How to lay paving tiles: the use of curbs in paving technology

This article outlines the technology that describes how to lay paving slabs during the installation of curbs, discusses various options for their installation. You will learn what types of curbs exist, get acquainted with the rules for selecting quality materials, consider the technical and operational characteristics of each of them. Get acquainted with the prices for the purchase of materials and turnkey paving services.

Making tracks curbs and paving tiles: how to put the floor

Arrangement of the backyard plot is not complete without forming tracks. These elements perform several useful functions at once.

In suburban areas tiled flooring is used for:

• preservation of grassy lawns (paths allow you to move around the site without trampling the grass);
• visual division of the area of ​​the site into zones (with the help of them you can arrange a recreation area, a blind area around the house, a space around flower beds, pools, greenhouses, gazebos and sheds, etc.);
• decorating the site and maintaining the overall design of the backyard territory and the house itself.

Note! The cost of laying paving slabs includes not only the purchase of material and the paving itself, but also the installation of curbs, if they are to be installed. In order to save, you can do this work yourself, the main thing is to stick to the technology.

Borders have a beautiful appearance, they are durable and practical, so they are often installed before laying paving slabs on sand and other types of surfaces. These elements are able to fit into any architectural solution of your yard, to give a complete look to the entire site.

Curbs act as protection of lawns, as well as tile coating from erosion. They are able to increase the operational life of the tracks.

The general classification of curbs by type of material includes the following varieties:

• metal;
• plastic;
• concrete;
• brick;
• wooden (rarely used);
• from a natural stone.

Laying curbs for paving slabs is also used to mark the difference in height between the level of the lawn and the surface of the walkway. To make the right choice of curb, you should study in detail the technical characteristics of the most common types of material.

Existing types of curbs made of concrete are also classified by manufacturing technology, among them are:

• concrete curbs;
• shaky curbs;
• sidewalk curbs.

Each of them is able to offer certain advantages and technical characteristics that will be useful to owners of suburban areas when laying paving slabs on a dry mix. The technology involves paving on a sand or concrete foundation.

Concrete curb factory production is in high demand among owners of suburban areas. Most often it is used in the method of laying paving slabs on a concrete base, since this type of product has a long service life and is characterized by a simple installation system.

Helpful advice! Manufactured in the factory concrete curbs have an extensive color range. Use this advantage in the design of garden paths and alleys. With the help of a colored curb, you can create a unique design of pedestrian areas.

Specifications of concrete curbs:

• water absorption level is 6%;
• high compressive strength – 22.5 MPa;
• the material is quite easy to process (if necessary, cutting a border of concrete can be cut);
• high level of frost resistance.

Thanks to all these characteristics, the installation of curbs for paving slabs with their own hands will be of high quality and reliable. An extensive range of products allows you to not be limited to strict limits in relation to design.

If you decide to use the paving services in a specialized company, the size and type of curbs will affect how much the paving slab work costs. Especially if the purchase of materials by the company itself.

To save on the cost of laying paving slabs ordered from a specialized company, you can purchase all the consumables yourself.

The average prices for the purchase of concrete curbs:

Helpful advice! Include road curbs specified in the table in the technology of laying paving slabs under the car. These products will ensure safety at your site, limiting the movement of the machine.

Vibrotized products have a high wear resistance. In the process of producing such curbs, coloring pigments and plasticizers are added to the raw materials.

Manufacturers produce products of various forms. In addition to standard rectangles, customers can purchase borders of the following forms:

• step;
• arc;
• wave, etc.

Quite often clinker bricks are used as sidewalk curbs. This type of material has a high indicator of strength, long service life, while it is completely environmentally friendly.

On the other hand, if you are thinking about how to properly put paving tiles with your own hands, the use of clinker bricks in the work should be avoided. The fact is that the blocks are large, which is why large gaps arise between the workpieces during the installation process, through which grass and other plants later grow. Their presence adversely affects the state of coverage.

If you want to buy curbs for paving slabs, the price of vibro-molded products depends on the size and color.

Average prices for vibrocast curbs:

Plastic curbs for paving tiles are universal products. They are in harmony with various styles in the design of homestead plots, and thanks to a large selection of colors, they make the design of the tracks unique.

Helpful advice! Plastic curbs have a flexible structure. Use this material property to shape curved tracks with smooth lines.

In addition to durability and resistance to corrosion, plastic products are also characterized by affordable cost. They are best suited for do-it-yourself pavement installation.

For curbs made on the basis of metal, various raw materials are used:

• stainless steel;
• aluminum;
• copper.

Metal curbs are used for arranging smooth tracks that have straight turns. They are used not only for the organization of coatings from paving slabs, but also combined with paths made of rubble.

Borders made of brick are no less common than other types of products of similar purpose. There are several technologies that describe how to lay paving slabs in a brick framed courtyard. In one case, the laying of blanks can be carried out in a horizontal position, in the other – a brick is placed under a diagonal slope. The result is a beautiful toothed framing track.

This type of material is well combined with a covering from a stone blocks, especially if the design of your local area is made in the English style. It should be noted that it is not recommended to install the brick as a curb in those areas where there are frequent and heavy rains, and there is a high level of precipitation. Under the influence of a large amount of moisture, this material is very quickly destroyed.

The scope of pavement curbs extends to pedestrian areas, sidewalks along the roadway, as well as paths in the private sector. Owners of suburban areas use this type of building material as a budget solution for decorating the yard and other areas.

Helpful advice! Sidewalk curbs are usually combined with tile or paving stones. In this regard, many manufacturers began to add coloring pigments to raw materials in production. You can successfully beat coverage using contrasting colors.

If you compare the sidewalk version of products with other types of borders, you can select a number of advantages:

• high level of resistance to wear;
• durability and reliability;
• resistance to sudden temperature changes;
• near perfect surface finish;
• resistance to moisture;
• Invulnerability to the influence of chemicals (even the use of icing agents is allowed);
• extensive color range;
• no need to carry out additional exterior trim.

In the framework of the classification, there are unilateral and bilateral sidewalk curbs. The first of them are used for paved areas, as well as sidewalks, made in longline technology. The latter are good if the tracks are flush with the lawn, in this case the border plays the role of a separator.

The modern assortment of the construction market offers many variations of curbs in terms of size. Thanks to this, every consumer can find products that meet his requirements.

Border classification by size:

• Curbs – the size range includes products with the following parameters: 8x21x50, 5x20x100, 4.5x21x50 cm;
• park blocks – the overall dimensions of the product are 7×21.1×50 cm;
• border for road surfaces – correspond to the size of 20x60x300 cm

Prefabricated sidewalk curbs usually correspond to standard sizes – 8×20 or 5×20 cm. Rectangular products have a wider size range, including small curbs with parameters of 0.6x2x5 cm, as well as larger ones – 8x20x100 cm.

Helpful advice! In the network you can find videos on how to properly pave tile in combination with various types of curbs. Use such visual materials to avoid errors in the paving process.

If the organization of pedestrian paths is supposed, it is recommended to use curbs with a height of 30 cm and a width of no more than 20 cm. The avenues are fenced with lighter versions of products with parameters of 8×20 cm.

Recommendations on how to put the paving slabs in the yard themselves are limited not only by the technology itself, but also by advice on the choice of materials. The quality of the curbs, like the tile itself, has a direct impact on the final result, so the process of choosing materials is extremely important.

The procurement process should be guided by several criteria:

1. Specifications – this includes the type of border, its structure and dimensional parameters, as well as features of the form.
2. The indicators reflecting the level of durability of products.
3. Border service life.
4. Pricing for laying paving slabs without a curb and with a curb (if you are supposed to use the services of specialists).
5. Resistance to temperature extremes, as well as the effects of environmental factors.
6. The quality of dyeing blanks (how evenly painted the surface of the border).
7. Features of the object for laying tiles (type of track or platform, area, shape and slope of the surface).

Before you make a purchase of the material, decide what it is better to put paving slabs and what variant of the base you can provide them on your site. The type of material to be purchased directly depends on this. The most common variant of the foundation for paving is the ground, with a preformed cushion of sand, rubble or concrete.

Note! Many wonder whether it is possible to lay paving slabs on the asphalt, having at their disposal an old asphalt surface in the yard. In fact, it is possible, but this will require a series of preparatory work to ensure the quality of the coating.

After purchasing the material, you should decide whether you will do all the paving work yourself or hire specialists for this. In each case, you get certain benefits.

On the one hand, independent performance of work guarantees substantial savings of funds. On the other hand, professional service is a guarantee of high-quality and reliable results, of course, if you find really skilled and qualified specialists.

How much is laying paving slabs (average prices):

With laying borders from plastic everyone will cope. This does not require serious preparatory work. Before laying the curb for paving tiles made of plastic, it is not necessary to dig a special trench, to form a concrete base or to lay geotextiles.

First you need to outline the contour part of the track and the height of the border itself. Most manufacturers produce products that have holes on the outside for fixing anchors or marking pegs. Thanks to this mount, fixing the curb on the ground is strong and reliable. For work, you will only need a hammer to hammer in metal pegs.

Note! The edges of plastic are very easy to dock, and the products themselves bend well. You can make a walkway or a platform of the most bizarre form, without fearing that the ends of the curbs will not meet, and the framing will be inaccurate.

The use of concrete curbs implies that the coating will be subjected to significant loads. For this reason, the strength of fixation in the organization of the track comes first.

At the initial stage of the work, one should dig a trench, placing it along the contour part of the object. The depth depends on what height the curb has and how much it should rise above the coating itself in the end.

After that, the trench should be poured concrete solution. The proportions for the preparation of a mixture of cement and sand are 1: 3, respectively. Filling is leveled and the installation of concrete curbs. This should be done as carefully as possible, placing the stones as close as possible to the edge of the track. You should not make the mixture too liquid, in such a composition the elements will spread out and fixation will become impossible.

When several curbs have already been installed, additional consolidation of the first and then all subsequent stones should be performed in the order of installation with the help of an additional layer of cement in several places. The ideal projection height is 50 mm.

After the mortar has set and hardened, from the outside the trench is covered with sand or earth. This will allow to keep the structure in its original form for a long time and to increase its service life.

Do not forget that paved sidewalks and playgrounds need care. Clean the surface from time to time. And colored tiles require more attention in this plan than gray ones. In winter, use wooden and plastic tools for cleaning ice and snow, metal can damage the coating. Do not perform staining, this procedure will reduce the quality of the coating and its durability.