Every owner who wants his property to look beautiful and be functional tries to do a lot of things with his own hands. Especially if he - creative person. From this article you can learn how to make it yourself paving slabs.

Where is the product used?

In principle, the scope of application of such material is quite wide. Most often you can see such products in private areas. residential buildings, cottages, bathhouses or other buildings. You can also lay such tiles in gardens, squares, parks and other in public places. Naturally, in the latter case, ready-made material is purchased.

Before you begin to understand how to make paving slabs with your own hands, you need to figure out whether it’s worth doing, what advantages the finished product has, and what you need to prepare for work. First of all, it must be said that the manufacturing process is not complicated and does not require expensive equipment.

Advantages of the material

Before you make paving slabs with your own hands, you should consider its advantages. Among them are the following:

Originality of elements. During the manufacturing process, you can play with colors and fillers. This way, you will create exactly the design and shape of the tiles that you want. Naturally, you should be careful here, because the proportions of the ingredients depend specifications products.

Low cost. Naturally, before you make paving slabs with your own hands, you need to choose necessary materials which must have high quality. You should not “buy” on cheap cement.

Relative strength (although you should not place these elements where the car will drive).

Manufacturing of products directly on site.

No need for expensive equipment. However, if you decide to open own business, then you can’t do without a couple of machines.

Ecological cleanliness.

Resistance to rapid wear and durability (if all manufacturing steps are performed correctly).

Minimal risk of injury.

Now let's look at the question of how to make paving slabs with your own hands.

What materials will be needed?

Naturally, all ingredients must be of the highest quality. So, for work you need to prepare:

1. Cement (only M-500 grade is required, since this type of material allows you to make a mixture that, after hardening, will be very strong).

4. Small pebbles.

5. Color (one or more).

6. Plasticizer (sold at a hardware store).

All ingredients must be free of impurities (debris, leaves, grass). Also, before making paving slabs with your own hands, collect everything necessary materials and necessary tools.

Required equipment

So, in order for the process of manufacturing products to go relatively quickly, it is necessary to take care in advance of all the technical devices that will help speed up the work. So, you will need:

Concrete mixer. If there are several of them, that's good. In this case, the process will go faster.

Forming vibration table. You can also build it yourself. Although this machine is not mandatory.

Set of forms. It is better if there are several dozen of them.

Tables or racks that will be installed as level as possible. Otherwise, the mixture in the molds may harden incorrectly, with distortion. Naturally, such elements will already be considered defective, since they cannot be laid evenly.

Pulling tool finished products from containers.

Since almost every person can do it, we should consider the technology for carrying out the work.

Features of form selection

This question is not difficult. Most often for homemade The presented material uses plastic molds. They may have different sizes. In addition, our construction market presents a huge selection of types of such forms. That is, you have the opportunity to make a very original tile that no one else will have. Naturally, such a container must be strong enough so that it can be used more than once.

Before you make it yourself, you need to decide on the shape of the containers: square, round or some other. If you don't want to buy this material in the store, you can use regular plastic food containers. However, they won't last long.

Features of preparing the solution

Before you make paving slabs yourself, you should find out in what proportions you need to mix the ingredients so that the elements subsequently turn out to be of high quality and durable. You will need the following amount of materials for one batch:

It must be stirred thoroughly. And in order to ensure that there is no air in the solution, it will need to be processed on a vibrating table.

Manufacturing instructions

Now let's look at the question of how to actually make paving slabs yourself. The whole process involves several stages that cannot change their sequence:

1. Preparation of the solution. All ingredients must be mixed thoroughly. This can provide Although gravity works just as well.

2. Filling of molds, as well as vibration compaction of the mixture. This should be done carefully. Filling is done with a regular shovel. For compaction you will need a vibrating table. Its fluctuations should not be too strong. That is, make sure that the solution in the mold is distributed evenly. This compaction will make the elements as strong as possible and prevent their delamination. When loading concrete, take into account its level. It should be the same in all forms. To do this, you can simply make marks on inside containers.

3. Maturing and drying of elements. Since you want to make paving slabs at home quickly, many manufacturers may violate production technology. The quality of the elements suffers from this. Therefore, you should maintain the time allotted for the concrete to mature and dry. So, after compacting the molds with the mixture, they should “rest” for flat surface at least two days. To ensure that the ripening goes well and the cement does not crack due to loss of moisture, the containers should be well wrapped with plastic film.

4. Removal of finished products from molds. Now you understand how to make paving slabs at home, you also know the composition of the mixture. However, you should consider the question of how to properly remove finished elements from the molds so that they do not break or crack. To do this, it is better to place them in a bath of water, the temperature of which will not exceed 70 degrees.

5. Warehousing of products. In order for the concrete to dry further, it is necessary to cover the tiles with shrink film.

After all these steps, the product is almost ready for installation. Naturally, it should be given time to gain strength. It's best to leave the material alone for a few weeks. Now you understand how to make paving slabs at home.

What is “plastic bottle tile”?

The problem of recycling recyclable materials is very relevant today. However, a way was invented to use plastic bottles, which involves reducing the degree of pollution environment. They learned how to make sidewalk tiles from them. Moreover, this process can take place both at home and in production.

Before making paving slabs from plastic bottles, you should consider the features of this procedure. Its advantage is the low cost of the product, as well as the absence of problems with the amount of raw materials.

The production of such material is divided into the following stages:

Grinding of raw materials.

Melting plastic in a special heating apparatus and mixing it with raw sand and pigment.

Pouring the resulting solution into molds and pressing.

Cooling of the tiles.

It should be noted that such a product is characterized by durability, high strength and resistance to abrasion, external beauty, a variety of shapes, and speed of production.

Making paving slabs with your own hands is not very difficult. However, the process has some nuances. For example, if you want to significantly save color, you can use the layer-by-layer casting technique. Naturally, in this case you will need two concrete mixers. The layers are laid alternately, and the colorless one should be on the inside. The thickness of each is 1-2 cm.

If you have defective pieces of tile, you can break it up and re-use it in mortar. New forms can be treated with a special substance so that the concrete subsequently moves away from the walls better. After use, the plastic should be washed with a weak solution. of hydrochloric acid. You can make molds for work yourself using silicone or wood. Naturally, these elements will need to be well fastened before work.

Please note that the plasticizer helps increase the strength of the elements, as well as their resistance to temperature changes. However, you should not add too much of it. To produce the presented building material Not only concrete can be used.

Now you know how to make paving slabs at home. Good luck!

It's hard to imagine personal plot without paths lined with concrete tiles, which in Lately is becoming more and more popular. Do-it-yourself paving slabs can be made by anyone, even those who do not have skills in construction work. The manufacturing algorithm is quite simple and does not require expensive equipment and materials. Do-it-yourself paving slabs as a material for paths, alleys and parking spaces for cars compare favorably with asphalt, concrete or gravel.

Bulk (gravel) paths are not very comfortable to use; asphalt requires special equipment, and concrete involves the use of reinforcement and pre-prepared formwork. Producing paving slabs at home will allow you to save a lot of money cash and will give your site a unique look.

Required Tools

In production concrete tiles Two methods are used: vibration casting and vibration pressing. The latter method requires the use of expensive equipment (vibropress) and is justified mainly for commercial purposes. The technology for producing paving slabs using the vibration casting method is most suitable for home production. In this case you will need:

• A concrete mixer (mechanical or electric), which many homeowners often already have on their farm.
• If you don’t have a concrete mixer, you can get by with a construction mixer or an electric drill with a special attachment and any container (basin, trough, part plastic barrel) of a suitable volume that will be needed to prepare the solution.

• A vibration table that you can buy or make yourself.
• Molds for tiles.
• Trowel or picker, brush and bucket.

Important! How to safely make paving slabs at home - for this you must definitely use individual means protection: rubber gloves, safety glasses and a respirator!

Making a vibrating table with your own hands

How to make a vibration casting device yourself? The easiest way to make a vibrating table is to use an old washing machine with a chipboard sheet, fiberboard or MDF suitable size, with slats or bars secured at the edges. Turn on the machine in the “spin” mode and the vibrating table you made is already functioning. The sides will not allow workpieces to fall off the table during vibration. The efficiency and productivity of such an installation are quite suitable for making paving slabs at home.

Your own vibrating table can be made from an ordinary sharpener, which, as a rule, is always available on the farm, or any other electric motor of suitable power. Done wooden shield, it fits into several car tires. Using bolts in the center of the shield from below, we attach the sharpener. We install a heavy metal disk with an offset center on the pin (easy to make from a saucepan lid the right size). The photo will help you understand the details.

The device for the vibration process to make paving slabs with your own hands is ready for use. The process of dismantling the structure will not be difficult and will not take much time.

Manufacturing technology

The entire process of manufacturing paving slabs can be divided into several stages, each of which is equally important and affects the quality of the finished product. Making tiles is not too labor-intensive or tedious, and may even be enjoyable.

Preparing forms

How to make paving slabs and save money at the same time? You can make molds with your own hands at home from wood, polyurethane or sheet metal.

Wooden forms are made according to the principle of formwork. Suitable for the bottom of the container, and convenient to use for the sides wooden blocks. The workpieces are fastened together using metal corners and screws. But this method allows you to make forms only in the form of simple geometric shapes.

To make sheet metal molds you will need welding machine. If you already have one, then this method will allow you to create the most durable containers for casting paving stones.

A very economical solution is to use food containers of suitable sizes and volumes. Plastic bottles for drinking water(with a capacity of 5 or 10 liters) can be successfully used for the independent production of square, rectangular and round shapes. Carefully cutting off the bottom, we get the finished shape.

Making polyurethane molds for homemade concrete paving slabs is quite difficult and will take a lot of time. A sample is taken as a basis (finished tiles or paving stones, a piece of board, a plaster or metal blank). Formwork is made from available material (plywood or hard cardboard), which is 10-15 mm larger in size than the sample. A two-component polyurethane compound is poured into the formwork and the sample is lowered there. The drying process usually takes about 24 hours. Then the sample is carefully removed, and after that the finished form is also removed from the formwork.

But if you do not have the time and desire to make molds for paving slabs yourself, then you can purchase them at construction stores. There is a wide variety of these products made of plastic, rubber and polyurethane on sale in various configurations.

To ensure that further work and the process of stripping is not complicated, it is recommended to use a brush or spray gun before pouring the solution containing fat. Can be used as a lubricant vegetable oil, solution laundry soap or a special liquid (for example, tectol Supercast ES 100).

Important! Do not apply the liquid in a thick layer - this can lead to the formation of irregularities, pores and cavities on the surface of the finished product.

Preparing a solution for filling molds

According to the technology for making concrete paving slabs at home, to produce 1 m² with a thickness of about 4-5 cm, you will need:

• 20 kg of cement grade M500 (as a last resort, M400);
• 30 kg of sifted sand;
• 30 kg of fine crushed stone or gravel (fraction size from 3 to 8 mm);
• a plasticizer (for example, MasterGlenium 51; 0.6% by weight of cement), which increases frost resistance, facilitates the process of mixing the mixture and accelerates drying;
• 0.3-0.5 kg of reinforcing fiber (polypropylene fiber), which significantly increases strength and, as a result, service life;
• 700 grams of powder dye (the amount depends on the desired color saturation), if you want to make paving slabs of various shades;
• 15-17 liters of water, with a plasticizer pre-dissolved in it.

The sequence for preparing the mixture is as follows:

• carefully sift the sand;
• mix sand with cement;
• add fine gravel and fiberglass;
• Add water in small portions, continuing to stir constantly.

The consistency of the mixture should be quite thick, but at the same time easily spreadable in shape. The solution for paving slabs is completely ready for use.

Attention! If you strictly follow the technology and proportions for preparing the mixture, the paving slabs will quality characteristics will not be inferior to factory samples.

If desired, do colored tiles, powder dye must be added at the initial stage, mixing it with sand. You can also paint the finished tiles using a spray gun, since it is this that allows you to apply the paint evenly.

Compacting the mass and initial drying of products in molds

We place the prepared and greased forms on the vibrating table, fill them ready-made mixture(excess can be removed with a trowel) and begin the vibration process, which lasts exactly as long as it takes until the air (voids) are completely removed from the solution (approximately 5-10 minutes).

After the concrete mixture has been compacted, we put the products in the molds in a dry place under a canopy and cover them with plastic film to prevent rapid evaporation of moisture. Pre-drying of paving slabs takes 1-2 days, provided that the air temperature is at least 15 °C.

Product removal and final drying

After initial drying, carefully knock out the finished products rubber mallet from the molds onto a previously prepared soft surface (for example, a travel rug or an old blanket). To facilitate the process of stripping the form, you can lower the form for 2-3 minutes into a container with hot water temperature about 45-50 °C.

Then we place the blanks in a dry place protected from sunlight for one to two weeks (the longer the better).

The whole cycle is repeated many times until you do required amount for your project. Now you understand that making paving slabs at home is a fun, uncomplicated and low-budget process.

In custody

The quality of the work performed will depend only on the materials used and strict adherence to the process sequence. The technology for manufacturing paving slabs, proven over decades, allows owners of suburban areas not only to save significant money when arranging paths, recreation areas or parking spaces, but also to give the site uniqueness in accordance with personal tastes and preferences.

Nowadays paving slabs are used in most cases to cover all kinds of areas. Its wild popularity lies in such facts as:

• Wide range of colors and shapes.
• Easy to install.
• Accessibility for everyone.
• Price level.

Laying tiles is really simple and does not require any special education. The road slabs are laid on a bed of granosevod or sand and cement. The pillow is called a prancing pillow. The absence of a seal accelerates the destruction of the tiles, since they become saturated with excess moisture.

Tile availability

Paving slabs, due to the ease of production, are available to everyone, from residents of the most distant villages to residents of the metropolis. Asphalt or sandstone cannot boast of such price or availability.

Tiles at home

It’s worth starting to create such a popular coating manually if you intend to lay it large areas. People who are going, for example, to lay paths in the garden with them have little idea of ​​what they will have to face and not only fail, but the cost of producing the tiles exceeds its final cost.

Equipment for the production of paving slabs

The kit for making paving slabs should consist of a vibrating mixer and a thermal bath. You will also need one concrete mixer or several if you plan to make multi-colored tiles.

A vibrating table looks like this: a table with a vibrator is attached to a bed. The top of the table is fixed to the frame using springs, which are sometimes replaced with engine mounts from, say, a Lada.

Thermal bath is a container with heating elements, which heat water to a certain temperature.

There is no need to describe what concrete mixers look like; most readers have already encountered them in real life.

Tile molds

Forms for this paving are most often made from polypropylene, although fiberglass and metal examples are also available. There are also plastic molds, and although they are easy to break, they are also suitable for production if handled carefully.

Components for tile production

The tiles are made from concrete with various additives. Depending on the color, such as granotsev or sand, as well as crushed stone, are selected. It is important that they do not contain impurities. Then a plasticizer is added to the resulting mixture, which reduces the water permeability of the material, increasing its density and frost resistance. Dyes based on iron oxides are also used to enhance color. You can also use chromium-containing and cobalt-containing dyes. Organic substitutes are used extremely rarely.

Tile making process

So, a dye and a plasticizer are added to the concrete mixture, which is diluted with water. Then the forms are placed on a vibrating table and after mixing concrete mixture with the dye, pour into molds within thirty seconds for better mixing. Then the table is turned off and the forms begin to dry. It is best to place them in a perfectly horizontal position so that the tiles come out even.

The mixture, left in the molds for two or three days, hardens and then a thermal bath is used. In it, the water is heated to the required temperature, after which the mold easily lags behind the tile.

That's all. I hope that the manufacturing process will seem simple to you and will be successfully applied in practice.

Make one like this facing material, like ceramic tiles, it is quite possible to do it yourself. Making ceramics at home can be done using plastic and silicone molds. They are sold in a fairly wide range in gardening and construction stores.

Modern housing cannot be imagined without tiled cladding. And ceramics, made and painted with your own hands, will become a real decoration in kitchens, bathrooms, and even as a decorative element in rooms. For those who are not afraid to make the required amount of ceramics themselves, the technique of making such a coating at home comes to the rescue.

Decorative tiles can also be made to look like stone. Any type of natural stone can be imitated. Such material will resemble its natural analogue as realistically as possible. How to make tiles that imitate stone yourself? In the very simple version For this purpose, gypsum powder is used with the addition of fillers and dyes, which form a unique pattern for each finished product. But it won't be ceramics.

What is this article about?

Why you should make ceramics yourself

Artificial tiles decorative stone It could also be ceramic. Homemade tiles has advantages over finishing natural materials. The main advantage of decorative ceramics made to resemble stone is its cost, which is significantly lower than the cost of natural analogues. The components used in manufacturing make the tiles lighter natural material. For decorative finishing ceramics made to look like brick are perfect.

There are no limits to your imagination when it comes to how to make tiles for your needs. It can be decorated in any way you like. For example, the kitchen can be decorated ceramic finish depicting still lifes. You can “settle” sea creatures in the bathroom, and fancy patterns or fairy-tale motifs will be in place in the nursery. Stone-like tiles will look great in the living room, hallway, and around doorways. This finishing material will perfectly complement the design wherever its use is appropriate.

Such a universal finishing material, made with your own hands, will not only enrich and diversify the interior, but will also provide significant cost savings. Despite the fact that home-made tiles are less durable than factory products, with proper care they can last for decades, delighting in the original, absolutely unique design. These bases are enough for you to start making ceramics yourself to cover small sections of walls, paths, openings, etc.

How does homemade production differ from factory production?

Many people are accustomed to the idea that making tiles is only possible using complex technological equipment, which means that making your own tiles at home is unrealistic. But this is not true. Of course, when making ceramics yourself, the technology differs from the factory one.

Stages of handmade production tiles include:

1. Kneading clay.
2. Shaping.
3. Drying.
4. Firing in a special oven.
5. Applying glaze.
6. Re-firing.

How to make ceramic tiles in the right quantity? At home you will need sufficient quantity forms The more molds are purchased, the faster the process of manufacturing the coating material will go. It is important to consider that it will take about 2 days to produce one tile. Dried tiles can be removed from the mold only after this period. Thus, the cycle of using the mold ensures that one product is obtained every 2 days.

How to choose clay

Do-it-yourself tiles cannot be made from just any clay. It is important to take into account the plasticity of the selected raw material, because to make quality tiles It won't work without this. Clay can be low-plasticity and plastic. It can also be called skinny and fat. To determine how plastic the clay is, just take a small piece, roll it into a sausage and stretch it. If it stretches well, this means that the raw material has sufficient plasticity.

To make tiles with your own hands, it is recommended to choose clay with an average plasticity index or not very “fat” raw materials. The best option there will be medium-plastic clay, which will make a fairly strong tile. During the firing process, such a tile will not “tear”. The clay must be damp. Before use, it must be allowed to rest in the bag, preventing the evaporation of water. The structure of unpacked clay contains pores with air, which reduces its plasticity and impairs its binding properties.

How to form tiles

Step-by-step instructions for making tiles yourself are not complicated. Manufacturing ceramic tiles start with molding:

1. The clay is placed in molds and compacted tightly. This must be done so that the edges of the form and the product coincide.
2. Excessive amounts of clay must be removed, otherwise decorative tiles Once dry it will have very sharp edges. If you try to fight them off, the tile may break.
3. Drying the clay should take as long as it takes for it to completely harden. This can be determined by a change in the color of the material: sufficiently dried clay will become significantly lighter, which will be a sign of evaporation of excess moisture from the tile. As soon as this happened, a semi-finished product called raw material was obtained.

Despite the fact that the raw material looks quite strong, it can crumble when tapped. At this stage, you can still change anything. It is enough just to throw the raw material into a container with wet clay so that it takes up water, softens and becomes suitable for use again.

The next step is firing, which changes everything physical properties clay and no alterations will be possible.

How is firing carried out?

If you plan to manufacture floor tiles at home without glaze, it will be enough to perform only one firing. If, after the first firing, it is planned to cover the plates with glaze, then a second firing stage will be required.

The facing tiles are fired at a temperature not exceeding 1000°C. The first firing is called biscuit firing. Its result will be a porous structure of the material, which will ensure absorption required quantity glaze in the second stage. This is how they basically make floor tiles with their own hands.

The second firing is carried out at a similar temperature, which will ensure that the glaze is baked sufficiently. When creating floor tiles with your own hands, it is better not to make glaze, as it is very slippery, which is unsafe, especially in the bathroom. Wall tiles are most often made with a glassy coating.

During the firing process, the tile shrinks. It can be significant. That is why tiles at home must be made with a quantitative reserve so that there is enough for tiling a certain surface. finished material. The number of spare parts can be determined by eye, because it will be difficult to make an exact calculation. In addition, it is necessary to provide for possible slaughter and cracking of products during the cladding process.

What to use for firing

Some skeptics argue that it is impossible to reach temperatures close to 1000°C in domestic conditions. But for the manufacture of ceramics, 900°C may well be sufficient. And this value can be provided by a muffle furnace.

For biscuit firing, the temperature should be from 850°C. It is then that the remaining moisture evaporates from the tile and it becomes finely porous, like a biscuit.

You can stop at this stage if the tiles are intended to be laid on the floor. After this firing, the tile becomes quite hard and strong. When creating wall tiles with your own hands, when you want to get a tile cladding with a smooth surface that imitates a natural stone or any drawing you need additional processing. Ceramics that have gone through one stage of firing without glaze are called terracotta. If it is necessary to obtain majolica, then a second firing of the ceramics will be required to form the glaze coating.

How to paint tiles

Making tiles is not everything. It must externally correspond to the intended design. To do this, you will need to master some additional decorating techniques so that the drawing you make with your own hands is unique.

How are patterned ceramics made?

One of the ways is painting on ceramics. This is a fairly simple method that allows you to give the tiles an original appearance. You can also use the decoupage technique to decorate the tiles.

Do-it-yourself tiles are rarely made without a pattern. You can paint your own made tiles using the decoupage technique. If you choose the right materials, you will get a fairly strong coating that will be able to withstand damage. These tiles will last a long time.

A step-by-step action plan consists of several steps. First of all, you need to choose a suitable napkin motif. What to choose from? For example, for the kitchen it could be a fruit basket, wine or floral motifs, landscape, etc. Appearance hand-made tiles for painting, it will be better if the motif covers the entire surface.

If the napkins are multi-layered, then for decoupage you only need upper layer with an image. When wet, the napkins stretch, so it will be necessary to treat them using a certain method. The napkin should be laid out with the pattern facing up on a flat surface. After this, it should be coated with hairspray, covered with parchment and ironed with a warm iron. This procedure will allow the napkin to retain its shape.

How to apply a drawing

On next stage the prepared tiles are degreased with alcohol or detergent. The processed motif is then placed on a stationery file front side down and brought to a thin stream of water for wetting. After this, the excess water is drained and the napkin is straightened. Next, the file is placed on the tile. Take a soft cloth and smooth the surface with light pressure. The file is carefully removed, the napkin should remain on the surface of the tile.

If bubbles and folds have formed, they should be removed using a fan brush, moving from the center to the edges. It is important not to press too hard to avoid tearing the paper. After a few minutes, the napkin should be secured with PVA glue. To apply the glue, you should again use a fan brush. Finished work must sit until completely dry.

Next is taken aerosol can with car varnish and the tile surface is coated thin layer product, which must then dry completely. If during work the napkin accidentally tears, you can paint on the corresponding area acrylic paints. The same can be done if a motive of insufficient size was used. In such a case, you can shade the transition from the drawing to the rest of the surface or paint a shadow in gray tones. After finishing the painting, the surface is also covered with a layer of varnish.

Colorful tiling for the kitchen or bathroom is ready.

17676 0

Paths in a personal or garden plot, paved with paving slabs, are functional and aesthetic. Pavers are strong, durable, easy to maintain and attractive. But the cost of such coverage, if we are talking about purchasing several dozen square meters tiles are significant. Therefore, craftsmen, in order to save money, using technologies available for home conditions, have been successfully making paving slabs with their own hands for several years.

The quality of paving slabs depends on adherence to technology and the correct recipe

Technology selection

There are two ways to produce paving slabs:

• vibration pressing;
• vibration casting.

The first method for producing tiles at home is not suitable by definition - there is nothing with which to press. And making high-quality paving stones with your own hands using the vibration casting method is quite possible.

Manufacturers offer the following types of molds for the production of paving stones:

• polyurethane – allow you to make up to 100 molding revolutions;
• made of plastic – up to 250 rpm;
• made of plastic rubber - more than 500 cycles.

The price of products depends on the number of molding cycles, so the high cost of rubber and plastic molds involves their use in the production of large volumes of tiles, and polyurethane products are quite accessible to the average buyer. By purchasing 5 molds, you can make 500 pieces of paving slabs with your own hands, and with careful handling you can make even more.

Molds for casting tiles

Molding templates for making paving stones

For casting paving slabs “on site”, template molds are used in the form of a frame of partitions, reminiscent of a honeycomb irregular shape, which you can buy or make yourself. Having laid such a frame on a properly prepared base, the honeycombs are filled with concrete. After a few hours, the template is removed, and instead of honeycombs, ready-made flat concrete fragments remain on the base, between which only the seams need to be arranged.

In addition, if paving stones are planned to be laid, for example, on auxiliary paths garden plot, and the requirements for it are low, then the molds for casting such tiles can be made with your own hands.

To make paving stones, first of all you need to stock up on special molds for casting

Self-production of casting molds

DIY paving slabs.
The universal format of paving slabs is a square with a side of 30 cm. This size provides the necessary strength when working in bending and is convenient for cutting the product in half or into 4 parts when you need to adjust the material. Therefore, from smoothly planed wooden blocks with a cross-section of 60 x 30 mm, you need to make a frame with your own hands internal dimensions 30 x 30 cm and 60 mm deep. It is better to assemble the frame using self-tapping screws, which later, when removing the frozen product, will be easy to unscrew and then return to its place.

To form a pattern on the front side of future paving slabs, choose an elastic base with a corrugated surface, for example, a rubber mat with a large pattern, and place the mold frame on it.

Before molding the sides, the frames and the shaped base are coated with a thin layer of kitchen dishwashing gel using a brush.

To ensure that the process of making tiles with your own hands does not drag on for months or years, you need to make at least 10 molds.

Making paving slabs with your own hands is a rather labor-intensive process.

As forms for small-format paving slabs, you can use disposable plastic containers for packaging various products, filling them with a solution to a fixed depth. The turnover of such “forms” is 5-10 cycles, but this is compensated by the insignificant cost of used boxes.

Technology for manufacturing paving slabs using vibration casting method

This method consists of pouring cement-based mortar into special forms with simultaneous or subsequent compaction of the contents by vibration.

Vibration casting can be produced using single-layer and two-layer technology.

Single layer method

Single-layer technology consists of filling the molds with a solution, compacting them on a vibrating table, followed by keeping the products in the molds for two days and removing the formwork. The strength and aesthetics of such tiles are lower than those of two-layer paving stones made by vibration casting, so they are used for paving utility areas that do not require high aesthetics.

Making vibropressed paving slabs is easier than making vibrocast ones

Double-layer vibration casting

When pouring in two layers, a solution with a coloring pigment is poured into the molds in a layer of 1-2 cm while simultaneously vibrating. On top of the colored solution, without waiting for the front layer to set, the composition of the base layer without dye is poured flush with the edges of the molds and subjected to vibration for 15-30 seconds. After 2 days, the products are removed from the molds and stored for drying in a cool place.

Regardless of the number of layers, the forms filled with mortar are covered plastic film to prevent premature evaporation of moisture and partial loss of paving stone strength.

The purpose of the facing layer is to increase the strength characteristics and aesthetics of paving slabs. This layer is a durable shell with a glossy surface, painted in the selected color by adding a dye to the solution. If instead of gray cement M500 you use white cement of the same brand, then the colored front layer can be made saturated, without a gray tint.

Making your own mortar for paving stones is economical option

Components of face concrete

To make the front layer durable, uniform and glossy, the solution must include the following materials:

• cement M500 (preferably white);
• crushed stone (granite, marble, gravel) fraction 5-10 mm;
• sifted sand in the ratio;
• water;
• color;
• dispersant.

Concrete recipe for forming the face layer

When mixing the front layer, the weight ratio of the amount of cement and AHP is 1:2.

For example specific operation Let's look at the procedure for mixing the face layer solution in a concrete mixer. 10 liters of water are poured into the mixer, to which dye is first added in the case of the production of colored paving stones. Then pour in 750 grams aqueous solution dispersant, turn on the concrete mixer and sequentially fill in 3 buckets of ShchPS and Portland cement M500. After mixing for a minute, 3 more buckets of screenings are added to the concrete mixer.

Concrete is mixed in a concrete mixer in a certain sequence

Mixing is carried out for 15-20 minutes until the solution acquires a homogeneous consistency of thick sour cream, after which the mass is transferred from the concrete mixer to the tub, and molding can be done.

The amount of color in the solution should be no more than 5% of the batch volume. The proportion used must be remembered in case you need to make additional batches.

Forming the face layer of tiles in a mold

After lubrication inner surface forms, the prepared solution is laid out in them in a layer of 1-2 cm and compacted by vibration. In the absence of a vibrating table, you can get by by installing the molded products on a sheet of iron and tapping them from below with a rubber mallet. Particularly savvy craftsmen use for vibration washing machine, on which forms are placed when the centrifuge is running in spin mode.

The main difference between paving stones and paving slabs is their shape

Base layer solution components

In the formulation of the solution forming the main layer, the dispersant is replaced by a plasticizer. In the process of preparing the solution, one part of M500 cement is mixed with three parts crushed stone-sand mixture. The plasticizer is added in the same amount as the dispersant to the front layer.

How to mix concrete to pour the base layer

Let's consider the technology for producing a specific portion of the solution using a concrete mixer.

750 grams of an aqueous solution of plasticizer are stirred in 12 liters of water, after which 5 buckets of AHP and 3 buckets of Portland cement M500 are sequentially poured into a running mixer with liquid, after which another 3-4 buckets of screenings are added. There is no need to color the base material of paving slabs. The concrete is mixed for about a quarter of an hour and, upon reaching the consistency of sour cream, is discharged into the tub.

To mix concrete per 1 square meter at home. paving stones 6 cm thick, you will need:

• Crushed stone-sand mixture – 90 kg;
• Cement M500 – 25 kg;
• Dispersant – 120 grams;
• Plasticizer – 100 grams;
• Dye – 600-800 grams.

Reinforcement of paving stones and pouring the base layer

To increase the strength of the tiles, you can reinforce the product yourself. Ideally suited as reinforcement would be a “cut-out” (expanded steel sheet) cut to size, made from steel sheet 1 or 2 mm thick. The grooved pieces are laid on top of the mortar of the face layer of the tile and covered with concrete flush with the edges of the forms. Reinforcement of products at home can also be done using pieces of thick wire or smooth rolled reinforcement placed crosswise, or steel mesh.

To ensure the solidity of the tile, the filling of the second layer is carried out no later than 20 minutes after the formation of the first.

After compacting the solution by vibrating, the molds are laid on a horizontal surface in a cool place for two days until the concrete hardens.

Modern paving slabs are suitable for arranging urban or suburban courtyards

Stripping molds and removing tiles

If the form is made with your own hands from wooden blocks, then the fastening screws are unscrewed at one of the joints, after which the frame is moved apart and the product is released. The paving stones are given another 10 days to gain strength and dry, laying the tiles in one layer in a cool room.

If polyurethane molds were used to produce the tiles, then the mold with the product is placed in a bath of warm (60 degrees) water for a couple of minutes to soften the polymer, after which the tile is removed and also placed in a cool place for 10 days until it is finally ready for use.

Considering that the tile must be in the mold for two days, you can, having 10 molds at your disposal, daily remove 5 finished products and make 5 further molds.