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In order for a garden path or a platform for a car to look attractive, you need to buy paving slabs. This material is very popular lately: manufacturers have launched the production of paving stones of various shapes, thicknesses, colors. But how to choose paving slabs of proper quality? What should you pay attention to? To answer the question, you need to understand the technology of making pavers, with the rules for laying it and other nuances.

Paving stones, subject to the laying technology, have certain advantages over a monolithic concrete and asphalt pavement:

• due to the presence of gaps between adjacent tiles, the formation of puddles is excluded;
• in summer, the surface made of tiles does not heat up and does not become softer, and there are no unpleasant odors;
• no greenhouse effect is created under the cover, which is important for growing ornamental plantings nearby;
• if it is necessary to lay or repair underground utilities, it is enough to disassemble and, upon completion of work, re-lay the tiles in a certain area;
• using stones of various colors and shapes, you can create a patterned coating.

Paving slabs (a photo of laying examples is presented in the article) can be used to create a unique landscape.

Regulatory Requirements

You should know that the main requirements for the quality of paving stones are set out in GOST 17608-91. The regulatory documentation states that it must withstand at least 200 freeze and thaw cycles, a compressive load of at least 30 MPa, moisture permeability of no more than 5%, abrasion resistance of no more than 0.7 g / cm². GOST also defines the maximum allowable deviations from the specified geometric parameters and other characteristics.

For the manufacture of the working mixture, Portland cement M500, fine crushed stone (5 - 10 mm) and sand with a grain size of up to 2 mm are used. In order for the hardened mixture to be strong enough, a plasticizer is introduced when mixing the working mixture, the best manufacturers of which are the Czech company Mustache and Prohese and the German company Bayer.

The buyer has the right to demand from the manufacturer or seller for review the Quality Confirmation Certificate issued by the authorized regional Certification Body. Such a document is issued on the basis of positive results of laboratory tests of products. In addition, there must be documents confirming the radiation safety of the tile or raw materials used for its production.

Basic information about the production of paving stones

Currently, manufacturers use one of two technologies: the first is based on pressing a rigid mixture with the help of vibration, the second is based on vibration casting with the addition of plasticizers. Both methods make it possible to obtain high-quality low-porosity concrete products, but paving stones obtained by vibrocasting are superior in strength to pressed ones due to the use of plasticizers.

Paving slabs are also made in a handicraft way: a plastic form is filled with concrete and placed on a vibrating table. Without vibrocompression, the product will be fragile and will not last long: moisture, penetrating into the pores and freezing in them, will destroy the tile.

For production in industrial volumes, a concrete mixer, a vibrating table, a sufficient number of molds and other equipment are required. The process is carried out with the following sequence of actions.

1. Plastic molds are lubricated with grease or other similar lubricant: this will facilitate the removal of the finished product after the mixture has dried.
2. Forms are filled with a solution and placed on a vibrating table.
3. At the end of the process, the molds are stored on racks and covered with plastic wrap for uniform drying. In this state, the product is within a day. The air temperature must be at least +15°С.
4. The dried tiles are removed from the molds, preheated in hot water at a temperature of up to +50 ° C: this reduces the amount of rejects, increases the service life of the pavers.
5. Finished products are stacked on pallets, pallets are tied with tape and covered with a film. Paving stones made in the summer can be used for their intended purpose in 7 days. In winter, it gains strength longer - 28 days. This period must be clarified before purchasing tiles.

To your attention a video about the process of production of tiles.

How to determine the quality of paving stones without accompanying documents

It is not always possible to verify the quality of paving stones by looking at the Certificate of Conformity. How to proceed in such a case? First of all, it must be taken into account that to create pedestrian zones, a paving stone thickness of 25-30 mm is sufficient. For the roadway and parking area, thicker (from 40 to 60 mm) paving slabs are needed: its price is different and also depends on the shape and color. Otherwise, you need to pay attention to the following.

1. To make the surface of products glossy, some unscrupulous manufacturers, instead of using special expensive additives, introduce excess water into the solution. This leads to a decrease in the strength of the pavement. To identify such a flaw is simple: just lightly tap one tile on another. The sound that a quality tile will make will be sonorous. A dull sound is a sign of a violation of production technology.
2. The color of concrete paving stones should not be overly saturated: an excess of pigment also worsens the strength characteristics of the material.
3. The presence of clay in the working mixture adversely affects the quality. Reacting with cement, it destroys the tile when it gets wet. Clay can be detected by examining the back of the product: yellow inclusions and spots are signs of the presence of clay.
4. If paving slabs are outwardly attractive, this does not guarantee its compliance with the requirements of regulatory documents. You should examine the material in the middle, for which you need to break one stone. Pores, voids and foreign inclusions should not be. The pigment that sets the color of the product must be evenly distributed throughout the material. Painting only the front part leads to delamination, reduces the service life.
5. It is worth avoiding the purchase of tiles that are too cheap: they are most likely made from low-quality raw materials or in violation of technology.
6. It is important to consider how long the manufacturer has been operating in the market for the production of this type of building materials. It is advisable to enlist the recommendations of those who have already used this tile and inspect the pavement laid out by it: if the paving stone has served for several years and has not lost its appearance, its quality is at the proper level.
7. It is necessary to correctly determine and purchase the required amount of material (with a small margin): the color and texture of products from different batches can differ significantly from each other.

Some information about the technology of laying paving slabs

Paving stones are laid in different ways depending on how it will be used. For personal plots, the following technology is suitable.

1. Before starting laying, you should decide on the pattern and size of the area to be paved in order to avoid unnecessary cutting of tiles and a large amount of waste.
2. You need to stock up on tools. You will need: shovels (bayonet and shovel), rake, rammer, construction level, geomembrane cloth (geotextile), as a rule, a hammer with a rubber striker.
3. The marked area must be cleared of vegetation (remove the sod) to a depth of 150 mm and tamp the ground. Hard soil can be softened by watering abundantly. This pit must have a slope to drain rainwater.
4. On the sides, you need to prepare ditches for installing a curb, the bottom is compacted in them and a sand cushion is poured with a layer of 50 mm. Borders are installed on a cement-sand mortar.
5. Geotextiles are laid over the entire area of ​​​​the pit. Sand is poured over the canvas with a layer of about 40 mm and evenly distributed with a rake. To avoid surface deformations due to unevenness of the bottom of the pit, cement should be mixed with sand in a ratio of 1: 10.
6. A pillow made of a mixture of sand and cement is wetted with water and carefully leveled with a rule.
7. The tile is laid (starting from the curb) and driven in with a rubber mallet. You can’t move on the sand: for this, a board is used, which is laid on top of the tiles already driven into place.
8. Tile cutting is performed by a grinder with a diamond wheel.
9. Differences in the base level are leveled by adding or sand selection.
10. At the end of laying, the paving stones are abundantly sprinkled with sand, which is then swept away. This is necessary to fill the seams. After that, the sidewalk is watered. You can use it the next day.

To equip the site for the car, an additional layer of crushed stone is required, which is poured and compacted in front of the sand cushion. A reinforcing mesh is also needed: it is placed on top of the sand.

A video on how paving stones are laid will help clarify some important points.

To choose the right paving slabs, you should seek help from specialists of trading enterprises - managers. Tiling is best left to the professionals.

What is the strength of paving slabs ? - this is what should be clarified with the seller when buying material. This indicator directly determines the durability and wear resistance of the coating.

Durability of paving slabs. General concept

Strength is a generalized concept that includes compressive strength and tensile strength in bending. This indicator characterizes the ability of the material to withstand various kinds of loads, which depend on the operating conditions (vehicle traffic, deformation during different environmental conditions, base vibrations, etc.). The indicator is prescribed in the regulatory documentation, in accordance with which the production is carried out.

So, according to GOST 17608-91, the compressive strength is B 22.5 for concrete grade 300 and B 30 for concrete grade 400.

Compare prices for tile work - discounts up to 40%.

What affects the strength of paving slabs?

The indicator depends on the brand of concrete used in the production process, the amount and properties of additives and additional components, and the manufacturing method.

Cast tiles with a significant consumption of high-quality cements do not have sufficient strength. Therefore, it is inappropriate to use it for paving roads. Even with the strict compliance of the technological process with all the requirements and norms, cast tiles hardly fit into the parameters established by law.

The pressed tile possesses high rates of durability. The secret lies in the special structure of the product. As a result of vibrocompression with constant impacts on a vibrating workpiece, most of the bound water can be removed. The amount of water directly affects the hardness, elasticity and performance.

The strength is affected by the weight and thickness of the finished product, as well as the abrasion of the tile. Strength decreases over the years. Therefore, the answer to the question: What is the strength of paving slabs?, allows you to understand how much the investment will pay off and how long the tile will last.

What is the durability of paving slabs?

The durability of tiles depends on quality indicators and on proper installation. Firstly, abrasion affects the service life. The lower the abrasion, the longer the service life. The raw material composition also has an impact on durability. The less water, the more durability. In order for the tile to last as long as possible, it is necessary to correctly calculate the operational load to which it will be subjected. The greater the load, the thicker the tile should be chosen. But at the same time, its dimensions should be as small as possible. This condition is necessary for a more even distribution of the load.

The quality of the base and proper installation is another important condition that contributes to the extension of the service life. If the base is uneven or the material is laid directly on the ground, then the likelihood of uneven loads increases, which leads to cracking of the products.

Paving slabs today are a very popular way of paving surfaces for a wide variety of purposes. It is laid everywhere - when arranging metro stops and squares, entrances in front of offices and shops, areas for the movement of people at sports facilities and business centers, paths in garden plots and sidewalks. Examples of paving with paving slabs are simply inexhaustible.

How to determine the quality of paving slabs

Without special equipment, it is quite difficult to determine the degree of quality of paving slabs. But still, experts give several recommendations to minimize the risk of buying substandard products:

1. A glossy, mirror-like surface of a tile is not necessarily a sign of its high quality. To achieve this result, manufacturers can go in two ways: either add special additives to the concrete mixture, or an excessive amount of water. The latter has a very negative effect on the quality of the tile, making the product very fragile. Checking compliance with the production technology is quite simple - you need to lightly tap the tiles against each other. A sonorous sound indicates the quality of the product, a deaf sound indicates a violation of its manufacturing technology.
2. The bright, rich color of the material is also achieved in different ways - either through the use of expensive pigments, or an overdose of dye, resulting in a decrease in the strength of the tile.
3. On the breaks of the tile, you can check the uniformity of its structure - there should not be any cracks, pores or voids inside.
4. The production technology of high-quality paving slabs involves the use of sand without clay inclusions. Non-strict observance of this rule leads to a decrease in the quality and durability of products. The presence of clay in the composition of the tile can be signaled by yellow spots or stains on the back of the product.
5. Don't forget about product certification. Any paving slabs must be produced in accordance with GOST 17608-91, the manufacture of material according to specifications does not guarantee its quality and durability.
6. Well, about the price. The price of paving slabs from a manufacturing company cannot be lower than the investment costs of acquiring high-quality components for its manufacture. Therefore, the low cost of the product should, at least, alert the prudent consumer.

As you can see, everything is not so complicated, the quality of your coating depends only on your care and adherence to the technique of laying paving slabs. But more about that another time.

Why is this cover so popular?

Advantages of paving slabs

It has a large number of undeniable advantages over other decorative coatings:

• the variety of types, shapes and colors of paving slabs is very large, and this makes it possible to give any piece of land its own, unique look and fit it into any designer interior and landscape;
• high-quality tiles are characterized by high strength, wear and frost resistance, which has the most positive effect on the durability of the coating;
• the territory paved with tiles is very easy to repair - a rejected element can be replaced at any time with a quality one without any effort and violations of the quality of the coating;
• if it is necessary to lay communications on a given piece of land, paving slabs can be easily dismantled and laid again upon completion of work;
• paving slabs do not contribute to moisture stagnation and ensure the complete absence of puddles after rain;
• the coating can be completed with additional decorative elements, allowing to give a special completeness to the equipped area. Such elements include curbstones and gutters;
• does not require special knowledge or skills in building craftsmanship - even a beginner can handle it.

As for the shortcomings of paving slabs, no serious shortcomings have been identified in it. Another issue is when the tile was laid illiterately, in violation of the paving technology, in which case the coating becomes unsafe, you can stumble on the protruding edges of the tile, slip on staggering elements.

Technologies for the production of paving slabs and their features

Most consumers are wondering what technology - vibrocasting or vibrocompression - is used to produce better quality paving slabs. In fact, these two technologies cannot compete with each other, since each of them is designed for different places of operation.

So, to cover areas of large volumes, as well as in places where heavy vehicles can pass, vibrocompressed paving slabs are more suitable. Products made using vibrocompression technology have higher strength characteristics, and automation of the entire manufacturing process makes it possible to set up the production of tiles on a huge scale.

Those who want to stand out from the monotony of the city equip their territory with paving slabs made using vibrocasting technology. Cast tiles have an exclusive appearance, rich color shades and original texture, and are produced in limited quantities. Due to the fact that the vibrocasting technology is less automated, this affects not only the volume of products, but also its geometry and, of course, the price. Cast tiles are mainly used for laying out pedestrian areas or places for people to relax.

Getting ready to move.
From May 9, the liquidation of the warehouse of paving slabs!
Honest discounts up to 50% on all tiles in stock.
Specify availability and prices by phone 987-76-41

Consider the main questions that you need to know the answer to before buying paving slabs:

1. Which is better: vibrocasting or vibropress?
   There are those who confidently declare that one or another type of paving slabs is better. This is fundamentally wrong. Each type has its pros and cons. We produce both types of paving slabs. We conducted comprehensive tests of our tiles and samples of competitors for compliance with GOST. According to the main parameters, such as compressive strength, fracture strength, abrasion, frost resistance and light resistance (that is, the ability to maintain bright colors), it did not reveal the advantages of vibrocasting or vibropress. Another thing is that tiles from different manufacturers showed a very large variation in all indicators. Vibropressed paving slabs are made automatically and are much less demanding on the quality of the components. Due to this, it is slightly cheaper than vibrocast paving slabs. The disadvantages include a small number of shapes and colors. High-quality vibrocast paving slabs require the use of only expensive components, such as washed graded sand, crushed stone of fraction 5-20, without additives of Portland cement grade not lower than 500 and high-quality additives. This makes it more expensive to manufacture, but the appearance and surface quality compare favorably with the brick making machine. BUT, ignorance of technology and savings on raw materials will inevitably lead to its rapid destruction.
   Buying tiles from us, regardless of the type of production, you can be sure that it complies with GOST in all respects and will serve you for a long time.
2. Why is there such a variation in prices on the market and why should we not chase cheapness?
   The price of paving slabs consists of the main components: the cost of raw materials, the salary of workers and the profit of the manufacturer.
   The manufacturer's profit in this segment is low and amounts to 10-15%, regardless of other parameters.
   The salary of workers depends on their qualifications and the level of production automation. Many firms make their paving slabs cheaper by optimizing the workflow and using professional equipment. Others go through the use of low-skilled labor. Which option is preferable, no need to explain.
   The cost of raw materials directly depends on its quality. Unfortunately, unscrupulous manufacturers often save just on raw materials. From experience I can say that savings can reach 3000-3500 thousand rubles per cubic meter of concrete, which is 200 rubles per sq.m of production. And the buyer learns about it only after the winter, looking with horror at his "beautiful paths." So try to demand, in addition to documents for products, certificates for raw materials. Cement from the nearest store and sand from a “familiar dump truck”, unfortunately, have a very sad effect on product quality.
   Here, as nowhere else, the saying "the miser pays twice" is true.
3. What thickness of paving slabs is needed?
   Construction GOSTs also regulate this issue. When laying on a sand and gravel cushion (the most optimal and common type of laying), it is quite enough
   - for footpaths 30-60mm
   - for car parking 60mm
   - for places with constant passage of freight transport (gas stations, car depots, etc.) 80mm
   High-quality paving slabs have a compressive strength of 400 kg / sq. cm with a thickness of 60 mm, and this is a load of 80-200 tons per tile. In the entire history of our work, there has not been a single case of a 60mm thick tile cracked, for example, when hit by a car (even a truck).
   There is no point in overpaying when buying 80mm thick tiles for a suburban area. But you should not put 30mm tiles under the car.
4. What is the total cost of pavement?
   The tile itself - for 2012 it is 450-700 r / m 2
   Delivery - individually, somewhere around 100-150 r / m 2 (when delivered by a manipulator)
   Laying - 600-800 r / m 2
   Borders - individually, let another 100 r / m 2
   Materials for laying (crushed stone, sand, geotextile) - 200-350 r / m 2
   Total at average prices 1825 r / m 2
   Cheap pleasure. Now think again: do you still want to save 100 rubles on paving slabs and 100 rubles on laying with the prospect of re-laying in a year?
5. What color to choose?
   Subject to the use of high-quality dyes (pigments) for concrete and full-volume painting, you can choose any color. The only exception is green and blue. Their light fastness is lower. We offer you coloring tiles in red, black, brown (several tones), beige. Also, customers really like the coloring under the stone, when incomplete mixing of concretes of 2 different colors is used. This does not affect the quality of paving slabs. Often the question arises why the colors are not bright? To obtain a bright color, either white cement or a high pigment content (more than 5%) must be used. White cement gives efflorescence and reduces frost resistance (the main parameter in our strip). Increasing the amount of pigment has an extremely negative effect on strength and greatly increases the cost. Brighter and more saturated colors can be easily obtained by coating the tiles with concrete impregnation.
6. What is the service life of paving slabs?
   The service life directly depends on 2 indicators - compressive strength and frost resistance. For our strip, with a compressive strength of 300 kg / sq. cm and frost resistance of 150 cycles, the service life of paving slabs is from 10 years (regardless of the type of production). Our tiles have the following options
   Vibropress strength - 350kg / sq.cm, frost resistance 180 cycles
   Vibrocasting strength - 400kg / sq.cm, frost resistance 220 cycles
   According to construction calculations, the service life of our tiles is 20-25 years.
   Do not believe when you are promised a strength of 600 kg / sq. cm and a frost resistance of 300 cycles. It is impossible to achieve such parameters in production conditions with adequate financial costs. Demand test reports from accredited construction laboratories!
7. Can you install paving slabs yourself?
   Can. Moreover, there are no special secrets here. The laying process is described in detail on our website in the laying section and on other building resources. The only thing you need is a vibrating plate. Without it, it will be difficult to seal the pillow with high quality.

If after reading this article you still have questions, we will be happy to answer them by phone