River stone garden paths. DIY natural stone paths

Stone paths perform several different functions at once - they simplify moving around the garden and yard and transporting inventory, zoning and decorating the site. It is not difficult to pave them on your own, the main thing is to choose the right material. Paths can be decorated by combining different materials with each other, and made part of the garden by planting grass and flowers in the seams between pebbles, flagstones or paving stones. Learn how to make stone paths with your own hands according to all the rules and for many years.

Natural and practical

Which stone for paths is better

The stone for paths on the site and for garden paths can be natural or artificial. Each type has its own characteristics and properties, without knowing which it is difficult to choose the right material that is suitable for your purposes. The choice of coating for depends on aesthetic preferences, operating conditions and the budget allocated for the purchase.

Lawn walk

Wild stone - an age-old tradition

The shapes and sizes of flagstone for wild stone paths are always different. Choose a surface and use one of three paving methods when laying - curved, freehand or in-line.

The first method of laying is most often used, making scaly-arcuate or segmental-arcuate patterns. The result is a practical and beautiful surface. The remaining methods are similar, the flagstone is laid in any order you like, but only the craftsmen have a good result.

The shape of a wild stone is never perfect

Several types of natural materials are used for styling:

• granite;
• sandstone;
• slate;

Each has its own characteristics and advantages, but the arrangement of paths made of natural stone of different types is in many ways similar.

A simple solution

Granite tiles - a luxurious classic

The strongest material for garden alleys is granite. He is not afraid of water and sun. There are many styling patterns - pigtail, herringbone, arc, checkerboard pattern.

Luxurious alleys are laid out of granite with their own hands. The natural pattern and color can be very unusual due to the different characteristics of the constituent element of granite - feldspar. Shades range from dark red to gray.

Granite stone walkways can be made from treated or untreated material. Chipped, sawn or sawn-chipped granite paving stones are often used.

Granite paving stones

If you want to pave old-style sidewalks on the site, choose chipped paving stones. It is produced by splitting large layers of rock, so the surface is not very smooth, but strong. Such a sidewalk is relatively inexpensive compared to other options paved with granite.

For a perfectly flat surface, buy sawn paving stones. During production, it is sawn, so it has smooth edges and there are practically no gaps left when paving. Thanks to additional grinding with special compounds and heat treatment of sawn paving stones, it becomes smooth and non-slip.

Sawed granite sidewalk

Make the paths for walking from sawn-chopped paving stones, due to the processing technology, such a bar has two chopped edges, and the remaining sawn. This makes it possible to make the pavement either with a smooth surface and uneven joints, or perfectly docked and with a rough top.

Sandstone slabs - maximum naturalness

Natural sand stone for paths comes in different colors, its color is uniform. The most commonly used layers are light brown. There are also white, blue, red, ash, green and burgundy plates.

The texture, density and pattern of sandstone vary due to the ratio of its constituent quartz, ore, clay and feldspar.

In the process of sandstone mining, the edges of the stone plate are uneven, and chips may appear on the surface. The thickness of the layer can be from a centimeter to six, when paving the sidewalk, you can use pieces of different sizes.

If for a summer residence you need a material with a natural shade that does not absorb water, rough and aesthetically pleasing, take a closer look at sandstone, it has all these properties.

Sandstone plates on site

Shale flagstone - natural originality

Slate slabs can be golden, yellow, brown, gray, burgundy, green, black, and even purple. The texture of each piece of rock created by nature is unique. During production, layers of different thicknesses are obtained.

Slate has many advantages: resistance to frost, fire, water and sun light, and high strength of the material. The sharp edges of the slabs can damage the soles of the shoes, so you need to carefully select the paving elements. The appearance and properties of natural slate stone for paths make it possible to create unique paths in the country or a suburban area.

Stacked multi-colored shale beds

Rocks - accessibility and practicality

When crushed stone is mined, fragments of rocks of various shapes remain - platy, ragged, round, bedded or decorative. This is the wild rubble stone for the tracks. It is very durable and consists of different rocks - limestone, granite or sandstone.

The sizes of rubble cobblestones can be from 150 mm to 500 mm. When paving alleys, use medium sized chunks and choose a rounded or decorative butt.

The properties of wild buta depend on the rock of which it is composed, but resistance to frost, rain and sunlight is common. Sidewalks made of rubble will last a long time and are inexpensive - natural rubble stones are mined almost everywhere.

Quarry alleys organically merge with the flora of the site

River pebbles - two stacking options

For dumping and paving country paths with their own hands, pebbles are often used. It can be different - mined on the banks of rivers, seas or lakes. River pebbles are best suited for garden paths, they are less smooth.

Gravel paths have a great advantage - if you later want to pave the sidewalk with tiles or other stone, you can lay the new surface directly on the old one.

The disadvantage of alleys covered with pebbles is its ability to creep under pressure. This makes it difficult to move around the site. To improve the bearing capacity of pebble paths, fill it with a layer no more than 7 cm. You can also mix it with rubble, but this will affect the aesthetics.

Monolithic pebble paths are highly durable and resistant to external influences. In addition, you will have the opportunity to create patterns of any shape and complexity. An example of an ornament that you can lay out from natural pebbles is shown in the photo.

Floral pebble ornament

Artificial decorative stone

If your budget is limited, then a decorative artificial stone is a substitute for natural. It has all the properties of a natural one - it tolerates temperature changes well, does not absorb water and can withstand significant stress.

Outwardly, such a material can look anything you like - resemble untreated rock, granite paving stones, or even wood. Artificial tiles are molded in special molds and therefore have the same size.

Paths made of decorative stone are easier to lay out than natural ones, which have to be selected and pre-laid before paving the sidewalk. Artificial tiles come in a variety of sizes. To preserve the alleys for a long time, choose plates at least 2 cm thick.

Artificial stone path

How to properly lay a stone on the paths

There are two options for laying stone on a droshky - with and without cement mortar, but you need to decide how to lay out a stone path with your own hands before starting work. When laying the topcoat, pay attention that the trails should be a couple of centimeters higher than the ground. This will prevent the water from spreading and stagnating on the surface.

Simple walking path

Stone walkway without cement

Paving paths with natural stone without the use of cement can be performed if there is not much pressure on their surface. Simple walking or transporting a wheelbarrow with equipment will not do much harm to the path in the country, but the car can seriously damage the laid out structure.

Laying on sand

DIY step-by-step paving technique:

1. Periodically check the result of work with a building level, put it on several adjacent tiles at once, so the measurement will be more accurate. If necessary, correct the horizontal position of the layers with a mallet.
2. Fix the elements of the garden path, sprinkle joints and small cracks with dry sand, you can fill large openings with decorative pebbles.
3. Finish the paving with curbs. They will protect the paved sidewalk from spreading in width and add aesthetics.

Video: How to put a stone on the paths with your own hands

Concrete and stone paths

Flat stone sidewalks, laid on a concrete base, have a significant bearing capacity. Even before laying out paths made of natural stone, decide whether cars will drive on the paved surface. If so, be sure to make a concrete base. When pouring, consider the thickness of the stone for the walkways so that the finished sidewalks rise above the ground.

It is also better to pre-concrete paths made of small stone, pebbles and similar materials do not hold the load well and fall through. If you want to create a pebble ornament, you must definitely fix it, otherwise the pattern will disappear over time. The solution can be used to fix any pebbles for paths in the country.

Paving on a concrete base

Step-by-step instruction:

1. Clear the paths and mark the site with the pegs and rope them around the contour.
2. Dig a pit 25-30 cm deep with a shovel.
3. Make a gravel bed by sprinkling rubble, pebbles, or similar material into the resulting dirt trough. The layer thickness should be 10-15 cm.
4. Compact the gravel, level the surface with sand, sprinkle with water, and repeat the compacting procedure.
5. If there is a significant load on the surface of the garden paths, then reinforce it before pouring concrete.
6. Prepare concrete and pour it into the trench with a layer of 5-10 centimeters.
7. Smooth the surface of the mortar with a trowel or a rule.
8. Cover the fresh concrete with plastic wrap and wait a few days for the screed to fully cure.
9. Spread a topcoat of stone or bricks onto the cured concrete and mark the location of each element.
10. According to the prepared scheme, place natural cut stone on the path on the cement mortar, checking the horizontal with a level.
11. Fill the joints flush with mortar.

Preliminary joining of layers on dry concrete

You can make paths from broken stone with your own hands in the country by gluing the pieces to glue. At the same time, the slab must be intact, there can be no cracks or chips on it.

What to plant between the stones on the path

To make a suburban area original, decorate paths lined with limestone, pebbles or other similar materials with natural greenery. There are many types of plants that can live in gaps.

For pebble sidewalks, cushion plants, such as creeping thyme or navel noble, work well. Thyme forms a fluffy and flowering mat underfoot, while the navel forms a thick and aromatic mat. They need light and water to grow. Do not plant these plants in walk-through areas, they do not like to be often injured.

Natural style

If the seams on the path are wide, you can plant a bryozoan, but it needs frequent watering and protection from the sun. If the gaps between the flagstone are small, and the alley is impassable, plant a cuff.

The seams between the tiles can be sealed with sprouted grass. To do this, a couple of days after the end of the paving work, fill the joints with fertile soil and tamp it a little. For sowing, use seeds of low-growing lawn grass.

How to plant grass between the stones of the path:

1. Pour the seeds into a container with earth or sand, mix.
2. Spread the resulting mixture over the surface and brush it over the gaps.
3. Compact the earth so that it is below the level of the slabs.
4. Cover the resulting bed with wet burlap or similar material that retains moisture and water it daily.

Grass sprouted in the gaps between the layers

After three weeks, grass will appear in the gaps between the slabs. It does not require special care, being content with natural precipitation, but during drought days, you can water miniature plantings.

Decorate the pedestrian zones at your dacha by making paths from pebbles, sandstone, granite or other wild stone with your own hands. Natural materials will complement the appearance of the site, and you will admire the result of the work for several decades.

A pebble path is what will highlight the personality of your garden area and impress your guests. You are quite capable of making it, and you will daily admire the beauty and elegance of the garden. Let's talk about pebble paving in this article.

Where the pebble path will be good

A garden path is one of the elements of garden design. There are many paths, you need to choose the one that will harmoniously fit into the overall picture of the garden landscape.

If the composition includes a large array of natural stone and bright vegetation, then one of the priority paving options will be a pebble path. This material has been known to designers for a long time and is famous for its ease of installation, high strength and durability. In addition, pebbles are cheaper than many natural and artificial materials and look very aesthetically pleasing and natural. The versatility of this stone also lies in the fact that it can be used in any climatic conditions.

Which pebble to choose

Various natural colors of pebbles allow you to create real masterpieces from it right in the garden. Before laying, it is important to consider that river pebbles are flatter than sea pebbles, and they are also not as smooth. Naturally, river pebbles are somewhat easier to pave than sea pebbles. The difference in the size and color of the stone makes it possible to make complex ornaments and colorful patterns from it.

Note that today you can buy artificial pebbles based on shale rocks, sandstone and marble. The wear resistance of such a material is even higher than that of natural pebbles, and the color range is richer and more varied. However, artificial pebbles are more expensive.

How to make a pebble track

A pebble garden path, paved by an experienced and skillful craftsman, will delight you with its wonderful structure and color, and walking along such a fabulous path will give you aesthetic pleasure. But, if you have minimal inclinations in drawing and have experience working with a solution, then you can pave a garden path from pebbles without the help of landscape designers. How to do it:

Keep in mind that the solution dries quickly, so lay the path in sections - so that you have time to lay out the pebbles before the solution hardens.

• After the area of \u200b\u200b25 × 25 cm has been paved, the stone is tamped down with a rubber hammer.
• The formed gaps between the stones are filled with the same solution, but more liquid.
• After filling the joints between the stones, you need to wait three hours and spray the path with water, and then cover it with plastic wrap.
• Afterwards, sprinkle with water again and, without covering it with a film, let the track dry completely.
• During drying, twice a day, the garden path must be moistened with water, this will give additional strength to the solution.
• When the path is dry, stones stained with mortar can be cleaned with a medium-hard metal brush.

How to create an ornament

Patterned tracks are the most beautiful. Pebbles are exactly the material from which magnificent ornaments are easily obtained.

• First, you need to make an ornament template from a sketch.
• Before starting paving, this template is laid on top of the mortar poured into the formwork.
• Sort stones by size, shape, and color.
• Pebbles can be laid not only flat, but also with an edge.

Garden paths add neatness, elegance and nobility to the site. In addition to their practical functions, they also have significant aesthetic value. On the one hand, uniting all the buildings, the paths form a common ensemble. On the other hand, they allow you to zone the site, highlighting the functional zones: a vegetable garden, a flower garden, farm buildings, a recreation area. With proper organization, garden paths can correct some of the shortcomings and inaccuracies of landscape design.

The paths can be designed in a variety of ways, but the most surprising, perhaps, was the method of laying out pebbles and stones. The stones can be used both natural and artificial.

When creating a composition, both river and sea stones are suitable. These stones look very impressive because very smooth, polished by waves. They can be of different colors or sizes, due to which tint pictures are often created. Flat rocks that are not particularly smooth can also be used. The most important thing when choosing a material is to understand exactly how it will lie.

When planning to build garden paths from pebbles and stones with your own hands, you should definitely take into account several factors:

1. Planned load - it is important to consider for those cases when a car will cross (run over) the track.

2. The walkway should be sloped to avoid accumulation of rainwater on the track.

3. In a small area, the tracks should not be straight - turns and bends will optically add depth and space to the area.

To create a garden path from pebbles, you will need stones of various colors and sizes, cement for the screed and sand.

It is imperative to take into account during construction what climatic zone you live in, so for countries with a harsh climate, in particular for Russia with its frosty winters, you should not build long monolithic paths, it is more rational to create small sections of tiles, and then lay them in a path.

To create small fragments (which can decorate not only a garden path, but also borders, steps, flower beds), we decide on the ornament of the pattern that will decorate our tiles, we select stones by color and size. It is not recommended to use pebbles less than 5-6 cm in diameter, as it does not hold well in the cement and will surely fall off.

Moisten the pebbles with water, this will strengthen their adhesion to the cement mortar.

To strengthen our mosaic tiles, you will need reinforcement, which must be sunk in cement mortar.

To prepare a plot for a garden path, we need to make a sand pillow with a layer of 5 - 6 cm, tamp it carefully.

We knead the solution, put it on a small fragment of the path, level and lay the pebbles in accordance with the intended pattern. In order for the surface of the cement not to crack, you need to moisten it with water and cover it with a film, this will slow down the process of solidification of the solution.

In order for the stones to lie flat, you need to press them down with a wooden plate from above and knock them out with a rubber hammer.

When the walkway is complete, fill in the gaps between the stones with dry concrete, dampen with water and cover with a tarp or plastic bag for a few days to keep the concrete saturated and not dry. Let it lie like this one day.

Open the path and make sure the stones are dry. Using a brush, hammer in the concrete mixture between the stones so that no more than a third of the stones remain on the surface. The more you add the mixture to the stones, the harder the track will wear out. In high traffic areas, fill the joints almost flush with the top of the stones.

Moisten the mixture slightly until it is saturated. (You can add more mixture if it shrinks a lot.) Leave it for 30-60 minutes to fully absorb, do not cover or water, let it dry. Using a stiff brush, tap the seams to shape them.
Cover the mosaic with a plastic tarp to hold the moisture you gave it. Leave it on for 1-2 days. See if it's ready. Complete drying will take place in 1-2 weeks.

When finished, wipe off the stones with a rag to keep them free of concrete.

Recently popular solution - forms for garden paths, do it yourself allowing you to get a canvas that imitates a stone. Most often, these are special plastic forms (although you can make your own if you wish), representing several cells that have an arbitrary shape and are connected together. They form a certain pattern, while the shape is designed in such a way that it allows the slabs to be joined together in any direction, to obtain tracks of the required width, as well as to make turns (bends), while the joints are absolutely indistinguishable.

Making garden paths with your own hands using forms has a number of advantages:

1. External appeal - separate (mosaic) blocks look more attractive than a monolith of a concrete screed. Additionally, concrete can be painted with special dyes, as well as supplemented, for example, with pebbles.

2. Relative cheapness - if you compare the total costs, then a garden path made of concrete with your own hands, obtained using a mold, will cost less than laying pebbles.

Garden paths in the form of leaves look very interesting. Let's see how you can do them.

After spending a certain amount of time and work, a garden path made of pebbles, natural or artificial stone will be a wonderful decoration for your garden.

A fashionable trend in the design of a personal plot has recently become the manufacture of a pebble path in the country with your own hands. The building materials market offers a large selection of different materials. Pebbles are one of the few natural and environmentally friendly elements used for road surfaces.

What is suitable for

A variety of types of pebbles will emphasize the style inherent in your summer cottage. If the cottage is decorated in a Mediterranean style, then it will be necessary to lay out various mosaic patterns, highlighting many shades and changing the size of the pebbles. When decorating a country-style plot, it will be appropriate to use a monochromatic gray raw material of a small, or better, a very small fraction.

These tracks have practical applications

When your home is decorated in a high-tech style, you can complement your existing basic housing approaches with fine stone paths that separate the different parts of your garden by purpose. If there is a pond or alpine slide on the site, large pebbles and paved paths will be an excellent completion of the landscape design.

Video "DIY pebble path"

From this video you will learn how to make a beautiful pebble path in your country house with your own hands:

Paving technology

Subject to all the prescribed points, any summer resident will be able to lay pebbles on his site:

1. Let's mark the track. We determine the width ourselves. Usually it is equal from 0.9 to 1.5 m. The features of the relief may not always allow this, then the minimum width should not be less than 50 cm. In this case, we use pegs and a cord.
2. We dig a trench along the marked width to a depth of 20 cm. More or less depends on the size of the pebble: the larger it is, the greater the depth, and vice versa.
3. We put geotextiles in two layers at the bottom. Its use will protect the path from weed germination.
4. We pour a layer of sand, and after that - rubble. We fill the trench volume with a sand-gravel mixture two-thirds of the depth and be sure to wet it. The device of such a pillow is necessary so that later during operation the track does not have cracks or other defects.
5. Along the edges of the trench, install a tile or curb. We fill the entire area with a ready-made cement-sand mixture, in a ratio of 1: 3 / 3.5. Using a level, we check the horizontalness of the poured surface.
6. We lay pebbles with a board and a hammer. We plant it halfway into the solution, which is still damp. The stones are placed as close to each other as possible. They can be installed both lengthwise and flat, depending on the idea.
7. We will take measures to slowly solidify the solution: cover it with a film, periodically water it. This must be done so that our path does not have cracks.

After the end of the work, the track should stand under the film for several weeks and dry.

When performing these works you will need:

• shovel;
• rake;
• timber, which in length will correspond to the width of the track;
• level, building corner;
• brush;
• a hammer.

Material selection

To determine the material of the track, it is important to know that pebbles are:

• marine;
• river;
• artificial.

This material is of several types.

Sea pebbles differ from river pebbles in a variety of sizes, colors and shades. The river has a solid gray-brown tone and a smaller fraction. Distinguish by size:

• small - up to 2.5 cm;
• medium - 2.5–5 cm;
• large - more than 5 cm.

Let's choose the required fraction. If we give preference to making colored mosaics, then an artificial stone of medium or large fraction will be more suitable. And if only the functional use of the track is important for its intended purpose, then small river pebbles will be enough. The use of natural material will allow it to last longer. If there is a reservoir in the immediate vicinity, then you can use pebbles taken directly from the river. This way you can save on the purchase of basic raw materials.

Direct styling

Before starting work, you need to make sure that all sections of the future path are horizontal. Laying work is carried out in a wet solution, so everything must be done before the mixture hardens. For mosaic laying, it is necessary to lay out the drawing next to the place of the future location. If the pebbles have different colors and sizes, you must first sort it. When laying wet without patterns, the pebbles are placed very tightly. With the help of a plank and a hammer, the surface of the future path is leveled.

If a mosaic is made, then a sketch of the drawing, which is located next to it, is applied to the solution. Until the mixture has frozen, the drawing is carefully transferred to the planned location. Aligned with a hammer with a rail. When laying pebble mosaics, there is no need for a clear alignment of each stone parallel to one another. If the drawing is done perfectly evenly, then it will lose its naturalness, so do not waste your energy in vain. Start paving round mosaics from the middle. This will keep the pattern fairly symmetrical. When using stones of different sizes, try to work out the larger elements first.

During installation, the solution between the stones may be unevenly distributed. To avoid this, you need to smooth out all these irregularities with a brush. After everything is done, it is necessary to carefully shed the laid out path and cover until it dries completely.

A properly laid pebble walkway is practical and requires minimal maintenance. After heavy rainfall, especially after winter, it is recommended to treat the joints of your walkway with a special impregnation to increase the elasticity of the cement coating. If this is not done, then over time, the cement mixture will crack and the cracks will fill with earth or sand. If you have not used geotextiles when arranging the path, then after some time you will have to deal with removing weeds from your paths. If individual sections of the path are destroyed, it is necessary to repair them using building mixtures and glue.

Now on your site there will be modern pebble paths that will allow you to keep clean and tidy on the street and in the house in any weather. The appearance of the estate will become more solid and neat.

Only those who already have garden paths made of stone rejoice in the warm, quiet rain. Others gloomily set off to knead the dirt with their galoshes and glide smoothly over an unstable surface, gradually overcoming meter by meter of their yard. Agree, it is not very comfortable to be dependent on weather conditions, to expose your clothes to pollution, and yourself to bruises. This needs to be radically changed.

In the article, we will tell you how to do it yourself paving paths with natural stone, so as not to spend a lot of money on hiring workers. Of course, you won't be able to do this for free, you still have to buy materials (from 150 rubles per 1 m 2 approximately), but everything else, including borders, can be done with your own hands and not overpay 100-200 rubles for 1 meter masonry.

Preparation of the base for garden paths made of stone

Most construction work starts from the foundation. In our case, work below ground level will also be needed, especially if it will then be necessary to drive along the track with equipment (sewer trucks, garbage trucks, trailers, etc.). If, nevertheless, only to walk - we will simply make a bedding before laying natural stone on the paths. Let's consider step by step.

STEP 1: make a deepening... Draw on the ground the shape of the required path, use a bayonet shovel to dig into 1 bayonet, the roots of trees at the edges can be cut. Then we remove the earth with a shovel so that the bottom of the pit is solid.

STEP 2: put curbs... Do not skip this step, they must be placed in front of the building material embankment, as it will hold the curb in place and will not allow it to tilt to the side.

STEP 3: adding rubble... You can use cinder block, wild stones, large construction slag, etc., here the main thing is to place heavy materials that will put pressure on the soil and have minimal shrinkage. The layer is no more than 10 centimeters or 50% of the height, approximately as in the photo of garden paths made of stone. Then it is advisable to walk with a rammer.

STEP 4: sanding and ramming... Everything is simple here. It is necessary to pour 5 centimeters of sand and tamp everything by hand or using a special machine that can be rented for 1 day. Now everything is ready, you can perform paving with natural stone. We also recommend pouring water over the sand and letting it dry. This will allow the material to shrink further if you have not used a rammer.

You can buy ready-made curbs, but making them yourself is also easy. You need to take a container 70-80 cm long, 25 cm wide and 4-5 cm thick. You can buy it on the market or weld it with a welding machine, make a couple of small holes with a diameter of 3-4 mm at the bottom.

Lubricate with technical oil (working off), pour concrete, after 1 day lay it out neatly out of the mold and make the next border. So little by little, you can make curbs for garden paths with your own hands in 2 weeks, and they will be no worse than purchased ones.

Sandstone track photo
Photo of the track without grouting

DIY sandstone paths!
Photo of an ordinary sandstone path

DIY natural stone path: disassemble step by step

The first step is to select the material from which you will make the track. Of course, there are many options: wild stone and granite, marble tiles, artificial ceramic tiles, imitation of natural stone, pebbles, round rubble and so on. But we still recommend making garden paths from artificial stone using sandstone. This inexpensive material has a good decorative appearance, fits easily and serves for a long time. Let's consider step by step how to lay it on a prepared sand pillow.

STEP 1: collect the drawing... Working with sandstone is complicated by the fact that it is necessary to find pieces of material that are suitable in shape so that the drawing is as beautiful as possible with small seams. You can lay out pieces of sandstone on the ground in advance and try to fold the desired pattern.

STEP 2: stack... It would be better to use sandstone 1.5-2 centimeters thick, since when laying thin material, cracks may appear even with minimal subsidence. After placing a piece of sandstone on your pillow, tap it lightly with a rubber mallet.

STEP 3: jointing... After the tiles are all laid, you can take a black grout (it is better to use a waterproof elastic one) and repair everything, after curing it will resemble a tight seam from a sealant, giving a better look to the tiles.

IMPORTANT: if you are making garden paths from natural stone with your own hands, be careful when choosing a grout. They are for internal work, for external work, used indoors and outdoors. Use for external use only and frost resistant grout.

STEP 4: opening with varnish... Please note that natural stone paths will look much better if you open them with impregnation and varnish, but there is a very big drawback - they become slippery after rain and in winter. The roughness of the surface is lost after opening with varnish. We recommend to use only impregnations or to be careful when walking in adverse weather (it is normal to walk on a dry surface). Opening with varnish in 3 layers of sandstone will look something like this:

Now we can already assume that the do-it-yourself garden path made of stones is already ready and can be used a couple of days after the paintwork. If you intend to use heavy equipment on the tracks, then the layer of sand in the pillow must be replaced with concrete, everything else remains unchanged. Here are some photos of garden paths lined with sandstone:

Making garden paths is a very simple process, but let's not hide the fact that there are still some nuances and they must be taken into account in the manufacture, so as not to redo the work and the result met all expectations.

1. Garden paths made of round stones and pebbles are best done immediately on a concrete screed, since they have a smaller pressure area and sag more under loads.
2. It is necessary to open it with impregnation and varnish at a temperature of +10 and above, in addition, all this must be done 4-5 hours before precipitation, or better for 1 day, choose good weather.
3. Natural stone for paths in the country can be obtained for free, for example, on a pebble beach. You can also save money when buying second-hand sandstone, as whatever you want will go to the floor.
4. Use only a rubber mallet, the metal tool will immediately break the tiles when shrinking.
5. It is better to do the paths on a small hill, since in the hole they will be washed away during heavy showers and will settle, you will have to redo it.

Our step-by-step path is made of natural stone; this process takes about 5-6 linear meters per day in time, if you work at the usual pace and carefully select the pattern. We also offer you to watch a video of grouting sandstone joints using a special grout (can be made on the basis of soot), it is not so durable, but it can be made much easier and you can then "tweak":