrete blind area should rise above ground level.

To this data is also added the requirements of the slope, which is formed for the device of the drainage system.

Installation of a curb is an important part of laying paving slabs on a mortar

Even if you are working with one of the simplest options for laying brick paving slabs, the photo as a basis does not provide a high-quality result. It is very important to comply with all the requirements of the technology, and not only regarding the paving of sidewalks, but also the formation of the blind area.

The blind area is quite heavy. At this stage, experts recommend installing curbs, which will simplify the work. The fact is that any pattern for laying paving slabs is repelled by the border, which limits it. At this stage, it will perform another function - the frame.

If you refuse to install the curb, its installation will still have to be performed later, and work on the blind area will be complicated by the need to install the formwork structure.

The pit under the curb should go deeper than the level of the masonry. Most often, its bottom drops 30 cm from the lower border of the curb.

The path in front of the house is covered with paving stones of different sizes

Helpful advice! Be sure to include water outflow in these calculations. After all, the curb should not interfere with the escape of water, which can violate the integrity of the building foundation.

After that, a 15 cm thick crushed stone pillow is formed at the bottom of the pit, the material should be carefully tamped. Above, a 2 cm thick concrete solution is poured and the curb is installed. It will take a day to fully set and harden. After making sure that the fill is completely dry, you can take on the next array of work.

Formation of the basis for laying paving slabs: video tutorials and recommendations

After installing the curb, the site is leveled and carefully compacted taking into account the required slope of the surface. It is recommended to lay several layers of geotextile... This type of material will inhibit plant growth. Although vegetation is not able to penetrate the concrete base, geotextiles will provide additional protection.

Diagram of the base device for paving slabs or paving stones

In some cases, bituminous material is used as a bottom lining. The laying of this material is carried out in order to increase the waterproofing properties of the coating.

Concrete base formation scheme:

1. The first layer in turn is formed from crushed stone. If curbs were installed, this step can be omitted.
2. If serious loads on the coating are expected, the blind area should be equipped with a reinforcing layer. It can be made from reinforcing rods.
3. For a monolithic structure, a height of 10 cm is sufficient for a footpath. The base for a car park must be at least 20 cm high.

Helpful advice! To obtain a quality result, use concrete marked M200. It is optimal in terms of quality and cost.

It is very simple to install paving slabs on a concrete base using the video. Using the recommendations and visual materials, this process can be done with your own hands.

Paving slabs: how to put a topcoat on the mortar

If we compare the samples of laying paving slabs in the photo, this technology is in many ways similar to the technique of working with tiles. A distinctive feature here is the solution, which has a slightly different composition and consistency.

In the photo of paving slabs, the patterns of laying the covering elements are very diverse. The specificity of the design does not affect the way the sidewalks are installed, as well as the general technology. There are two methods to execute laying tiles: sand-cement mixture and sand-cement mortar.

In the case of a sand-cement mixture, a thicker mortar consistency is obtained than that used in the construction of the base. The mixture does not tolerate the presence of small stones, so the sand should be sieved first. This will simplify the work of self-paving paving. The required thickness of the applied layer is 2-3 cm, after which the mixture is leveled with a trowel.

There are two ways of laying tiles: using a sand-cement mixture and a sand-cement mortar

When using the dry method, there is a possibility of shrinkage of paving slabs. On which solution the specialists put the coating, in this case it no longer matters much, since this will require special knowledge. The prices for the purchase of a specialized mixture are quite high, so it is better not to risk it and give preference to a cement-sand mixture.

In the second case, a cement-sand mortar can be used in a ratio of 3: 1, respectively. After the solution is prepared, it must be laid out on the base, leveled and tamped.

Helpful advice! Use a wooden or rubber mallet to pave the paving stone.She is unable to damage the tiles.

Use to familiarize yourself with the technology for laying paving slabs on mortar, the video below.

After all the elements of the coating are laid out, the surface is abundantly wetted with water. Over the course of a certain period, the tile dries out, then the seams between the sidewalk elements are filled. To flush out residual cement and dirt, the coating will need to be rinsed again with water.

Laying options for paving slabs "Old Town": photos and features

Judging by the numerous photos of the Old Town paving slabs laying, this type of coating is the most widespread in comparison with others. Such popularity is due to the large list of advantages that this material carries.

Tile "Old Town" allows you to form interesting patterns and combinations of coating elements. One package of this material can contain parts in four different sizes. Sometimes there is a choice of three size combinations in a pack (without the smallest option).

The complete set includes:

• large tiles;
• square tiles;

There are many interesting schemes of paving tiles "Old Town", which will allow you to create a unique design of the site

• an element that is 1/2 of the size of a large tile;
• an element that is 1/3 of a large tile or 1/2 of a square.

Due to such a dimensional variety, there are enough options for laying the Old Town paving slabs. Schemes can be complicated by adding a few colors.

On the other hand, having such a large range in size can cause chaos and disorder. If you do not adhere to a certain pattern in your work, you can get a not very beautiful coating.

Helpful advice! To some extent, a little randomness may even be welcome. The main thing is to avoid the formation of spots consisting of clusters of tile elements in the same size or the same color.

If you want to simplify your work as much as possible, it is enough to restrict yourself to a pattern of laying paving slabs of two colors, which is attractive in its own way.

An example of a combination of tiles of different types and colors

Features and photos of laying paving slabs "Brick", "Rhombus" and other forms

At first it may seem that drawing up diagrams from paving slabs is a rather difficult task. In fact, after watching the video, laying paving slabs ceases to seem difficult. Using the recommendations regarding the selection of schemes, you can easily navigate the choice.

For example, if you have chosen the "Brick" shape for your sidewalk, you should pay attention to the following schemes:

• laying of a linear type, which can be complicated by a shift or even do without it;
• modular styling;
• paving in a spiral.

Thanks to the rounded edges, this tile perfectly shows its decorative effect in all of the above patterns.

"Brick" tile laying schemes are one of the simplest

In the photo of the "Rhombus" paving slabs, the options for laying the coating look almost like a 3D image. The result of this paving is a stunning optical illusion that creates the impression of a three-dimensional effect on the pavement surface.

This effect is explained on the photo of paving slabs "Rhombus" by laying, based on the use of elements with different external characteristics:

• form;
• surface texture;
• colors.

In total, the modern assortment includes more than 40 varieties of tile products with similar geometric data.

Laying paving stones on a concrete base in urban areas

Polymer sandy tiles are especially popular. The material is able to offer excellent technical characteristics and is suitable for those consumers who want to speed up installation. Products are created on the basis of sand, polymers and dyes and can include elements of completely different configurations.

The laying of polymer sand paving slabs shown in the video clearly reflects how much the process of paving is simplified and accelerated in this case.

Most of modern tile coverings perfectly tolerate the influence of the sun and low temperatures, are distinguished by their durability and increased strength, as well as other equally advantageous performance characteristics. Consumers only have to choose the design and color in which the coating will be made.