Do-it-yourself colored crushed stone - making a stone rainbow!

Other materials and tools for construction

For good drainage, crushed stone will be needed at the base of the coating.
The size of crushed stone for the base is 5-20 or 20-40 mm. Crushed stone of these fractions can be replaced with broken bricks and crushed construction waste. To compact the layers - river or quarry sand. The second type is usually cheaper if there is no difference in transportation distance. Geotextiles provide structural strength and increased drainage properties. It can be taken in densities of 60, 80 and 100 g/m2 in dark gray or white. Passages with curbs have a neat appearance. The latter include factory-made curb stones, concrete curbs poured into molds, and brick curbs. The border for a gravel path bordering a lawn can be made of polymer material; for a “stone carpet” - a wooden frame is made.

As experts recommend, a good frame material for the construction of gravel paths is gravel mesh. There are several types of mesh; they are made in the form of flat or three-dimensional polymer gratings, have high binding properties of soil and material, and add strength to the road surface. Such paths can be used for the passage of vehicles.

Tools needed to build a gravel or crushed stone walkway:

• stakes and twine for marking, on turns - flexible hoses and wire staples;
• bayonet shovel;
• device for compacting stones and sand;
• rake or professional leveler - “trowel”, scraper;
• To create a “stone carpet” you will need a mixer or concrete mixer.

If you plan to build a durable compacted driveway, you will need a bonding agent such as epoxy resin. During the construction of the path, it will need to be watered several times, so access to irrigation water is necessary. Let's look at how to make a garden path from gravel.

Choosing paint color

In nature, marble has a wide color palette: blue, black, green, gray, brown, beige, red, pink and yellow (gold). Marbled plaster can reproduce all this variety of colors

For marbling (imitation marble on a ceiling, wall, or other surface), it is important to choose the right paints, then the effect will be amazing and as natural as possible

• The main color sets the general background: it determines what color scheme the coating will be in. It is recommended to choose gloss, semi-gloss, semi-matte paint containing glitter.
• Two additional colors should be in the same color scheme, but with different tones (2-3 tones difference).
• The veins are drawn with the fourth color.

To create decor in light colors, use pure white paint as a basis or with a subtle admixture of yellow, pink, and brown. In creating a dark background, the main role is played by black paintwork, other dark colors with charcoal shades. For example, you can create a green marble effect by combining black, gray-green, dark green and white.

How it is made

Stone chips of a certain fraction and acrylic paint are used as raw materials for the manufacture of the material. If the initial raw material is stone chips not sorted into fractions, then the first technological stage will be separation into fractions by sifting on a vibrating screen (vibrating screen).

The necessary raw materials for the production of painted crushed stone are extracted from the quarries Source avistd.ru

The next stage is painting, for which a painting hopper is used, the principle of which is similar to a concrete mixer. The volume of paint loaded into it is about 20% of the volume of loaded crushed stone. After coloring, the crushed stone is moved to a drying chamber; after drying, the stone is packaged in bags weighing from 2 to 20 kg.

There is a risk of purchasing low-quality decorative material. These are mainly products of small enterprises, which, at the expense of quality, can save on:

• feedstock;
• the amount of paint placed in the hopper;
• drying chamber (drying is carried out simply in air on plastic film).

Production costs

Producing colored crushed stone is quite profitable: the demand for the product, although seasonal, is very stable. The costs of equipment and material will be relatively modest and will quickly pay for themselves. A business plan for the production of colored crushed stone should include the following costs:

• concrete mixer - from 8 thousand rubles;
• vibrating screen - from 300 thousand rubles;
• drying chamber - from 100 thousand rubles;
• crushed granite or gravel - on average 2 thousand rubles per ton;
• paint - 100 kg on average 20 thousand rubles.

In the first stages of work, you can save significantly by working without a vibrating screen and drying chamber. Metal mesh (from 200 rubles per square meter) is quite a decent and workable option. Painted crushed stone is usually sold in bags at a price of 30 rubles per 1 kg.

The use of crushed stone in landscape design

Crushed stone in nature, depending on the source stone, can have different colors. White and granite crushed stone and granite chips are used in natural shades. However, with the growing popularity of stone in landscape design, it became necessary to expand the color range.

There are many solutions for using crushed stone. For example, in problem areas you can create a composition of boulders. The area around can be sprinkled with crumbs. Moreover, you can use both single-color material and decorative crushed stone of various shades.

Places where plants do not grow or grow with difficulty can also be decorated with decorative colored sprinkles. At the same time, using different shades you can create drawings and patterns.

Many designers use painted crushed stone to decorate ponds on the site. You can lay stone along the banks, strew the banks themselves and even the bottom with them. Thanks to the use of waterproof paint, the coating will retain its original appearance for a long time. To decorate the bottom, you can also use crushed stone in natural shades. This will give the pond a natural look. You can complement the look with pebbles and boulders.

Nowadays landscape design often includes an element such as an alpine slide. When forming it, colored crushed stone is used. The most spectacular look can be achieved by combining crumbs with gravel or large stones and boulders. Sprinkling is carried out at the foot of the alpine hill, as well as around plants in free areas. You can also decorate the element with stone in natural tones. For example, borders made of white crushed stone look beautiful. This design allows you to bring the appearance of the alpine slide as close as possible to natural slopes.

It is impossible to design a Japanese garden without using crushed stone. As you know, such gardens are made only from stones. Stones can be of various shapes, colors, types, textures. Large elements are arranged in an abstract order, and they symbolize mountains and islands. Small stones, in particular, crushed stone, are scattered around large stones in waves. This way the image of water is recreated. In order to bring the view as close as possible to the water, the sprinkling must be periodically drawn with a special rake. Such actions create ridges that resemble waves on water.

Types and sizes

All stones in landscape design can be divided into two large groups - depending on their origin, they can be natural or artificial. The cost of the stones will depend on this criterion.

There are many different stones - both natural and artificial - that can be used to arrange and decorate a site - each type of material is suitable for a specific purpose.

Natural

If you want to use natural stone to decorate your site, you first need to focus on its properties and characteristics when choosing a variety.

The most important requirement for this material is its strength, on which the durability of the created design will depend.

It is also important that the natural stone has an attractive appearance, then the design you create will be beautiful and unique

Let's take a closer look at the properties of natural stones, which are often used in landscape design:

Granite - this stone contains many components: natural mica, quartz and spar. This variety is considered universal and has a fairly wide range of uses. The color of the stones can be different: in graphite, gray and green tones. Sometimes they may also contain inclusions of light pink, red, orange or blue. The stone is very attractive in appearance and also has excellent performance characteristics, which is why the cost of the material can be quite high;

Artificial

The main advantage of artificial stones is their low cost compared to natural ones.

The most common are:

Brick - this material gained wide popularity many years ago. It can have different shades and differs in color saturation. It has good characteristics, is quite durable and resistant to destruction. Thanks to these properties, it is widely popular in landscape design;

There are the following types of glowing stones:

• A hollow container in which LEDs are embedded. Such products are distinguished by their very long service life - about ten years. However, the cost of the products is quite high. In daylight, the stones look like translucent glass shards;
• Plastic products containing catalysts. Such devices are very affordable and easy to maintain - they charge themselves during the day using solar energy. You will only need to periodically wash off the layer of dust from the stones; this can be done with ordinary water, and then leave the product to dry. In addition, plastic stone is quite lightweight, and in daylight it looks as close as possible to natural stone;
• Natural and artificial stones can also be painted with paints containing luminescent particles. Using this method, you can independently turn any design elements into decor that will glow in the dark. After the paint has completely dried, you can coat the top of the product with varnish, which will protect the luminous coating from various natural influences.

By size, stones can be divided into the following groups:

Stone chips - this decorative material is most popular among designers, since it can be used to decorate even the most complex surfaces of any shape. Stone chips are often used in the design of parks, as well as areas of private houses. To produce screenings, rocks are subjected to a crushing procedure. Stones such as marble, quartz, jasper and others are considered suitable for this. Stone chips are a durable, reliable, inexpensive and accessible material that is widely presented on the market in a wide variety of colors;

Decorative path made of colored crushed stone

The path can be decorative from colored crushed stone.
If you want to make a decorative path that will decorate the overall appearance of the landscape design, then you can use colored crushed stone. Of course, it is sold ready-made, but, on the other hand, you can paint this material yourself. The whole process consists of several stages:

• preparation of material;
• painting;
• drying.

Preparing the material before painting

The fraction of purchased crushed stone can be varied, since its manufacturer does not sort it for your needs. For sorting, a “screen” device is often used, thanks to which the fine fraction is separated from the large one. It’s clear that you won’t have it, so you can use a metal mesh. The desired fraction will slip through the mesh, and the larger fraction will remain on its surface.

Painting crushed stone

Crushed stone can be painted in any desired color

After this, the crushed stone is poured into a concrete mixer. With this device it will be easiest to mix the material with the dye evenly. For painting you should use acrylic or polymer paint. For uniform coloring, the concrete mixer should be left on for one hour.

Drying the painted material

After the allotted time has passed, the crushed stone is unloaded into the container. It may happen that paint remains on the bottom. It should be filtered through a sieve, and the sifted crushed stone should be spread out in the open air. Already painted material can be used to make a decorative path or decorate a flower bed.

So, in this article, we looked at the main points on how to design paths in a garden plot so that they ultimately last for more than one year. If you know other ideas or subtleties of making paths from crushed stone that are not voiced in the article, then be sure to leave comments at the end of this article.

Advantages and disadvantages of black crushed stone

Black crushed stone is a material with excellent (or fairly good) technical characteristics. But they depend not so much on the technological method by which this stone was obtained, but on what source material was used for it.

If initially the crushed stone is strong with high frost resistance and density, then with good bitumen, black crushed stone will be an excellent component of the basis of a high-quality asphalt pavement. If recycled crushed stone was used for painting black, for example, from the remains of concrete, then the quality of the finished product will be slightly lower.

In general, made in compliance with all technologies, black crushed stone can qualify for all indicators (if a high-quality initial product was used for its production) to a solid 5. The same rating can be given to colored crushed stone, suitable exclusively for work related to landscape design.

Installing a curb on sand-cement mixture or concrete

On soils prone to heaving, the curb stone should be installed on a backfill of sand and crushed stone, on top of which a layer of concrete is laid, and the curb is laid in it. With this installation, curbs stand for years without problems. The procedure is as follows:

• Using pegs installed in key places and laces stretched between them, markings are made.
• According to the markings made, a trench is dug. The width should be such that there is a distance of 10-15 cm on each side on the sides of the installed stone. The depth is chosen so that the layer of compacted crushed stone at the bottom is at least 10 cm, at least 5 cm of sand-cement mortar on top, and the curb stone itself rises above the surface of the path by at least a few centimeters (how much specifically depends on your desire).
• The bottom of the trench is ready to be leveled and compacted (when using a vibrating plate, the width of the trench is made according to the width of the slab).
• Lay a layer of geotextile with a density of at least 160 g/m². This layer is needed to ensure that sand and crushed stone do not mix with the soil. It increases the lifespan of the curb and reduces the likelihood of shifts during spring heaving.
• A layer of coarse sand or crushed stone of large or medium fraction (20-40 mm) is poured. The minimum layer is 10 cm, the optimal layer is 15 cm. The crushed stone is compacted.
• A thick solution is mixed from sand (3-4 parts) and cement (1 part) (very little water, just enough to stir). It is laid 5-7 cm thick (preferably 7 cm) on crushed stone.
• A curb stone is laid on the concrete and leveled (to the horizon or with a slope - depending on the geology of the site).
• A castle made of sand-cement mixture 5-7 cm thick and about 10 cm high is laid around the fragment installed and positioned in the desired position.
• After the concrete has set, the remaining free space between the installed curb and the edge of the trench is filled with sand or crushed stone, compacted, and sprinkled with soil on top.

If you follow this technology for installing a curb stone, the likelihood that it will move during heaving is very low.

How to put on sand

If the soils are not prone to heaving, you can do without concrete. Only curbs can be placed in this way - a border for pedestrian paths or a fence for a flower bed or flower garden. With all this, this installation method does not guarantee that the track will not be destroyed. The installation technology is similar to that described above to the place where the concrete solution needs to be laid.

Installation diagram of a curb with a gutter

Only crushed stone is placed under the curb and compacted well. The thickness of the layer must be at least 15 cm. After the curb stone has been inserted at a level, the gap between the sides of the stone and the walls of the trench is filled with the same crushed stone and compacted well. With this installation method, you can collapse the fence even if you step on it at an awkward angle. But as a temporary option - for several months - this installation method is suitable.

Care

Since the coating is not only decorative, but is also subject to use when walking in the design of paths, there are special rules for care. These rules will help you maintain a presentable appearance for a long time and clean the surface from dirt.

Let's conduct a kind of FAQ on care.

What to do if the top surface of the walkway is dirty?

First, you need to pour and loosen the surface with a rake or spatula, and then remove the contamination with air. If there is no compressor at the dacha, then the path must be spilled with a large amount of water.

How to update the color?

To do this, you need to remove the painted decorative colored crushed stone from the surface of the path and paint it again according to the rules that were described above.

Important! Painting directly on the path using paint and a brush is not permitted. The paint will glue the stones together into a monolith, all this will be very unsightly and will be more susceptible to contamination.

Do I need to prepare paths for the winter?

How to paint landscaping material

The cost of colored stone is 20 times higher than that of ordinary stone. You can reduce costs by making bulk material yourself, following step-by-step instructions.

Purchasing or preparing raw materials yourself

You can buy ready-made chips at a garden center or hardware store, or purchase raw materials in the form of unpainted crushed stone and give it the desired shade. Suitable for painting are granite, marble, limestone of any original color, as well as more expensive and rare ones: shungite, quartzite, and serpentine.

If there is a coarse stone available, it can be crushed using a crusher

What can be used as a dye?

To add color, they usually use acrylic paints and polyacrylate-based dyes or special facade compositions to look like stone, weather-resistant enamels, and even PVA glue.

In order for the decorative stone not to change its color brightness under heavy rain, snow and sunlight, the paint must have the following properties:

• water resistance, weather resistance;
• resistance to mechanical stress, in particular abrasion;
• frost resistance and environmental friendliness.

Preliminary preparation

Stages of preparatory work:

1. In the purchased crushed stone there are stones of different fractions. For painting, the ideal size is about 10 mm; in order to remove large pieces, as well as debris, you need to sift the mass through a metal mesh located at an angle. This device is called a “rumble.” Large parts and debris will roll down the mesh, and those suitable for painting will fall through the cells
2. Now you need to wash the crumbs, removing dust for better adhesion to the paint.
3. Clean gravel should be dried.

Coloring

Coloring stones can be done in several ways.

Manually:

1. Pour a portion of crushed stone into the container.
2. Pour paint of the desired shade 20% of the volume of raw materials.
3. Stir with a shovel until the stones are evenly colored.
4. If the amount of gravel is small, then it can be spread out on polyethylene and covered with a layer of primer and then paint from an aerosol can.

In a concrete mixer:

1. Fill in 2/3 of the volume of gravel and pour in 1/3 of the dye.
2. Mix for at least 40 minutes. It is advisable to load the concrete mixer completely to reduce the number of approaches
3. Pour onto a mesh with a tray.

Drying

Drying freshly painted gravel is easy on a fine-mesh metal mesh with a tray to drain excess paint. The resulting smooth and evenly colored crushed stone must be laid out on plastic film until completely dry.

It is important that all fragments of crushed stone are painted evenly

Photo gallery: the use of colored crushed stone in landscape design

Areas of colored crushed stone combine well with decorative elements and shrubs

High-quality dye allows you to preserve the brightness of the color of crushed stone longer

Stone chips can be used to decorate places where plants do not take root well.

Various inscriptions and drawings are created from colored material

Stones of different sizes are used to create intricate compositions.

Large stones play the role of mountains and hills, and small crushed stone imitates a stream

Using simple technology, you can inexpensively decorate paths and lawns on your property. This decor will give the area a neat and well-groomed appearance, help the plants survive the heat and protect them from weeds.

What plants are suitable?

Creating a decorative flower garden is a creative process. When selecting plants, it is advisable to maintain a sense of proportion and not spoil the harmonious picture. But it is also necessary to take into account that if there are more stones, the view will seem empty.

A variety of gravel flower beds makes it possible to use different types of plants

When choosing plants, take into account the design of the flower bed and the overall landscape

There are many crops that can be used when creating a garden, for example, you can make a flower garden with conifers. Cypress, boxwood, and yucca look especially elegant in light shades.

The most suitable plants are thyme, physostegia, sedum, lunaria, geranium, bergenia, perennial asters, tansy. Trees and shrubs (cotoneaster, gorse, leather mackerel) look good in ornamental gardens. They are used in minimal quantities so as not to interrupt the beauty of the created look.

The good taste of the owner of the site is emphasized by architectural plants that surprise with their originality, for example, Olympic mullein, teasel, feather grass, fennel, angelica, and macalea.

Cereals look amazing in decorative compositions. Blue fescue against a background of large stones will help to place accents in the landscape. The blue grasses of its delicate and thin leaves will not go unnoticed.

Do-it-yourself multi-colored crushed stone - coloring technology

What crushed stone is suitable for painting?

Granite, marble, limestone are three types of crushed stone that are available to residents of our country. Granite and marble stones lend themselves better to painting. Limestone, due to enhanced coating, cannot be properly painted.

Crushed granite and marble

What size stone should it be for best coloring?

The stone should be the same size, within 10-15 mm. If the stones are of different sizes, you will need a metal mesh with small cells for “sifting”. Secure the metal mesh on both sides and pull it at an angle of about 60 degrees for better sifting. Place stone on the mesh. Small fractions will fall through the cells under the mesh, and larger fractions will roll down it. Do not try to measure crushed stone down to the millimeter. The main thing is to get rid of large stones.

Decoration with gravel

How to paint crushed stone at home and what paint to use

Be sure to wash the crushed stone before painting. To do this, pour stones onto the same metal mesh in batches and dip them into a container of water. We pour the washed crushed stone onto the ground, after laying down old linoleum, oilcloth or sheet of metal, to dry for 0.5-1 hour. Acrylic and water-based paints are suitable for painting. If you have a concrete mixer, use it. Pour dried crushed stone into a concrete mixer, pour paint in several passes, depending on the desired color saturation. If you don't have a concrete mixer, use spray paint. After removing the painted crushed stone from the concrete mixer, it must be dried. First let the excess paint drip off on the metal mesh. Place a paint tray under the mesh. The same paint as glass can be used in subsequent painting. Painted crushed stone will retain its brightness and color saturation if you use a high-quality dye and adhere to the dyeing technology.

What does “decorative crushed stone” mean?

This is cube-shaped crushed stone of a fine fraction (10-15 mm), painted in bright colors. Industrial enterprises use a coloring pigment that is resistant to external factors and at the same time non-toxic, absolutely harmless to soil and plants. Therefore, without a shadow of a doubt, use it in garden beds, playgrounds, for artistically designed inscriptions on the ground, framing monuments, as well as to create a bright bottom and shore not only in reservoirs, but also in artificially created streams and ponds. Decorative painted crushed stone used for landscape design is resistant to frost and sunlight. Be sure to pay attention to radioactive indicators before purchasing crushed stone. Crushed stone of the first class of radioactivity is suitable for beautifying children's playgrounds, parks, and garden paths, and crushed stone of the second class is used only in construction.

Colored crushed stone in design

Colored crushed stone intended for landscape design is not only a harmonious combination of colors, but also practical application. Gravel maintains the water balance in the soil, allows moisture to pass freely, while helping to preserve it and prevent it from eroding. The technology of laying multi-colored stones prevents weeds from growing. The gravel can be laid out in different styles over and over again if desired, or collected and moved to another location. If necessary, even use it for construction purposes.

Imitation of water with gravel

Painted gravel can be purchased at construction hypermarkets or construction sites. But at the same time you will part with a large sum. But you can paint it yourself. This thought raises a number of questions. What crushed stone is suitable for painting? What size stone should be for best coloring? Is it possible to paint crushed stone at home and how to do it? What paint should I use?

How you can use crushed stone in site design

Decorative crushed stone is used to create a natural, natural atmosphere in the garden. If necessary, you can change the color of the bulk material to expand the possibility of application.

Did you know? Limestone screenings are included in food additives for livestock. It contains valuable minerals and vitamins.

Pond decoration

Very often, decorative crushed stone is used to decorate a pond. It can be used to repair problem areas such as holes and uneven areas. This colored material also helps cover voids where regular plants cannot grow. Thanks to this, the area becomes brighter and more aesthetically pleasing. This type of decorative coating can be used not only outside the reservoir, but also inside. It is often laid out on the bottom to give it a natural look.

To create a beautiful and even surface, lay out a small amount of pebbles (large crushed stone), and on top several boulders that look out of the water. This will give the pond a natural look. Broken rock in the following colors is ideal for decorating ponds: green, smoky or white. Such shades are considered more natural.

We recommend reading how to use decorative wood chips in landscape design.

Creation of an alpine slide

Decorative multi-colored crushed stone is a mandatory attribute that allows you to create alpine slides. You can also use a small amount of pebbles for this. These materials are used to make backfill at the foot of the decorative element. After this, the free areas between the plants are covered with crushed glass. Thanks to such techniques, you can create an atmosphere in the summer cottage of a private house that is close to the natural appearance of the slopes.

Decorating a Japanese garden

To create a Japanese garden, you need to stock up on decorative crushed stone. The eastern orientation of the site's decor is often called a dry stone garden.

Features of decorating a Japanese garden with decorative crushed stone are as follows:

• the use of natural stone elements of different shapes, colors and sizes;
• placing large details in an abstract order that will resemble a mountainous area;
• placement of small crushed stone in waves to convey the illusion of a water surface.

Important! You need to properly care for a Japanese garden. Try to regularly draw grooves in the crushed stone with a rake so that the visualization of flowing water is maintained.

Decorated paths and paths

To lay beautiful, decorated paths and paths, you do not need to study complex technical literature in advance. This is a rather creative process, and everything depends on your imagination. You can make symmetrical and asymmetrical (relative to the center line) road surfaces. Very often in the countryside there are paths with sharp turns or smooth bends. When choosing a shape, try to take into account the general style of landscape design and the area of ​​the garden plot. The use of decorative crushed stone helps to decorate the garden and achieve harmony between all design elements

Thanks to this material, your site will be bright, unusual and eye-catching.

Flowerbeds and lawns

Flowerbeds and lawns are often decorated with decorative crushed stone. The optimal layer of colored material is 3–5 cm. The main advantage of this design is that regular maintenance is not required. The site will always look neat and aesthetically pleasing. High-quality dyes retain their original rich color for a long time. In addition, they are not toxic to plants growing in this corner of the garden.

Before applying stone chips

There are many ideas for using decorative stone chips, because it is an amazingly diverse material that can be varied not only in size and mineral composition, but also in color and texture.

But for any landscape work with decorative stone chips, you will need to prepare the base:

Decorative stone to decorate the site

• remove a layer of fertile soil to prevent weeds from growing;
• fill the base with regular sand, which will ensure better rain drainage;
• lay geotextiles on the sand, a special fabric that allows water to pass through and prevents weeds from germinating.

Decorative crumbs on the site

Decorative crumbs for landscape design are poured directly onto geotextiles, about 5 cm thick, completely covering the substrate.

Decorative bridge on the site

These are general operating rules. The specific material is selected for each project individually.

Combination of colors in landscape design

To decorate burial sites, they prefer to use crushed marble, choosing white or gray-blue shades.

Creative design of the site

Marble chips are afraid of mechanical loads, so the paths are not covered with them. Each new season you will have to add more marble chips.

Flowerbeds and decorative panels are sprinkled with crumbs of different species, often using painted varieties and adding wood mulch.

Purple crumbs and stone path

But the platform for the car can be filled with shale crushed stone; its flattened pieces are laid tightly, do not get stuck in the tire tread, and rain runoff flows freely.

Stone steps and decorative wood shavings

And where children or pets will run, it is better to line the paths with pebbles to eliminate the risk of abrasions or damaged paws.

Round patterns of decorative chips

In addition, slate or marble ensures that even after rain the paths will not become slippery.

Plot with stone slabs and decorative chips

Is a binder required?

When building the main highways on the site, roads along the house, it is better to build a path of crushed stone and epoxy resin - the so-called “stone carpet”, which was already mentioned above. Granite crushed stone is most suitable for this purpose. It is beautiful in color, repeating granite with splashes of red and black, and is wear-resistant.

Glue for crushed stone can be purchased in specialized stores. The base for such passages is additionally reinforced with concrete pouring. The foundation pit for the road is dug to a depth of 25-30 cm. The soil is dug up and compacted. The edges are aligned strictly vertically, and a wooden frame (formwork) made of slats with transverse ties is mounted on them. The latter hold the edges of the highway in a vertical position. It is advisable to install them every 70-80 cm.

A 15 cm drainage layer of crushed stone is poured onto the bottom of the trench, pressed, and compacted with a 5 cm layer of sand. The base is compacted, watered, and allowed to settle. Then the layer of sand is leveled, and a geofabric is laid on top of it. To ensure the strength of the base, a concrete solution with the addition of crushed stone of fraction 5-10 or 5-20 is poured over the geofabric. Concrete layer 8-10 cm.

When the concrete base is dry and can be walked on, begin pouring the stone resin. The finest fraction of crushed stone is poured into the mixer, a binding component is added - epoxy resin and glue (hardener). The packaging contains instructions for making the composition. All components continue to be mixed for 20-30 minutes until the greatest uniformity of glue distribution is achieved. Here is the approximate ratio of components:

• crushed stone fraction 10-20 – 80 kg;
• epoxy resin – 1.3 kg;
• glue – 10 g.

Furfuryl alcohol may be needed to thin hardened resin.

A mixture of crushed stone and adhesive is poured onto the concrete base in a layer of 1-5 cm and actively leveled and compacted using a trowel. You can only use a scraper if the mixture is dense and only needs to level the layer in height. They try to work quickly, as the mixture is actively hardening. The time during which the track is ready for use is 1-2 hours. After setting, the coating is watered. The mixture of crushed stone and glue allows water to pass through well, precipitation does not accumulate on it, and less ice forms in winter.

Comparative analysis of gravel and crushed stone paths for the garden

A surface made of crushed stone will be more durable, comfortable for walking and resistant to moisture than a path made of gravel. This material can withstand loads better, is resistant to temperature changes, and the pebbles stay securely in place thanks to the angular surface, so they will not move apart under pressure.

The only drawback of crushed stone as a material for building a stone path is that, due to the angular, sharp shape of the stones, it is inconvenient to walk along such a path in summer shoes, much less barefoot. You can get injured if you fall on rubble.

Gravel is affordable, it is more comfortable for walking on and less traumatic. Its disadvantage, compared to crushed stone, is subsidence under heavy loads, since due to the smooth surface the stones do not hold well in place relative to each other and easily move apart.

Step-by-step instructions on how to restore a sideboard with your own hands

Examples of using decorative crushed stone in landscape design

Beautiful stone chips can radically transform the territory of a garden or vegetable garden. The material helps to embody the most daring and original design ideas. The complexity of the work and the type of finishing depend on the tasks set by the landscape designer.

Paths are laid out from decorative crushed stone. For arranging paths, medium-fraction raw materials (2-7 cm) are used. The coating is combined with tiles, wooden cuts or large flat stones. The finish allows moisture to pass through perfectly, which allows you to get rid of puddles.

Decorative crushed stone on pathsSource stroyobzor.info

Designer gravel is used to create decorative borders along paths. Plain options highlight the beauty of the curve of the path. Drawings (thematic, abstract) and inscriptions made using stencils look impressive on the site. The elements will become a guide to the garden.

Design of the area along the pathsSource 24warez.ru

Decorative crushed stone is used in the design of flower beds and beds. The fine and medium fraction material emphasizes the beauty of the planted plants. Complex landscape paintings are created from the finishing, combining raw materials of different shades and shapes. Designer powder protects flower beds from weeds.

Decorative finishing of the flower gardenSource kupiprodai.ru

Decorative gravel is used in the design of rock gardens and rockeries. Crushed stone for landscape design is combined with large stones and vegetation. The combination of different shades and textures looks impressive. Empty areas and the space at the base are sprinkled with fine material.

Mulch made from colored crushed stone will radically transform a boring landscape. Decorative gravel is used to fill the root circle of trees, large shrubs and large solitaire flowers.

Stone decoration will help focus attention on:

• garden sculptures;
• fountains;
• large flowerpots.

Instead of a traditional lawn with grass, the area can be decorated with a topping of designer crushed stone. Patterns, complex paintings or thematic inscriptions look impressive and futuristic. It is worth laying paths made of granite or ceramic tiles across the stone lawn.

Decoration of the site with small crushed stoneSource remstd.ru

Gravel is used to create ponds. A “dry” lake, a fountain and a stream made from designer powder will become a bright detail of an oriental-style garden. If there is a natural pond, then multi-colored material is used to beautifully decorate the bottom and shore.

Stream made of decorative crushed stoneSource exoticpebblesandglass.com

Decorative crushed stone is taken for zoning and marking boundaries on the site. Canals filled with stones look more impressive than a complex fence. Coarse gravel is used to create gabions. Gazebos are assembled from mesh structures and borders or fences are installed.

Laying decorative crushed stone

In order for the flowerbed to retain its decorative appearance longer, it is necessary to correctly lay the base material. The technology is not complicated. However, you should start with the preparatory work:

1. Mark the contours of the future flower bed, drive pegs into the ground and stretch twine between them.
2. Remove 10 cm of the top layer of soil, level and compact the area.
3. Install borders, regular sidewalks or special garden ones. You can also use plastic stops or lay wild stone.
4. Pour a layer of sand 5 mm high, lightly wet it and compact it thoroughly.
5. Then lay insulating material to prevent weed growth. This can be a film (it will be necessary to make holes to prevent moisture accumulation) or geotextiles (needle-punched or heat-bonded).
6. Lay a second layer of sand, 5 cm high.
7. And the final stage is a layer of decorative crushed stone. For a flower bed, 2-3 cm will be enough.

If the flowerbed is one-color according to the design, then it is enough to even out the crumbs with a rake. If the project involves any pattern, in order to prevent colored crushed stone from mixing with each other, it is necessary to install fencing elements before pouring it.

When creating a backfill as a mulch layer, its height should be 10 cm. In this case, the preliminary work does not differ from preparing a flower bed. However, when mulching single trees, it is permissible not to use covering material.

The lawn around the plant is cut to a depth of 10 cm, sand or old soil cleared of weeds and roots is filled in. Decorative stone is laid on top. The only drawback is that over time the crumbs will mix with the soil and require periodic washing.

How to properly design the outline of a flower bed

To ensure that the contour of the flowerbed has a neat outline and the crushed stone does not spread throughout the garden, it is necessary to design it correctly. For this purpose, special garden borders or limiters are used.

And to make the composition look modern and presentable, the sides of the flowerbed are constructed from a metal mesh, which is filled with natural stone or coarse crushed stone.

The grid allows you to create vertical compositions of various shapes

Such a flower bed saves usable space, allowing you to create vertical structures and is a stylish accent to any area.

Care

Caring for decorative crushed stone does not require special skills, but the process is painstaking and time-consuming. During operation, crushed stone of different colors is partially mixed, even if special fencing elements were used. This leads to the fact that the pattern loses its clear outline and the flower bed loses its attractive appearance. Therefore, it is necessary to periodically adjust the drawing.

Natural stone does not require such attention. It is enough to systematically remove debris and fallen leaves and monitor the contour. To ensure that stone chips always look presentable, they are coated with a layer of special, non-toxic varnish.

Decorative mill with waterfall

The murmur of water and the rustle of spinning blades in the evening garden create an indescribable feeling of comfort and tranquility. A decorative water mill with a waterfall will be a wonderful addition to the design of your garden plot.

Working principle of a water mill

If in a windmill the force of the wind is used to move the blades, then in a water mill the flow of the river is responsible for this. The heart of such a mill is a wheel installed on the shore of a reservoir under a trench through which water flows.

The ideal place for installation is a flowing pond. Water flowing naturally will create a constant twisting force. If there is no river or stream in your garden plot, but you really want a mill, you can artificially recreate the force of the flow.

Possible options:

• Place the mill wheel under the gutter. In this case, it will spin when it rains.
• To create a flow, use a hill on the terrain. At the highest point of the site, a water collection point is created, which will be supplied through a gutter to the wheel blades.
• Run the water in a circle using a pump. An artificial hill is created, for example, from compacted earth or stones. A hose is placed inside through which water will be supplied upward.

Today in stores there are installations that can generate energy from the force of rotation of the wheel. A small wooden mill can provide electricity to operate its own pump and LED lighting.

Materials and tools

Necessary materials:

• wooden beams, slats, plywood;
• threaded rod;
• nails, self-tapping screws, bolts with nuts of different sizes;
• gutter pipe;
• moisture-resistant glue;
• protective impregnation, varnish or drying oil.

The amount of materials needed is determined by the size of the future building.

The mill wheel is in constant contact with water, so all wooden elements must be impregnated with a protective solution, and the use of unpainted metal elements must be kept to a minimum.

To create a water mill you will need a standard set of tools:

• saw, hacksaw or jigsaw;
• drill or screwdriver;
• hammer:
• roulette;
• level.