A walkway in the garden fulfills various functions. On the one hand, it gives people a secure step, on the other hand, it protects the lawn from human footsteps, which quickly look unsightly.
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Tread plates on lawn
A garden path with steps is always recommended when there is a risk of footpaths forming in the lawn. Since they are laid at ground level, they can easily be driven over when mowing. The plates should also not be an obstacle for the robotic lawnmower. Another advantage of stepping stones is that they do not need a complex substructure, which is good for beginners when it comes to putting them on.
materials and tools
In addition to the panels, you will need:
- spade
- Handstampfer
- trowel
- Zollstock
- level
- Rubber hammer
- broom
- Construction or filling sand
Instructions for beginners
1. Place panels
To ensure that the slabs are in the right places in the garden, you should first walk along the sidewalk. You lay out the individual footplates in such a way that you can easily step from one to the next.
Then measure the distances between the tread plates and calculate the average value. This results in the distance at which you lay them.
2. Mark and dig holes
Now place the footplates on the lawn at the correct distance. To mark the outlines, pierce the edges of the slab vertically with the spade in the turf. Then remove the plates again.
The holes are dug within the individual markings. It is important that they are dug a few centimeters deeper than the slabs are thick.
3. substructure
Once the holes have been dug, you can compact the subfloor with a hand tamper so that the panels do not sag after laying. Now put a three to five centimeter thick layer of sand as a substructure in each hole, which is leveled with the trowel.
4. Check
When checking the panels laid in the garden, you should pay attention to two things so that they do not become a tripping hazard or an obstacle when mowing:
- horizontal position of the step plates (spirit level)
- ground level finish
If the test result is not satisfactory, you should remove the tread plates so that you can adjust the substructure, i.e. the height of the sand or grit layer.
5. Fast knocking
To ensure that the footplates do not wobble (tilt) when you step on them, you should carefully tap them down with a rubber mallet. This also closes small cavities between the slab and the stone, which improves their position.
6. Fill in the gaps and sow the lawn
In the penultimate step
- Fill gaps between plate and lawn with soil
- press or rub in lightly
- sweep clean with a broom
So that the transition between the slab and the green in the garden is seamless, sow grass around the edges of the slab and press the seeds firmly. For good germination, you should keep the lawn seed moist for the first two weeks after sowing.
Paving slabs on gravel and grit
While stepping plates have a distance between the individual plates, sidewalks form a closed surface that can also be driven on without any problems. However, so that the path does not become a stumbling block, a substructure must be created. In addition, beginners should first think about
- the laying pattern,
- the foot design and
- the Randgestaltung
make, because these criteria are crucial bases for the garden path.
laying pattern
It is up to you which laying pattern you choose. However, for more complex patterns, you should create a laying plan to achieve the desired result.
Rectangular / square association:
- Equally sized rectangular or square slabs in the same lanes or staggered
- Lanes of different widths
- Combination of squares and rectangles (rectangle-square lattice)
- diagonal connection
- herringbone bandage
Roman Association:
- solid pattern of squares and rectangles
- varied structure by repeating the pattern
- gives the garden path a Mediterranean flair
Polygonalstil:
- polygonal panels of different sizes
- Laying according to the natural shape
Fugengestaltung
The joints are traditionally filled with quartz sand or decorative chippings. Grass grouting is currently in trend for the sidewalk in the garden. However, this is not suitable for all laying patterns, such as the Roman bond. You also have to reckon with the fact that the lawn will yellow in the joints and the garden path will become unsightly.
edge gestaltung
Edging the wayside is not absolutely necessary, but offers certain advantages:
- better hold of the laid surface
- prevents individual panels from sagging or slipping
As with the laying patterns, there are also various options for the edge design:
- Precisely matched edging or edging stones (finish like “from one piece”)
- intentional difference to the sidewalk slabs (“eye catcher”)
- metal rails (“invisible” bezel)
materials and tools
In addition to the slabs, for laying you will need:
- wooden pegs and string
- Zollstock
- spade and shovel
- Shaker (possible to borrow from hardware store) or hand tamper
- Rubber hammer
- grit/gravel
- Sand
- material for grouting
To mark
To ensure that the sidewalk runs the way you need it later, determine where it should go. In addition
- Mark out the path with wooden stakes
- Stretch the string between the pegs
- if necessary, take the width of the border into account
excavation
Once the path has been marked out, you can dig out the path surface. The minimum here is a depth of 20 centimetres. The exact calculation results from
- plate thickness
- Sand layer (5 centimeters)
- Gravel layer (for sandy soils 20, for loam and clay soils 30 to 40 centimeters)
substructure
When creating the substructure, you should incorporate a gradient of two percent with the help of a guide line so that rainwater can run off easily and does not accumulate on the slabs. In terms of the order of sand and gravel (gravel), there are different variants.
Variant 1: gravel-gravel
The layer of gravel comes directly to the ground. In this case, it is advisable to proceed in individual, thin layers, each of which is shaken. This increases the stability of the substructure. The top layer is filled with sand and then shaken again. The substructure is completed by removing the layer of sand so that a smooth, horizontal surface is created.
Variant 2: Sand-Gravel
As the name of this variant already implies, the sand is placed on the ground as the first layer. On top of that comes a layer of coarse gravel, which acts as drainage and is compacted (vibrated). The finish here is a layer of fine grit that is shaken. As with variant 1, a smooth surface must be created.
Lay and grout panels
The paving slabs are laid according to the basics of the laying pattern / plan:
- insert plates
- tap with a white rubber mallet (to avoid traces of paint)
- Specify the joint width or distances with joint crosses or spacer wedges
Depending on the selected joint design, fill the joints with the appropriate material or sow lawn seeds.