Homemade paving slabs with your own hands. The process of making paving slabs at home. High-quality mortar is the basis for the durability of slabs
Every owner who wants his property to look beautiful and be functional tries to do a lot of things with his own hands. Especially if he is a creative person. From this article you can learn how to make it yourself paving slabs.
Where is the product used?
In principle, the scope of application of such material is quite wide. Most often you can see such products in the private areas of residential buildings, cottages, bathhouses or other buildings. You can also lay such tiles in gardens, squares, parks and other in public places. Naturally, in the latter case, ready-made material is purchased.
Before you begin to understand how to make paving slabs with your own hands, you need to figure out whether it’s worth doing, what advantages it has ready product what you need to prepare for work. First of all, it must be said that the manufacturing process is not complicated and does not require expensive equipment.
Advantages of the material
Before you make paving slabs with your own hands, you should consider its advantages. Among them are the following:
Originality of elements. During the manufacturing process, you can play with colors and fillers. This way, you will create exactly the design and shape of the tiles that you want. Naturally, you should be careful here, because the proportions of the ingredients depend specifications products.
Low cost. Naturally, before you make paving slabs with your own hands, you need to choose necessary materials which must have high quality. You should not “buy” on cheap cement.
Relative strength (although you should not place these elements where the car will drive).
Manufacturing of products directly on site.
No need for expensive equipment. However, if you decide to open own business, then you can’t do without a couple of machines.
Ecological cleanliness.
Resistance to rapid wear and durability (if all manufacturing steps are performed correctly).
Minimal risk of injury.
Now let's look at the question of how to make paving slabs with your own hands.
What materials will be needed?
Naturally, all ingredients must be of the highest quality. So, for work you need to prepare:
1. Cement (only M-500 grade is required, since this type of material allows you to make a mixture that, after hardening, will be very strong).
4. Small pebbles.
5. Color (one or more).
6. Plasticizer (sold at a hardware store).
All ingredients must be free of impurities (debris, leaves, grass). Also, before making paving slabs with your own hands, collect everything necessary materials and necessary tools.
Required equipment
So, in order for the product manufacturing process to go relatively quickly, you need to take care of everything in advance technical devices, which will help speed up your work. So, you will need:
Concrete mixer. If there are several of them, that's good. In this case, the process will go faster.
Forming vibration table. You can also build it yourself. Although this machine is not mandatory.
Set of forms. It is better if there are several dozen of them.
Tables or racks that will be installed as level as possible. Otherwise, the mixture in the molds may harden incorrectly, with distortion. Naturally, such elements will already be considered defective, since they cannot be laid evenly.
A tool for removing finished products from containers.
Since almost every person can do it, we should consider the technology for carrying out the work.
Features of form selection
This question is not difficult. Most often for homemade The presented material uses plastic molds. They may have different sizes. In addition, our construction market presents a huge selection of types of such forms. That is, you have the opportunity to do very original tiles, which no one else will have. Naturally, such a container must be strong enough so that it can be used more than once.
Before you make it yourself, you need to decide on the shape of the containers: square, round or some other. If you don't want to buy this material in the store, you can use regular plastic food containers. However, they won't last long.
Features of preparing the solution
Before you make paving slabs yourself, you should find out in what proportions you need to mix the ingredients so that the elements subsequently turn out to be of high quality and durable. You will need the following amount of materials for one batch:
It must be stirred thoroughly. And in order to ensure that there is no air in the solution, it will need to be processed on a vibrating table.
Manufacturing instructions
Now let's look at the question of how to actually make paving slabs yourself. The whole process involves several stages that cannot change their sequence:
1. Preparation of the solution. All ingredients must be mixed thoroughly. This can provide Although gravity works just as well.
2. Filling of molds, as well as vibration compaction of the mixture. This should be done carefully. Filling is done with a regular shovel. For compaction you will need a vibrating table. Its fluctuations should not be too strong. That is, make sure that the solution in the mold is distributed evenly. This compaction will make the elements as strong as possible and prevent their delamination. When loading concrete, take into account its level. It should be the same in all forms. To do this, you can simply make marks on inside containers.
3. Maturing and drying of elements. Since you want to make paving slabs at home quickly, many manufacturers may violate production technology. The quality of the elements suffers from this. Therefore, you should maintain the time allotted for the concrete to mature and dry. So, after compacting the molds with the mixture, they should “rest” on a flat surface for at least two days. To ensure that ripening goes well and the cement does not crack due to loss of moisture, the containers should be well wrapped plastic film.
4. Removal of finished products from molds. Now you understand how to make paving slabs at home, you also know the composition of the mixture. However, you should consider the question of how to properly remove ready-made elements from molds so that they do not break or crack. To do this, it is better to place them in a bath of water, the temperature of which will not exceed 70 degrees.
5. Warehousing of products. In order for the concrete to dry further, it is necessary to cover the tiles with shrink film.
After all these steps, the product is almost ready for installation. Naturally, it should be given time to gain strength. It's best to leave the material alone for a few weeks. Now you understand how to make paving slabs at home.
What is “plastic bottle tile”?
The problem of recycling recyclable materials is very relevant today. However, a way was invented to use plastic bottles, which involves reducing the degree of pollution environment. They learned how to make sidewalk tiles from them. Moreover, this process can take place both at home and in production.
Before making paving slabs from plastic bottles, you should consider the features of this procedure. Its advantage is the low cost of the product, as well as the absence of problems with the amount of raw materials.
The production of such material is divided into the following stages:
Grinding of raw materials.
Melting plastic in a special heating apparatus and mixing it with raw sand and pigment.
Pouring the resulting solution into molds and pressing.
Cooling of the tiles.
It should be noted that such a product is characterized by durability, high strength and abrasion resistance, external beauty, variety of shapes, speed of production.
Making paving slabs with your own hands is not very difficult. However, the process has some nuances. For example, if you want to significantly save color, you can use the layer-by-layer casting technique. Naturally, in this case you will need two concrete mixers. The layers are laid alternately, and the colorless one should be on the inside. The thickness of each is 1-2 cm.
If you have defective pieces of tile, you can break it up and re-use it in mortar. New forms can be treated with a special substance so that the concrete subsequently moves away from the walls better. After use, the plastic should be washed with a weak solution. of hydrochloric acid. You can make molds for work yourself using silicone or wood. Naturally, these elements will need to be well fastened before work.
Please note that the plasticizer helps increase the strength of the elements, as well as their resistance to temperature changes. However, you should not add too much of it. For the manufacture of the presented building material, not only concrete can be used.
Now you know how to make paving slabs at home. Good luck!
Planning the arrangement garden paths on your personal plot, you always want to create functional and at the same time beautiful elements landscape design. The material for garden paths can be wooden cuts, a natural stone, gravel... But still, the most popular among owners of suburban areas as a covering for playgrounds and paths is paving slabs, which have an attractive appearance and excellent quality characteristics. Do-it-yourself paving slabs will be an original addition to the design of the site, in harmony with the style of the house and garden.
Making paving slabs with your own hands is a rather labor-intensive and quite time-consuming, but at the same time quite exciting process. The result of the work is exclusive products, successfully combined into picturesque paths.
Interesting ideas for designing garden paths can be found in the material:
Such unusual paths serve as a worthy frame for flowering plants garden
In addition, making paving slabs with your own hands will significantly save money in family budget, because purchasing a ready-made coating costs many times more.
Tiles made at home may not be suitable for covering areas that are designed to accommodate heavy structures or vehicles, but they will great solution For pedestrian paths in the garden. At correct production concrete mixture and maintaining all stages of production technology, you can get a product with 100% durability.
Using colors and pigment dyes, you can create tiles of a wide variety of shades
By experimenting and coloring solutions with colors, you can get incredible combinations and patterns. Myself - interesting activity, allowing you to unleash your creative potential, bringing a lot of pleasure and positivity.
Manufacturing process step by step
In order to make original paving slabs with your own hands, you first need to purchase the manufacturing material and stock up necessary tool. The tile is created based on a mixture of cement, sand and water, maintaining proportions that depend on the purpose of the product and the brand of cement used. To make durable garden paving slabs, it is advisable to use cement grade M 500. You should not skimp on the quality of the material, so as not to stumble on a crumbling path later.
Sand and water for the solution must be free of dirt and leaves. It’s not scary if the sand contains small pebbles. Their presence will not affect the quality of concrete. But the product will acquire an unusual texture.
Advice! Using plasticizers, you can increase the strength of paving slabs and their resistance to temperature changes.
A wide range of plastic molds for filling are available in specialized stores. They can have completely different shapes and sizes. Each of them is designed for 200 fills. To speed up the manufacturing process, it is advisable to purchase ten pieces of each type of shape.
By combining 2-3 product configurations you can create unusual ornaments and fancy “snakes”
It is quite possible to use plastic containers as molds. food products, which have sufficient flexibility, softness and strength. Using containers of simple shapes with straight sides and right angles, you can make rectangular “bricks”.
These tiles fit together easily when laid.
Preparation of the solution
The necessary components are ready, we can safely start making exclusive paving slabs with our own hands. Mix sand-cement mixture is it possible as manually, and using a hammer drill with a mixer attachment. When planning to create coatings amounting to several dozen or even hundreds of tiles, it is advisable to stock up on a concrete mixer to facilitate the process. It’s great if the owner already has it in his arsenal. After all, this is construction equipment can be used for many purposes, from concreting a stream bed in the garden to mending fence posts.
1 part cement and 3 parts sand are poured into a container, which can be a basin or bucket.
When mixing the solution in a concrete mixer to obtain a homogeneous mass, you first need to add sand, and then cement is poured into a continuously rotating container.
Add water to the mixture gradually, without ceasing to stir the solution. Exceeding the amount of water in the solution can lead to a decrease in the strength of the finished concrete. To prevent this, water-repellent additives and reinforcing fiber are added to the solution at the mixing and pouring stage.
The consistency of the solution should be dough-like: slightly liquid, but not slipping off the trowel
Tiles can be painted in the most unusual colors using inorganic pigments, which have increased resistance to light and atmospheric conditions, as well as an alkaline environment. The amount of dye for the solution is selected using the “sample method”, starting from 30-50 g and gradually increasing the proportion. The composition acquires a uniform color after 5-7 minutes. The readiness of the composition is determined by the absence of lumps and uniform coloring of the entire volume of material.
Pouring into molds
Before filling the mold, it is advisable to lubricate it with emulsol or any oil (you can even use used machine oil). This will make it easier to unmold the frozen product in the future.
The molds are filled with mortar and compacted with a trowel.
You can increase the strength of the product by laying it in a mold half filled with concrete. metal mesh, rod or wire, and then adding the remaining solution to the edges.
In order to compact the cement mass and expel excess air bubbles from the solution, it is necessary to create vibration in the concrete. A vibrating table is used for these purposes. In the absence of such a design, a rack or shelf can serve as an alternative. To create vibration, just tap the mallet a few times on the table.
Drying and removing products from containers
Forms filled with concrete are covered with plastic film and kept for 2-3 days. During this period, it is important to maintain a sufficient level of moisture. To do this, it is advisable to periodically moisten the hardening products.
The place where the workpieces dry should be hidden from direct sunlight
After 2-3 days after casting, the tiles can be unmolded by slightly moving the sides and shaking. The product needs to be dried in the shade for another 3-4 weeks. During this time, the tiles will acquire sufficient strength and can be used as a covering for garden paths and recreation areas.
Paving stones are a very popular building material. However, natural stone is quite expensive because it is difficult to process. Therefore, natural minerals are often replaced with artificial stone based on cement binders. This material is often called simply paving slabs. You can buy it in many places, for example, paving slabs from the manufacturer /mos-bruschatka.ru have an attractive price and good quality.
Or you can make paving slabs with your own hands. It is so easy to make that almost anyone can do it, which is what some do by making tiles from artificial stone, including for sale.
To do this, you only need a room, such as a barn or garage, and a simple vibrating table. It's nice to have the luxury of a cement mixer, but a shovel and trough will do just as well. The starting raw materials are cement, sand, plasticizer, and, if necessary, dye.
The most important additive in the paving slab formulation is a plasticizer. It has the following effects on technological process and quality of the final product:
Eliminates cracking of tiles when drying;
Increases ductility and prevents delamination cement mixture;
Increases frost resistance and strength of finished tiles;
Gives the product some water-repellent properties.
In addition, it is sometimes possible to work with a plasticized mixture without a vibrating table.
These additives are usually available from companies specializing in the supply of raw materials for production. reinforced concrete structures. Most famous brands plasticizers for concrete - “Superpalast S-3” or Chinese brands A, B or C. But instead of industrial preparations, some detergents are quite suitable. For example, cheap liquid soap, sold in hardware stores in 5-liter canisters, crushed laundry soap, shampoo or dishwashing liquid.
One of the following substances is often used, the amount is given per 12 kg of cement (bucket):
2 tbsp. l. (with a slide) washing powder,
2 tbsp. l. liquid soap;
2 tsp. dishwashing liquid.
Slaked lime works well as a plasticizer. Its proportions are selected approximately at the rate of 1 part to 6 parts of cement, but it is preferable to select the optimal ratio experimentally. This additive protects products from cracking, makes them smooth, even, and resistant to sudden temperature changes. However, it should be noted that lime is incompatible with other types of plasticizers.
There are also semi-mystical additives, such as egg white, allegedly used by ancient builders in the construction of structures that were especially durable. Now this is not used, but no one forbids experimenting if there is such a desire.
Forms for pouring paving slabs.
They can be purchased at the store. Here is the approximate durability of the molds by the number of castings depending on the material from which they are made:
Polyurethane – up to 100;
Plastic – up to 250;
Rubber - up to 500.
Note: despite the rapid wear, polyurethane is good because it is easy to mold, so it is most interesting for designers creating their own products. And now it’s not a problem to purchase two-component polyurethane compounds. But do not forget that to cast a sufficient number of tiles you will need more than a dozen identical molds, otherwise this process will drag on for a very long time.
Before pouring the cement mixture, it is advisable to lubricate the molds so that the frozen casting can be pulled out more easily. A special emulsion for these purposes is commercially available, but it is easier to prepare it yourself according to the following recipe:
3 liters of heated water;
A glass of engine oil or waste;
50-60 ml of liquid soap.
The well-mixed product is applied with a brush in a thin layer on inner surface form, trying to avoid puddles at the bottom.
Approximate recipes for paving slabs.
Components of a simple solution:
Sand – 30 kg;
Plasticizer – 100 g;
Portland cement not lower than M-500 – 15 kg;
Water is about half the volume of cement.
Mortar using granite chips:
Portland cement not lower than M-500 – 10 kg;
Sand – 15 kg;
Small granite crushed stone– 15 kg;
Plasticizer – 100 g;
Water up to half the volume of cement.
Instead of granite, fine gravel is quite suitable. In addition to these components, it is possible to add up to 1 kg/m3 of a solution of special reinforcing polyamide, basalt or glass fibers used in the manufacture of foam fiber concrete. Painted tiles are obtained by adding pigments, according to the instructions for the specific type of dye. To obtain a uniform color, the solution must be thoroughly mixed.
Casting paving slabs with your own hands. Step-by-step instruction.
First, the molds are filled halfway, then compacted on a vibrating table for 3-5 minutes. This is necessary so that the bottom - front side of the tile spills well, and there are no shells left on it from possible air bubbles. While the vibrating table is operating, the solution is added to the top.
The filled forms are moved to a previously prepared flat surface, covered with film and left for at least a couple of days. After hardening, the tiles are removed from the mold and stored under film for the next 10 days. Next, in order for it to gain strength, it is kept for outdoors at least a month.
If you want to further increase the strength, the tiles are reinforced with an iron grid, which is placed in the mold before pouring. In addition, there is an ironing process that increases surface hardness, for which the not yet dried but already hardened tiles are sprinkled with dry Portland cement and rubbed evenly.
Making paving slabs (paving stones), the whole process on video.
Making things with your own hands takes a lot of time. However, you get two undeniable advantages: the results of your work become unique and save cash. Paving slabs in this case are no exception. Mostly homemade tiles used for paths on personal plots, dachas. Laying process large area The drive to the gate is even longer, and only silent passers-by will evaluate the work.
To work you will need:- Trowel, spatula, level;
- Forms for solution;
- Drill with mixing attachment or concrete mixer;
- Place for drying tiles;
- Cement, sand, water, dyes.
The tile can be considered ready. Now you can start developing a place for installation. Here, too, you need to be careful to avoid stagnation of water and subsidence of the level. In this case, the tiles created by yourself will last for many years and will be passed on to future generations.
Do-it-yourself tiles are a feasible task for anyone who has the necessary equipment for production technology and the desire to create. And, although it will not be possible to make high-quality tiles the first time, sometimes the idea is worth the effort. So, you will create unique samples of cladding both for personal use and for sale.
Handmade tiles
Selection of materials
First, let's look at the manufacturing technology. So how are ceramic tiles made? The basis is a plastic clay mass, from which a tile of the desired configuration is formed, and then subjected to further processing.
Production technology ceramic tiles is as follows:
- Preparation of raw materials. Selecting the appropriate type of clay, mixing in additional mixture and keeping the mass wet.
- Raw production. This is the name of a workpiece made from unprocessed clay. To proceed to the next stage, it is dried.
- Biscuit firing. At high temperatures, mineral particles fuse together, forming a durable ceramic product called terracotta.
- Decoration. Here either varnish or enamel is applied to the primed surface, or glaze is applied with further firing to obtain glossy majolica.
To do good tiles with our own hands, we will consider each stage of the process in more detail.
They start with the selection of raw materials. The main component is, of course, clay. At the same time, they take into account that there are many varieties.
When choosing, consider the degree of ductility of the material. The most plastic fatty clay that can be molded into any shape. Skinny is a non-plastic, fragile sample that breaks under a certain impact on it. It is best to choose the medium type.
Use greasy material and dilute it with sand, fireclay or pumice. This makes the clay less refractory and prevents it from tearing during firing.
Main component of tiles
Let us note these types of clayey rocks:
- Kaolin . It is distinguished by its white color and is used in the manufacture of earthenware and porcelain. Also used in paper production and cosmetology.
- Cement. For the production of cement.
- Brick . Differs in fusibility.
- Fireproof. Withstands temperatures up to 1580 degrees.
- Acid resistant . Don't interact with the majority chemical compounds. Raw materials for the production of chemical-resistant tableware.
- Molding . Plastic refractory grade, used in the metallurgical industry.
- Bentonite. A characteristic difference is its whitening properties.
The facing tile must be strong, so reinforcing mesh is sometimes used for additional strengthening. Natural pigments, which are mineral oxides, are used to give terracotta a tint. Some types of clay already contain them in their composition, as evidenced by their characteristic shade.
This is the first stage. After you have decided on the composition and mixed all the components in the required proportions, wrap the mixture in plastic bag and block the air supply. In this form, the clay should infuse enough so that every particle porous material absorbed moisture. The presence of air chambers will worsen the strength properties of the product.
Further production involves molding the tiles. It is better to use polyurethane matrices. With their help, smooth products with identical external parameters are created. It is important to thoroughly compact the clay and level it according to the shape to achieve uniform thickness over the entire area of the sample.
The first stage of tile production
Next, the tile blank, the so-called raw material, is left to dry. The completion of the stage is indicated by the brightening of the tile and its hardening. Be careful, because the raw material is very fragile. But in case of failure, the molding and drying process is repeated, soaking the workpiece.
Primary firing
The next step in the production of real tiles with your own hands. At this stage mineral materials, used in the manufacture of ceramics, are exposed to high temperature and melt together to form a glass-like mass. At the same time, the strength of the tile becomes many times higher.
Kiln firing imparts strength
According to traditional technology The clay baking temperature is 1000-1300 degrees Celsius. Since it is rarely possible to achieve such values at home, the temperature is reduced to 850-900 degrees.
To avoid affecting the quality of the product, pumice should be added to the raw material mass in advance. It is due to this that it is possible to reduce the baking temperature. However, please note that a large amount (more than 40%) will affect the plasticity of the clay and reduce its strength.
During biscuit firing, the raw material shrinks due to the evaporation of moisture from the mass. This is taken into account when calculating the final dimensions of the product. They also take into account the fact that at this stage the structure of the tile becomes more porous. With auxiliary pressure, it is possible to reduce the number of voids, but this is only possible in production conditions.
Decorating the product
There are also advantages to the fact that tiles have a porous structure. This will be useful in further decorative processing. It is the voids that absorb part of the outer coating and prevent it from spreading.
To facing tiles became glossy, they make a special glaze with their own hands. It consists of the following components.
