What is the best way to attach flagstone to the foundation. Flagstone on the plinth is an affordable way to finish. When to start finishing the basement

The country path bears not only a huge functional load, but also has a great aesthetic value. Neat and well-groomed alleys will decorate any site, while untidy and dirty paths will bring dissonance to even the most sophisticated landscape. Natural stone looks very harmonious and natural in the garden. Making practical, reliable and attractive paths in the country from flagstone with your own hands is not difficult at all and is quite within the power of any owner of the site.

How to choose a stone for paths

There are several parameters that you need to pay attention to when choosing a stone. An important characteristic is its thickness. If the flagstone is to be mounted on a concrete screed, then slabs with a thickness of 12 mm are suitable for the pedestrian zone, for an access road - from 20 mm. If it is planned to lay on a sand or gravel cushion, you need to choose a thicker stone - from 40 to 60 mm.

The color of the plates also plays an important role. Bright view has a softer and layered structure, and the most dense stone is green. Light yellow material has a very low strength, and it is better not to use it for laying paths at all, but to use it only for finishing. If you find that the stone is wet to the touch - refuse to purchase, as it may crumble during installation.

track material

Pay attention to the size and edge of the tiles. Too large or very small ones are not very convenient to work with, it is advisable to purchase flagstone for paths, the sides of which are 33–35 cm long. You should not choose material with jagged edges, later on when laying it will be very difficult to select the appropriate stones for joining. But if you want to give the path a more natural look, then uneven edges, on the contrary, will be most welcome.

Stone laying methods

Country paths are different: it can be a small path somewhere in the depths of the garden, and the central alley leading to the house, and a large access road along which cars drive. Accordingly, the loads they experience are also not the same. Therefore, before deciding how to make flagstone garden paths, decide on their purpose.

Path of natural form

Laying stone on a sand bed

This is the easiest, but not very reliable way of laying, it is only suitable for small paths that are not subjected to heavy loads. After you have determined where the alley will lie, mark the territory, drive in pegs and stretch the cord. To make the path in the country house made of limestone look natural, try to avoid right angles, round off turns and make smooth lines.

Dig a trench along the outlined outline. Its depth should be 5 cm more than the thickness of the stone. Then level the base and fill the bottom of the ditch with sand with a layer of 5 cm. To compact it, pour it with water from a hose, but not very abundantly. It should be damp, but not wet. On well-packed sand, lay the tiles in random order, leaving about 1–2 cm between them.

After the stone is laid, fill all voids with sand. If you want green grass to picturesquely break through between the elements - instead of sand, fill in fertile soil and sow the seeds.

Grass can be sown in the joints

How to lay flagstone on a sand and gravel cushion

This technology is a little more complicated than the previous one, but a gravel base track will be stronger and last much longer. In addition, this laying method is suitable for clay soils prone to heaving. After marking the site, you need to dig a trench 10 cm deep, and install a fence along it. It can be made from boards pre-treated with a primer or antiseptic, or ready-made curb blocks.

To prevent weeds from growing on the flagstone path, lay the bottom of the ditch with geotextiles, and hide its edges under the curb. From above, fill in a layer of gravel about 5 cm, then the same layer of sand, pour it with water and walk over it several times with a manual rammer. Next, lay the stone as indicated above, and fill the joints between the plates with medium or fine gravel. You can clearly see how to pave the paths in the country with flagstone, you can in the photo.

Stone laying technology

Paving tiles on a concrete base

This is the most versatile way of laying stone. It is suitable for narrow paths, high traffic paths, driveways and parking lots. The depth of the trench in this case should be about 40 cm. Before making a concrete base, it is necessary to install wooden formwork on both sides of the pit and secure it with stakes. It is advisable to use wood no thicker than 25 mm for its manufacture, which can be bent at the turns of the path.

After installing the formwork, level the ground, fill it with 10 cm of gravel and lay the reinforcing mesh. Now you can start pouring concrete, its thickness should be about 30 cm. So that the base does not crack in the future, it is necessary to make expansion joints every one and a half meters. Use thin plastic as a separator. concrete base ready, leave it for a few days for complete hardening.

Laying on cured concrete

It remains only to lay the flagstone. To ensure good adhesion of stone to concrete, the stones must first be thoroughly washed and cleaned of deposits and dirt with a brush with stiff bristles. Laying is carried out using construction adhesive for outdoor use. It is applied in a thick layer on the base, and then flagstone is placed on the smeared area so that there are no voids between the elements. Excess glue must be immediately removed with a rag, after drying it will be much more difficult to do.

Plitnyak is a natural stone, so the garden path laid out of it will naturally fit into the country landscape and will look harmoniously in any corner of the site.

Flagstone is often used for building cladding: sandstone or limestone. The house lined with the specified material fits perfectly into any interior, since flagstone is a natural material.

Finishing the plinth increases the waterproofing of the foundation and provides protection from impact ground water and precipitation.

One of the advantages of plinth cladding natural stone is that he cannot get bored. Each individual stone has its own unique pattern and shape, and this plinth finish fits perfectly into any landscape design.

Facing the plinth with flagstone - enough hard work, which requires preparatory work. Such cladding may not be performed on any building, since an additional load is created on the entire structure. Most often, stone finishing of some parts of the building is carried out, for example, lining the basement, corners, window and door openings.

Features of work performance

The outer surface of the building cladding is constantly exposed to the negative effects of the external environment: frost, precipitation, temperature changes. When choosing the material with which the plinth will be finished, it is necessary that it is durable, frost-resistant, has low water absorption and is attractive. appearance.

For finishing the basement of a building, one of the best options is to use limestone, it can be limestone or sandstone.

Facing with flagstone increases the thermal stability of the base and prevents a sharp temperature drop.

Sandstone can be used not only for building cladding, but also for paving paths. Limestone has higher water absorption, but it has a more beautiful structure and a variety of appearance. This material is easy to process, so it is suitable for the manufacture of a wide variety of architectural elements.

Paving stone can be faced with brick, concrete, wooden, metal walls, as well as walls made of cellular concrete.

If finishing of concrete or brick walls, they do not require additional processing. All other surfaces must be sheathed with plaster tiles before starting work. A vapor barrier material is additionally attached to the wooden wall.

For fixing limestone, cement-sand adhesive mortars are usually used. There are dry mixes or adhesive compositions, they must be diluted with water strictly in accordance with the instructions. Too dry or, on the contrary, wet mortar will not provide reliable fastening of limestone to the surface of the building.

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Carrying out preparatory work

The surface to be faced with stone must be solid and even, it must be free of dirt, rust and residues of previous coatings. If necessary, then it is leveled with plaster, the stone can be fixed only after it has completely dried.

If it is not possible to completely remove the paint from the wall, then it is necessary to make deep notches on it or attach a plaster mesh. A heavily dusty or porous wall is coated with a primer. It stabilizes and strengthens the surface, and the mortar adheres better to the base.

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Carrying out the installation of flagstone

What is needed for work:

plaster mesh;
adhesive solution;
putty knife;
rubber mallet;
Bulgarian;
flagstone.

Work begins from top to bottom, so the solution will not fall on already installed elements. First, the corner elements are fixed, then the top row of limestone is laid. For installation in corners, niches, it is necessary to use incomplete material. For this, it is better not to use fragments, but to cut whole stones, so your facade will have an attractive appearance. After all the difficult places have been designed, they proceed to the installation of the main surface.

To prevent the rows from falling, the wall is marked in increments of no more than 0.5 m, the stones are sorted before installation, this will help to avoid delays and errors during work.

The solution is applied to the wall with a spatula in such an amount that it can be faced in 10-15 minutes. This time may vary depending on the quality of the solution, air temperature and humidity. If you did not have time to use the adhesive solution, and it dried up, then it must be removed.

If facing pools, commercial facilities, then the solution is applied to the wall and to the back surface of the flagstone. After laying, the stone must be fixed for 20-30 seconds, if it is large, then it is knocked out with a rubber mallet.

You can embroider no earlier than a day after lining, use special grout solutions of the desired color.

To increase the service life of limestone and give it a more attractive appearance, the surface is treated with a special composition. It prevents moisture from entering the pores and strengthens the surface.

Finishing the plinth with flagstone requires high skill and patience, but the result will meet your expectations and will delight you for many years.

The most authentic look of the plinth is provided by its stone finish. Flagstone is quite suitable for these purposes: in terms of accessibility, it is inferior only to imitation stone, however, for the durability of such a finish, a number of installation nuances are required. All the details on this issue are in our new instructions.

What type of stone is better to choose for cladding

The concept of flagstone does not imply any certainty in relation to the rock used, but says a lot about its format. These are plates and scales irregular shape usually up to 50 mm thick. Finishing the basement with them gives the house a complete and logical look, however, the success of the entire enterprise requires sensitive consolidation in all aspects, especially in right choice stone.

The service life of the plinth finish depends on its weather resistance. The most devastating effects on heated homes are temperature and humidity fluctuations, as well as periodic wetting and organic erosion. The influence of all these factors can be weakened by providing the masonry with solidity and uniformity of material behavior. Therefore, the stone must be selected according to the type of adhesive used and vice versa.

One of the best combinations- frost-resistant adhesive for tiles and porcelain stoneware, on which granite or quartz stones are laid. The polymer binder has a high hydrophobicity, but is quite demanding on the adhesion of the surfaces to be glued. Therefore, the seams must be well fitted, and the surfaces to be covered with adhesive must be thoroughly cleaned. Another option for rocks of volcanic origin is a high-quality cement slurry on quartz sand. We will dwell on the properties of various binders later, but for now we note that in regions with a temperate climate, you can also use ordinary cement mortar for laying bricks, but only in combination with sandstone, limestone and other sedimentary rocks.

Substrate surface preparation

Since limestone, with all the desire, cannot be aligned in an absolute plane, rather large curvature tolerances apply for it, which allow it to be laid with continuous gluing. In this embodiment, the lining gets rid of air pores, but becomes more sensitive to vibrations of the base. This complicates the work on finishing floating and prefabricated foundations.

There are several ways to improve the quality of flagstone adhesion to the base. The first is to immobilize the glue line, excluding laminar displacements between it and the stones. It is enough to strengthen the surface of the concrete structure with a reinforcing mesh and pre-plaster cement mortar layer 35-40 mm. Before and after applying the plaster, the surfaces must be treated with a primer, preferably with the addition of stone dust.

A slightly different cladding technique is used if there is an insulating belt on the foundation. Laying on foam plastic is possible only after applying a base reinforcing layer of a slightly higher strength than with a wet facade. Two layers of facade frost-resistant plaster, 20 mm each, applied sequentially, are optimally suited. When applying each layer, a facade fiberglass mesh is embedded in it, and in this order: first glue on the wall, then the mesh and smoothing to visual evenness.

The application of the base must be carried out with alternate priming between layers to ensure solidity. At the same time, it must be remembered that expanded polystyrene poorly resists ultraviolet radiation, therefore, before applying the first layer, be sure to clean the surface with an abrasive float. Weak gluing between layers is the cause of the most common type of destruction: due to the large weight of the stone, the detachment effect increases especially strongly.

What glue to use

There is a significant difference in whether cement or polymer acts as a binder. In addition to the homogeneity factor mentioned above, the ability of the adhesive joint to perceive deformations of the base without destruction is important. The latter will differ in the case of facing the basement on plaster and on insulation with base reinforcement.

Insulation finishing is best done using dry adhesive mixtures mixed with water at the place of use. Their distinguishing feature is plasticity, which remains after solidification. Due to this, the reinforcing layer can "float" within a few millimeters without affecting the integrity of the stone cladding. Optimal Thickness glue - 10-12 mm, but at the same time the stones are laid with an exact fit at the seams.

The reinforced screed on the base is a more rigid layer that absorbs part of the deformation of the foundation and fastens it as a whole. Laying here is possible even on a mortar without additives: 3 parts of sand and one part of cement grade 400, or on Portland cement grade 500, but already in a ratio of 1: 4 to sand. It is important to remember the peculiarities of cement to maintain a large joint thickness - this advantage should be used if the shape of the stones is too irregular, and there is no way to trim them. But remember that the closer to the maximum thickness of the solution, the more accurately the water-cement ratio must be maintained. Of course, the addition of modifiers (water repellents, fiber) within reasonable limits is also very welcome.

Laying and leveling

There are two ways to lay flagstone. It can be used similarly to tiles, glued flat to a vertical base, or stacked to form thin, sharp outer edges. It is also possible to combine both options in order to enhance the style and emphasize the architectural image. So, for example, with a thicker “stacked” cladding, you can advantageously emphasize the porch, the convergence of the basement at the corners in the presence of rusts or under pilasters.

Laying flagstone flat is the most fast way plinth decoration. It starts with soaking and rubbing the stones wire brush from dirt and efflorescence. When the stones are slightly dry, they should be sorted, achieving a more or less uniform ratio of shades in all areas of the cladding. In parallel with sorting by color, the stones are divided into several groups by size. It is most convenient to align the flagstone finish on a movable pier with rings at the end that move along vertical bars. The stones are cut by hand, each individually and folded into a mosaic. By the way, before gluing, it is convenient to lay them out in the same order on the blind area: the assistant collects the “puzzle”, which the bricklayer glues to the wall.

The stacking method does not require precise fitting and sorting of stones. Flagstone is cut into strips 50-70 mm wide and the resulting small elements are wrapped around either the entire base or parts of it. The advantage here is that the flagstone cut always has an almost constant shape and such elements fit well with each other. Also, the stones do not need any thorough cleaning: it is enough to rinse them immediately before laying. Well, since this type of base lining is considered self-supporting, you can significantly save on the binder.

Sometimes it makes sense to take out such a finish of the foundation a little further, so that the correct abutment under the insulation of the required thickness is formed from above. In such cases, the space between the cladding and the wall can be filled bulk material like foam glass or expanded clay.

Seam sealing

If the stones fit so tightly that the average thickness of the seams does not exceed 3-4 mm, it is better to close them immediately. Still, such thin veins cannot be given a special shape or expressiveness, but it is possible to protect the maximum surface of the stones from water flowing over them. Therefore, after laying the next stone, they simply remove the excess solution with a glove, and after 12-14 hours, the facing is washed from cement milk with a synthetic brush.

A more sensitive approach is required when grouting joints the thickness of which is equivalent to masonry or more. In such cases, the seams are usually embroidered, but by no means with the usual knife, which will interfere with the curvature. It is better and more correct to immediately scrape the mortar out of the joints to a depth of 10-15 mm and fill them later suitable composition. For simplicity, you can use a device like a pastry syringe - several tight bags nested in each other with a cut corner.

It is recommended to use high-quality polymer glue as a joint filler: it has almost zero water absorption, so it is guaranteed not to become a weak point of stone cladding. For a more expressive look, the grouting can be made of white or gray cement, tinting the composition with a color that emphasizes or contrasts with the main gamut of the cladding.

Garden paths, if they are properly and beautifully planned, perform several functions on the site at once.

Firstly, it is very convenient: in any weather, stay in clean shoes.

Secondly, it is the pleasure of the beautiful view of your household plot.

Tools and materials necessary for work

So, we will need:

pegs and rope;
measuring tape;
level;
shovel;
manual vibro-tamping machine;
container for the manufacture of mixtures;
Master OK;
Bulgarian;
hammer for chipping the casting;
mallet with a rubber nozzle;
brush.

You don't have to buy everything at all. Of course, the grinder may come in handy in the future, but the rammer, if not taken seriously construction work, is unlikely to be used frequently on the farm.

This tool can be rented.

Materials:

flagstone;
cement;
sand;
water;
crushed stone;
curb fences.

Flagstone for walkways

We purchase a stone

When the decision is made, you must first purchase the flagstone itself. This task is not easy.

It is necessary to understand the breed in order to choose exactly the stone that will please the eye, while it will serve faithfully for a long time.

Here are some tips for this:

When choosing sandstone flagstone for paths it is worth considering its deposit. It should be located as close as possible to the area where the stone will be used. The climatic conditions in which it "grew" matter. If, say, the deposit is located much further south, the stone will not be frost-resistant enough.
It is also worth paying attention to color and structure of flagstone. Generally, the brighter the tiles, the softer and more layered they are. Green flagstone has the highest density. Light yellow is generally better to use only for decoration, while covering it with varnish.
The thickness of the tiles themselves can be varied, depending on the application. In this case, it should be taken into account how the track will be laid. If on cement screed, then for pedestrians the thickness can be 1 cm, for cars it is necessary to buy flagstone with a thickness of 2 cm. If the stones are laid on the sand, then their required thickness is doubled. The edges should be as even as possible to make it easier to lay them. Although, with a grinder, this problem is solved very easily.
Another important point when buying flagstone is its humidity. It could be stored for a long time in a damp place. This deficiency can be easily detected by palpation. In this case, the tiles can crumble right in the hands when laying. This is defective material, it is not worth spending money on it.
It is advisable to purchase goods from one batch, as the shades of the stone may vary slightly. And, although you may not immediately notice this, all the flaws will be visible on the finished tracks.

You can't see quality without a project

Before starting work, you must have a project for future paths. To do this, you need pegs and a rope of sufficient thickness and color so that it is visible on the surface of the ground. With their help, we outline the contours.

If the area of the household plot allows its use in decorative purposes, for relaxation, you can use all your imagination and make tracks of any shape and size.

At the same time, it should be remembered that completely flat paths and right angles between them hide space and make the landscape far from natural, which does not contribute to relaxation.

But, in any case, on his site, each owner does what is convenient and what he likes.

If rounding is needed, it is better to use a "compass" made of two pegs and a rope. From a design point of view, it is better when the "blood vessels" personal plot arranged geometrically.

On uneven ground, it is better to mark a step, it will look more beautiful, and flagstone will be laid better.

The width of the tracks is selected depending on their functional properties. If they are built for pedestrians, you should not make it more than one meter. Although, to embody various artistic decisions, you can do whatever you like.

Laying the groundwork

The strength and durability of flagstone paths depends primarily on their foundation. The stronger and better it is made, the longer and more reliable the tracks will serve.

First you need to remove upper layer soil to a depth of 40-50 cm, adhering to the markings made in advance from the rope on pegs, it is good to compact the earth at the bottom.

Pour a layer of crushed stone or stone scrap 15-20 cm, also compact it. Put up curbs for concrete screed. Pour concrete mix future track.

Smooth everything and leave to dry, while not forgetting to moisten it if the weather is very hot. This will protect the base of the tracks from drying out.

For that it will take several days for the concrete to set properly.

Preparing and laying stones

This time can be used to prepare stone tiles.

It must be carefully sorted out, washed and cleaned with a stiff brush from dirt and excessive deposits.

It would be nice to thoroughly prepare for the laying of stones by making a “draft” of the path, approximately laying out each tile in its place, so that the gaps between them are as narrow as possible.

Bulgarian will help with this. She can cut off the extra protrusions that prevent the stones from lying closer to each other.

Adhesive for attaching limestone to screed can be diluted with a mixture of sand and cement in a ratio of 1: 2, one part glue to two parts of the mixture.

Flagstone walkway on concrete base

It is better to apply the adhesive mixture to the concrete in excess, the excess will then be removed. The fact is that water will surely get into the formed voids, which will gradually destroy the masonry. On the glue, we carefully set the stone tile by tile, pressing them well to the concrete and to each other.

Remove excess glue with a trowel and wipe with a rag, since when it dries, it will be difficult to do.

When laying it is immediately necessary to level the tiles in order to avoid the formation of special protrusions through which pedestrians will surely stumble. And the track itself will look much more beautiful if it looks even.

After a few hours, when the adhesive mixture is completely dry, the stones must be thoroughly cleaned of construction debris. This should be done with a hard brush, after filling the path with water.

If the path does not carry any loads, you can lay the tiles directly into the ground. To do this, it is necessary to remove its upper layer according to the marking, compact it well, lay out flagstone and fill the cracks with soil.

Beautiful walking path

This method is more for decorative purposes.

Sand-based flagstone laying

In the photo, the method of laying flagstone on a sandy base

A more practical way of laying limestone on a sandy basis.

According to the markup, you should dig a small recess. Thoroughly compact the soil at the bottom, pour a layer of sand, and compact it in the same way.

At the same time, its surface should be as even as possible so that the path looks aesthetically pleasing.

Laying must be carried out from oneself in order to exclude damage to the prepared sand cushion. Next, use a mallet with a rubber nozzle to drive in the tiles.

At the same time leaving small gaps between them. Sand can be poured into these gaps, or soil with grass seeds for lawns can be poured. This will be a beautiful walking path.

The video shows the laying of a backlit track.

To make the garden path more durable, it is necessary to prevent the tiles from sticking around the edges. This can be done with a border.

They can serve as a stone, which is more practical, and wooden planks treated with a primer before this, or special rubber or plastic borders, which can be purchased at gardening stores.

For this method, you first need to remove the soil according to the markings to a depth of about 30 cm. It is good to compact it, then fill it with sand 10-15 cm, level it and compact it in the same way.

For these methods, it is desirable to lay a geotextile between the soil and sand. This eliminates the washing out of sand, prevents subsidence, and prevents weeds from growing. And in general increases the life of the track, makes it more durable.

It is worth remembering that for any installation method, a slope of approximately 3 ° must be observed. To ensure that the water does not stagnate on the track, but has a natural drain.

As can be seen from the above, particular difficulties in working with garden paths no stoneware. This good way decorate your site, emphasize its individuality, and also feel pride and satisfaction from the results of your work.

Today, wild stone is one of the most popular building materials for finishing works. Natural beauty and excellent physical and technical characteristics make it possible to use it for decorating the facade of a building and in arranging a landscape gardening landscape. However, this material has a number of disadvantages. In addition to the high cost, which is fully dependent on the technology of field development and production standards, the laying itself natural stone is not easy and requires not only a special tool, but also certain skills. The article will focus on facing with wild stone.

Today, a huge assortment of artificial stone is also offered on the market, which flawlessly repeats the texture and texture of a natural solid mineral.

And also has such advantages as:

resistance to temperature fluctuations;
small specific gravity;
wear resistance;
color fastness;
durability;
affordable cost.

Its advantages include absolute compatibility with other materials. A stone path will harmoniously look in any landscape. Yes, and finishing the basement can be done on houses built from various materials.

Scope of wild stone

Depending on the material from which the piece elements were made, the scope is determined. So, gypsum-based stone is used for interior decoration. Among the advantages can be noted its light weight, excellent workability and environmental friendliness.

Cement-based tiles are designed for cladding fences, facades and plinths of buildings. It is also widely used in the arrangement of the adjacent territory:

when paving open terraces, access roads and footpaths;

when finishing stairs, steps, curbs;
when decorating pools, springs and other reservoirs;
with the spectacular design of alpine cities, small architectural forms, sculptures.

Often given material used for fragmentary wall decoration inside the building. It should be remembered that, in order to give fireplaces and stoves an aesthetically attractive look, a heat-resistant analogue is selected.

Wild stone laying

The process of laying both artificial and natural stone is similar to brickwork, so there should not be any particular difficulties during the work. There are two technologies based on bonding the material with binder solutions, or without it.

Wet way. The masonry on this method is particularly durable and reliable. Ideal for facing vertical surfaces, allows you to build structures of any height and shape. With this method, there is no need to adjust the elements in size - the empty space will be filled with an adhesive mixture, and it will also firmly connect the stones both to the surface and to each other. Sand-cement mixture or tile adhesive can be used here.

Dry way. This technology is used in the construction of low fences, fences or flooring of paths, platforms. It will not be easy to fit a stone with so-called torn edges to each other, it will require some experience and skill. The resulting voids are filled with small pebbles, clay or sand.

Everything you need to know about loads

When working with stone material, it is necessary to take into account the thickness of the flagstone, here we mean not the type of stone, but free-form tiles with uneven edges.

Facing of vertical surfaces (walls, barriers, etc.) is carried out with stones up to 2 cm thick;
1. for arranging paths, walking or cycling paths, terraces or open verandas apply material with a thickness of 2 to 3.5-4 cm;
2. access roads, places with intensive load are laid with limestone, the thickness of which is 4 cm or more.
When working on vertical planes larger elements are placed on the lower rows. It is important to ensure that the horizontal seams are offset, here you need to use the rules applied for brickwork. For facing the corners of the building, stones are taken more durable stones.
Excavation during terracing or arranging paths is carried out at different depths, this parameter depends on the operational loads. For sidewalks, in walking areas, the depth under the base can be about 30 cm. cars, then the height of the walls of the pit should be at least 50 cm.
Concreting of the base before paving is carried out for structures intended for intensive use, as well as if the soil is subject to displacement and with a small thickness of the material (up to 3 cm).
A slight bulge in their central part will help prevent the accumulation of moisture on the paths and platforms.

Basic rules for laying wild stone

For wild stone, there is one laying scheme - arbitrary, because the broken shape does not allow the layout to be laid in an arc or in a row. Before work, it is necessary to carefully consider the location of the elements and their color combination. Sometimes the fruits of improvisation do not match the final performance.
The shade of flagstone may vary, so it is important to take this nuance into account when laying. So that the difference is not so obvious, the elements are placed randomly, using alternately from one and the other party.

If the material has relatively small differences in shape, size, then you can lay out several rows and outline their sequence by numbering or risks (indicate with chalk). Such a “rehearsal” will significantly reduce the time for general styling.
Mortar or adhesive that has inadvertently got on the front of the stone should not be attempted to be removed immediately. Such actions can only fill the pores of the material and subsequently nothing can be done about it. Here it is necessary to let the binder harden, and then gently clean it with a spatula, wiping the cleaned places with a dry rag.
On vertical surfaces, laying starts from the top rows, this approach will minimize the hit adhesive composition on already laid stones.

Basic requirements for various materials

The concrete base must be as smooth as possible, free of dust, foreign particles and protruding elements.
wooden surface has low adhesion, and directly sticking a stone on it will not work. To do this, the wood must first be treated with water-repellent impregnations, and then a reinforcing mesh must be fixed, which will ensure adhesion between the flagstone and the base.
iron surface covered with soil, then an iron mesh for reinforcement is mounted. Next, the base is plastered, after drying, the stone is glued.

It is recommended to apply mortar or glue both on the surface and on the back side of the limestone, so the lining will turn out to be solid and provide a stronger fastening.

Well, it would not be superfluous to recall the observance of the horizontal level of the coating, which guarantees its comfortable operation.

Wall decoration with wild stone

For work, a solution of sand, cement and plasticizers is mixed. You can also use ready-made solutions as bituminous mastic or adhesive designed for ceramic or porcelain tiles (for outdoor use).
The binder mixture is applied in a thin layer on a vertical surface with a small area so that the glue does not have time to dry during the laying process. On the reverse side of the stone, it also distributes a thin layer of mastic (about 1.5 cm) and attaches to the base with a slight pressure movement.
The seams between the elements should be as uniform as possible, the width of which, as a rule, does not exceed 3 cm. To fill the seams, you can use grout mixture or the same solution that was used for masonry.

wild stone photo

Special corners are installed on both internal and external corners. Such elements level the joints of the walls, and also give the surface a complete and aesthetically attractive appearance. The shade of the components is matched to the color of the masonry material.
First, a corner is slightly recessed into the adhesive mass, and flagstone is glued on top of it. The trimming of the element is performed by a grinder, on which a disk with a silicon carbide coating is mounted.

Laying stone on a horizontal surface

This section will offer several options for laying flagstone. Of the general stages of paving, the following steps can be noted:
Garden, walking paths can be straight or winding, wide or narrow, their shape and size is determined by the layout of the site. Pegs are placed along the line of the path, and the twine is pulled.
The soil is removed with a depth of 30-50 cm - depending on the magnitude of the expected load on the future coating. The more intensive the operation, the deeper the pit.
A geotextile is laid at the bottom of the base, on top of which a layer of crushed stone and sand is poured 15-20 cm each.

Laying stone "off the beaten path"- garden path

Flagstone is laid in a chaotic manner on the prepared base, tightly pressed into the sand. The distance between the elements can be 2 cm or more, the larger the stones, the wider the seams can be. Excess sand between the elements is swept out and filled with soil, which is later planted with grass seeds.

Dry stone laying- walking or cycling path

A dry (!) sand-cement mixture is poured over the crushed stone layer. A material with a thickness of at least 3 cm is laid on it. The distance between the elements must be at least 1 cm. The stones are rammed with a rubber mallet.
The finished structure is poured with water from a hose, while trying not to knock the mixture out of the seams. After a few days, the seams should be carefully examined and, if necessary, existing voids should be filled with a small amount of PCS diluted in a small amount. This method of laying provides labor and time costs, but without detracting from the strength properties of the resulting track.

"Wet" stone laying- access roads or paths with heavy use

Formwork is being built along the entire path. A layer of sand and gravel is poured with lean concrete. After complete drying, start laying flagstone. Used here sand-cement mortar with the addition of plasticizers or latex. You can purchase a ready-made tile mixture, which will only be diluted with water.
The binder is applied as on the base ( small areas) as well as reverse side stone. The size of the seams between the elements remains at the choice of the site owner. When installing piece elements, excess glue is carefully removed with a spatula, and voids are filled flush with the coating.

Facing Stone Suppliers

There are many companies on the market engaged in the production and supply of artificial wild stone. Each of them seeks to expand the range of products without loss of quality. The cost of manufactured products from different firms does not have a significant difference, the price per sq. m. is determined by the complexity of the production process and the materials used.

In this segment, there are three brands whose products are distinguished by quality characteristics and reasonable prices:

"The Art of Stone"- the company is the owner of international diplomas and certificates. In addition to stone, it also sells related products: jointing, water repellents, glue, etc.
« Kamrock» - manufactures products that surpass their foreign analogues in some parameters. Own base and staff of designers allow you to regularly update the product line.
« White Hills» - for 10 years of existence on the market, it has managed to establish itself as a reliable partner, thanks to a well-organized logistics system.