Garden Lighting, Stone Walking Paths, Marking, Stone Splitting, Laying - 1

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Garden design elements that help shape its appearance

Important elements of garden design are paths, playgrounds, terraces, pergolas, garden fireplaces, lamps and ponds. For their construction, use stone, wood, gravel and other materials.

Irrigated plants and velvet lawns need a high quality frame. Lovers of alpine flora will choose a rockery with retaining walls, ladders, and cobbled paths.

Garden lighting

Admiring the view of the garden at night is possible only when lit, but most gardens, unfortunately, are deprived of it. You need to plan the power supply; it implies the organization of general lighting and, possibly, additional light sources in the most important places, for example, near a reservoir, separately planted trees, some sculptures, etc.

It goes without saying that the light intensity in the garden cannot be as high as in the room. But this can hardly be viewed as a problem, since the beauty of evening walks lies precisely in the fact that there is an opportunity to admire the moon and stars, and the lighting should not interfere with this. Perhaps the easiest way to provide general lighting for your area is to install a powerful halogen lamp in it. Since a table and chairs are usually located directly near the house, there should be enough light for it.

The lighting in the garden, which illuminates the steps and edges of the paths, will allow you to show its main attractions, leaving everything else in the darkness, and then it begins to seem that the night garden filled with lights is a kind of independent, separate world.

Garden Walking Path Network

The network of natural stone footpaths and the nature of their coverage largely determine the look of any garden. However, in most cases, it is necessary to plan the subtleties of the design of the paths taking into account the entire complex of landscape architecture. This has its advantages, since in this case it is easier to take into account the features of an already formed garden. For example, the path leading to the house can be paved with light-colored granite paving stones.

Tools and equipment for track construction

The tools and equipment for laying stone are remarkably simple compared to those used in most crafts or construction. They are generally uncomplicated and inexpensive, and do not require any special training to handle them. The main tool for working with a stone is a mason's hammer, a chisel, 2-3 conventional hammers from one to three kilograms, a sledgehammer weighing 5-6 kilograms, a rubberized hammer (mallet). In addition, an ordinary wheelbarrow, shovel, crowbar, level are required.

It is especially necessary to say about safety. When working with a stone, you will constantly have to break off irregularities and protrusions from the stone with a hammer and chisel, and flying fragments can cause serious injury. First of all, you need to protect your eyes. For this, safety glasses are used, and it is better to use a protective face mask. On the hands should be leather gloves, and on the legs - boots with long tops. When you are paving the paths, good knee pads will keep your trousers in place and protect your knees. After all, even a small injury can incapacitate you for several days.

Natural stone paths

Natural stone paths are made by selecting stones and laying them correctly, thereby achieving a decorative and artistic effect. Such paths are laid out on a sandy base. Depressions are made for the largest stones. For flat hewn stones of small or medium size, flat masonry is used. The base should be 5-10 cm thick, with large stones, the masonry is carried out at intervals of 5-8 cm, which are then covered with earth and sown with grass.

Paths from rubble and small hewn stone are laid at intervals and subsequent jointing. They are filled with a solution to the level of the upper surface of the stones or a little more for better water flow from the track. Laying natural stone is much more troublesome. Granite, porphyry, basalt, gneiss and sandstone are of different sizes. However, it is precisely due to the variety of sizes and shapes of the constituent elements that the paths lined with natural stone are very attractive. It is necessary to select stones of the same size when laying on a sand cushion.

Choosing a stone for the path

Cobblestones are ideal for building a path. A cobblestone is a stone of irregular shape without a pronounced front surface, of various colors, its sizes vary from the size of a fist to a soccer ball. A cobblestone with a flat side is optimal.

The cobblestone path, which does not have a flat surface, is not very attractive and very uncomfortable to walk. To avoid this, the rounded cobblestones should be split open. For this, a small hole is made in ordinary soil, in which a cobblestone is placed.

Chopping stone

Try to select stones of approximately the same size and only with a natural face and sides. The easiest and most effective way is to chop the stone using a regular 3-4 kg sledgehammer with a long wooden handle. The sledgehammer should have a square, flat surface and sharp edges.

The stone should be placed in a hole, that is, an oval dimple in the ground corresponding to the size of the stone. This is necessary so that the stone does not roll during the impact and does not ricocheted from the impact. The blow is not applied with the entire platform of the sledgehammer, while the blow must be whipping and exactly in the middle of the stone. If it did not split from the first blow, inflict 2-3 blows in the same place. And if this is not enough, then you should turn the stone and strike from the other side.

As a rule, in 80% of cases, the stone is pricked almost in half. The resulting split surfaces are called ragged surfaces, and they subsequently serve as the front surface during construction. With this technology, approximately 20-30% of stones are waste.

Layout and marking of a stone path

When starting the construction of a stone path, it is necessary to clearly comprehend the size of the path, its boundaries and, most importantly, drainage to drain groundwater and storm water. When planning a path, it should be borne in mind that it can be an access road and run from the entrance gate to the garage. But in any case, it is necessary to mark the boundaries of the upcoming structure with the help of pegs and rope.

Stacking stones

Then, using a level or level, you should determine and mark the slope of the path for the water drain. Usually, the slope is done from the house towards the entrance gate. The tilt is about 10 degrees. The stretched rope along the edge of the path should indicate this slope.

Then excavation is carried out over the entire area to a depth of about 20 cm. Crushed stone or gravel, but not fine sand, is poured into the place of the excavated soil. This is the so-called pillow, it is thoroughly spilled with water, after the water has left, the pillow must be carefully tamped with a regular wooden tamping device. This water pouring and ramming should be repeated several times within 2-3 days. A well-tamped pillow in the future will not let your walkway sink, and will serve as good drainage. You should know that if you chose 20 cm soil, then the pillow should be about 15 cm, that is, not higher than the ground level, since on the pillow you will lay a solution 5-7 cm thick, in which the stone is placed. The face of the stone must be at least 5 cm above the ground level, this level must be defined by pegs with a rope. It is advisable to lay a box of boards about 10 cm wide at the edges of the path under construction, into which the solution must be poured. The resulting concrete wall will serve as a curb. It should be 10-15 cm higher than the track itself. The construction of the path and the curb can be carried out simultaneously. Subsequently, the box should be removed, and the solution should be poured into the resulting cracks.

After that, you can proceed to the selection and laying of the stone. Remember that in dry weather, moisten the stones and the pillow on which the solution is spread with water. It is advisable to select the stones of the same size, that is, of the same area and thickness, while the flat surface should be turned up, since it is the front. When placing stones in the solution, try to fit them tightly together. Irregularities and protrusions can be chipped off with a bricklayer's hammer. After placing the stone in the solution with a light blow with a mallet, you must drive it into the solution. Having created 1-2 square meters of the track in this way, you need to check the horizontal and inclination of your track with a level, focusing on the pegs and rope. The formed small niches between the stones should be filled with pieces of stone, which you will have in abundance after splitting large specimens. Remember,that the front surface of the stone should be 1-2 cm higher than the solution, then small grooves will be obtained between the stones, which will serve to drain water. Try to prevent the solution from getting on the face of the stone. If this happens, then after a day it must be removed with a dry metal brush, but not with a brush with water. This work does not require haste. On average, 5-7 square meters of track can be laid per working day. In order for the solution to set well, it is necessary to lightly water the path with water 4-6 times a day in dry time - and do this for a week. On a very hot sunny day, the paths are best shaded. After 3-4 days you will be able to walk on it, but the car can be started up only after ten days.which will serve to drain water. Try not to get the solution on the face of the stone. If this happens, then after a day it must be removed with a dry metal brush, but not with a brush with water. This work does not require haste. On average, 5-7 square meters of track can be laid per working day. In order for the solution to set well, it is necessary to lightly water the path with water 4-6 times a day in dry time - and do this for a week. On a very hot sunny day, the paths are best shaded. After 3-4 days you will be able to walk on it, but the car can be started up only after ten days.which will serve to drain water. Try to prevent the solution from getting on the face of the stone. If this happens, then after a day it must be removed with a dry metal brush, but not with a brush with water. This work does not require haste. On average, 5-7 square meters of track can be laid per working day. In order for the solution to set well, it is necessary to lightly water the path with water 4-6 times a day in dry time - and do this for a week. On a very hot sunny day, the paths are best shaded. After 3-4 days you will be able to walk on it, but the car can be started up only after ten days. On average, 5-7 square meters of track can be laid per working day. In order for the solution to set well, it is necessary to lightly water the path with water 4-6 times a day in dry time - and do this for a week. On a very hot sunny day, the paths are best shaded. After 3-4 days you will be able to walk on it, but the car can be started up only after ten days. On average, 5-7 square meters of track can be laid per working day. In order for the solution to set well, it is necessary to lightly water the path with water 4-6 times a day in dry time - and do this for a week. On a very hot sunny day, the paths are best shaded. After 3-4 days you will be able to walk on it, but the car can be started up only after ten days.