Do-it-yourself garden paths at low cost: How to decorate them beautifully? 180+ Photos of country house options made of different materials (tiles, plastic, rubber)

Country paths are a kind of transport arteries between the house, buildings and other objects. They give the area a well-groomed appearance, prevent trampling of plants and keep shoes clean. We offer you a selection of ideas on how to design and what to make paths from at the dacha. Some of these ideas can be implemented with your own hands, while others will require the involvement of specialists.

The following types of tracks are distinguished:

• By type of execution - solid and prefabricated (from individual elements).
• By type: straight and curved. A little design trick: winding paths can visually make the area larger.
• By manufacturing method: permanent and temporary. For temporary ones, materials that can be easily dismantled are used - rubber, plastic.

Important! Before you lay out the paths with your own hands, you need to think through a plan. Paths should connect not only the main buildings, but also economic objects (greenhouse, swimming pool, fire pit), beds, flower beds.

Features of choice

There is nowhere in the country without garden paths, and sooner or later the inhabitants will trample narrow paths to the toilet, to the vegetable garden, to the barbecue. Only the quality of these paths will be much worse than any made by yourself. They:

• quickly overgrown with grass - once you return to the dacha after a long winter absence, you will find that the paths can no longer be found in the green thickets;
• are washed away by rain - as soon as the weather turns bad, and instead of paths you will have grooves filled with water, which are impossible to walk along.

DIY garden paths

Even with a small budget, it is necessary to make comfortable paths. There are many ways to do this.

Bulk paths

As the name suggests, this group includes paths made of materials that are poured onto the ground. There are two such materials, each with its own pros and cons.

Gravel

It is inexpensive, and you can find it for free. Its advantages are the following:

• Lack of drainage . Gravel allows water to pass through perfectly, so you don't have to worry about the paths turning into streams when it rains.
• Lack of care . Gravel is reliable and durable. It does not need to be processed, it is not afraid of water, temperature changes, or pests. It can be washed by rain, and if something spills on it, you just need to stir it.
• Easy to repair . If something happens to your gravel path - for example, it settles - just add new gravel to make it look as good as when it was laid.
• Easy to install . Any material that looks like tiles needs to be laid out to make it look beautiful. Gravel is easy enough to pour.
• Bizarre forms . Using gravel you can make a path of any shape.
• Roughness . Even if it rains, the gravel path is difficult to slip on.

Using gravel you can make a path of any shape.

But, of course, they come with disadvantages:

• Monotony . The gravel is mostly gray, which is a pretty boring color. We'll have to come up with something to make it look more interesting.
• Inconvenience of walking . The gravel is sharp. If you step on it with bare feet, the sensations will not be pleasant - and in light summer slippers it can also be uncomfortable.
• Processing difficulties . Gravel is a bulk material. If you don’t clear the ground underneath it of seeds, grass will grow through it by spring. Sometimes this can be part of the design, but more often it is annoying and looks out of place.

Tip Instead of gravel, you can use crushed stone, crushed natural stone, even broken bricks and asphalt waste - anything that can be poured onto the path.

Gravel in landscape design

Bark

The material is original and natural. If you heat your dacha with wood, there shouldn’t be any problems getting it.

Its advantages are the following:

• Naturalness . In the depths of a green garden, such a path will look nice.
• Easy to install and repair . It’s not difficult to pour bark on the ground, but adding new bark if something happens to the old one is even easier.
• There is no need to prepare the land . The bark does not need drainage; it allows moisture to pass through. And there is no need to remove the weeds under it - it perfectly blocks their growth.
• Soil enrichment . The tree gradually rots, as a result of which the soil becomes more fertile - perhaps in a couple of years you will be able to plant a whole path of flowers that will decorate your garden.

Cheap and beautiful - bark paths

But there are also disadvantages:

• Fragility . The tree rots from moisture and is eaten by pests. In a year, when winter has passed and the snow has melted, the bark paths will need to be laid out again.
• Difficulties in choosing the right bark . It should not be too small, otherwise it will quickly become unusable, and not too thick, otherwise it will be uncomfortable to walk. The bark of resinous trees will not work - it will constantly stick to your shoes.

Cora in the depths of the garden, where people rarely go.

Choose materials to make them look beautiful

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Plastic modules

The use of plastic modules in laying garden paths is a new technology that has managed to win thousands of fans all over the world. Plastic is a material that is quite light, cheap, durable and strong. The advantage is that the plastic modules can be dismantled at any time. They are not exposed to negative environmental influences and do not enter into chemical reactions. It is in this case that you can choose any option, because there is a huge amount of plastic of various shapes and colors on the market. The tile includes a backing and an outer part. The substrate is designed for air ventilation and drainage of excess moisture. Before installation, it is necessary to level the surface on which you plan to lay the material. It is better to lay additional drainage on the soil. Crushed stone can be used as drainage. The installation itself is quite simple and is carried out using a locking fastening. This is how the parts of the tiles are connected to each other.

Kinds	Main characteristics
Garden parquet	Planks that are laid out in sections on prepared soil. The elements are connected using a locking mechanism.
Lattice modular coverings	Installation must be done on a perfectly flat surface. The material is relatively inexpensive and quite durable.
Lawn grate	A cellular material that does not require preliminary soil preparation before installation.

Plastic modules are not very expensive and easy to install

The lawn grate does not require special preparatory work

See alsoLandscape design of a site on a slope

Natural materials

If you love naturalness, you will definitely like one of these solutions.

Grass

Strange as it may sound, no one will stop you from planting grass for lawns on the paths. It has its advantages:

• Beauty . If you like ethnic styles or eco style, you will also like paths of lush green grass. They look nice, unusual, and attract the eye.
• Simplicity . Under the grass there is no need for drainage, not even a foundation. It is enough to simply dig up the ground, like digging up beds, and sow seeds into it.
• Coolness and atmosphere . The grass does not heat up like other paths and the area is not as hot in the summer. In addition, it produces additional oxygen - even if this is not very noticeable to a person, it still has an effect.

The choice for paths is very diverse

Also included are the disadvantages:

• Problems with care . If you can simply forget about most garden paths by laying them down, this will not work with grass. It needs to be pruned so that it does not grow, it needs to be watered so that it does not wither.
• Fragility . The grass needs to be re-sowed every year since it is mostly annual.

Advice You can buy special mixtures for lawns, or you can buy fescue, bentgrass, ryegrass or bluegrass seeds - they are also great.

Consider the subtleties of selection and installation

Tree

The material is beautiful, noble and cheap if you don't need expensive varieties or if you know where to get it.

Its advantages are the following:

• Beauty . Even paths slightly darkened by time remain beautiful, let alone those that have just been laid.
• Convenience . It’s pleasant to walk on wood, either barefoot or with shoes.

However, there are several more disadvantages:

• Difficulties with processing . In order for wood to serve for a long time, it must first be treated with compounds against pests, moisture, and temperature changes. And repeat this procedure every year.
• Relative fragility . Even with regular treatments, wooden paths do not last longer than ten years - constant contact with the ground does not benefit them.
• Difficulty of care. To keep wood looking good, it needs to be washed from time to time.

Don't forget to use sand as a pillow

There is no need to treat weeds under the tree, but you need to think about drainage and either leave gaps or make a special outflow of water.

You can place a tree on the ground in different ways - the effect will vary.

There are:

• Spili . Perhaps the simplest solution is that if you use firewood or if it’s high time to cut down something on your site, then it’s enough to simply cut round dies about five centimeters thick from the trunk. Then they are laid out on a bed of sand and look like round wooden tiles - interesting and original in their own way.
• Dies . About the same thing, but you need to cut not the trunk, but the boards, so that you get rectangles of the same size. They can be used instead of tiles, laying out geometric patterns from them. It looks interesting due to the fact that not a single die will repeat another - they will all have a unique color, unique veins.
• Boards . A simple solution, but beautiful at the same time. The boards are simply laid out on the path and its only drawback is that it can be either straight or curved at strict geometric angles.

Can be easily made by yourself

Advice If you have access to cheap wood, these paths will suit you. But it’s not really worth spending money on them; they have more disadvantages than advantages.

Stone

A real stone that can be found throughout the earth in huge quantities. Of course, you won’t get beautiful tiles from it, but the fragments can also look pretty good.

Paths made of natural materials

Its advantages are the following:

• Absolute reliability . The stone is not afraid of water, wind, insects, rodents, temperature changes, mechanical damage - by and large, it is not afraid of anything at all and can lie in place for centuries.
• Beauty . The stone is beautiful in its own way - with a strict, discreet beauty. It is suitable for lovers of minimalism, Buddhist philosophy and people who are not looking for flashiness.
• Space for imagination . Free-form pieces of stone can be difficult to arrange in a way that looks good. The greater the pleasure when the result is obtained.
• Lack of care . The stone is washed by rain and dried by the sun. And if you spill something on it, you can always use even aggressive chemicals.

The stone is not afraid of wind, rain or sun

There are not too many disadvantages to the stone:

• Heaviness . Even under the fragments you will have to lay a decent layer of auxiliary material, otherwise the path will simply go into the ground very quickly.
• Texture . If you choose a smooth stone, it will be slippery when it rains.
• Monotony . The colors of the stone are muted, plus there are not very many of them. If you like bright colors, then finding something suitable among them can be difficult.

Advice Stone paths are good where there is a lot of walking and sometimes even driving.

The color of the stone is mostly muted

Natural materials look good in all styles - although they have nothing to do next to an ultra-modern high-tech house, for example.

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Artificial materials

If natural materials are good because they are natural and the way they look, then artificial materials have other advantages.

Concrete

He has this:

• Price . Among cheap materials, it is perhaps the cheapest.
• Simplicity . Concrete looks discreet and can be completely lost in the garden.
• Reliability . Not afraid of moisture, temperature changes, insects. It does not crack if you drop something heavy on it or try to drive a vehicle over it.

Concrete looks discreet and simple

Its disadvantages are mainly related to the filling process:

• Difficulty of manufacturing . It will be difficult to pour a concrete path for a person who has never done this the first time - after all, you need to prepare the base, make a curb, mix it correctly...
• Difficulty of repair . If the concrete cracks, it will have to be replaced entirely.
• Boring look . Concrete is mostly gray; it can only be diversified if you use additional materials for decoration.

Advice Filling paths with concrete makes sense in cases where aesthetics do not concern you, but whether you can drive a tractor along the path is a big concern.

Concrete is difficult to repair

Plastic

Plastic tiles have been produced for a long time and cost practically nothing. It is made from polyvinyl chloride and given different shapes.

Its advantages are the following:

• Variety . Plastic tiles come in different colors and textures. You can choose from it endlessly.
• Easy to install . The process of laying a path made of plastic tiles is similar to the process of laying a mosaic. One element is placed, another is attached to it, and so on until the entire path is completed.
• Texture . Plastic tiles are specially made so that even during rain it is impossible to slip on them.
• Drainage . As a rule, special holes are made in the tiles to drain water.

Plastic tiles for paths

Plastic is not afraid of moisture, temperature changes, and does not suffer from insects. You don’t need to take special care of it, just spray it with water from a hose.

But it also has disadvantages:

• Simplicity . Plastic tiles look worth their price and not every dacha will be able to fit them into the overall concept.
• Fragility . Despite the fact that plastic is not afraid of anything, over time it wears out and becomes unusable. This happens in about five years.
• Loss of color . If the path is located in the sun, over time it will fade and become faded.

Wood-look plastic

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Garden path made of natural stone

The most common natural material is flagstone. These are flat plates of different sizes. Budget solutions:

• sandstone;
• shell rock;
• limestone;
• dolomite;
• tuff;
• slates.

Such rocks are usually offered in sawn form, making figures of the correct shape. The color of the materials varies from yellowish-gray to red and greenish. Expensive tile finishes are used for ground floor coverings: basalt, granite, porphyry, marble. Raw stone with natural irregularities looks decorative: diabase, gabbro, pebbles, quartzite, shungite.

Natural stone fits harmoniously into the landscape and lasts much longer than wood

The paths where green grass grows between the stones look especially attractive.

Loose stones have disadvantages: the pores draw in moisture, and in the cold the paths become covered with ice. It is necessary to carry out special treatment once every 3 years.

Available materials

In addition to materials that you need to buy, albeit inexpensively, or get through friends, there are also materials that you most likely already have on your farm.

Tires

If you have a car, then there should be a lot of tires that have fallen into disrepair. Therefore, they can be put to good use.

The advantages of this solution are the following:

• Saving . Giving a second life to something that has already served its purpose is always nice.
• Texture . The rubber is rough to the touch and you won't be able to slip on it even in the rain.
• Reliability . Rubber wears out for a long time - it is not afraid of moisture, temperature changes, or pests.
• Simple repair . If part of the track fails, it can be easily replaced.

Paving a path in the garden with paving stones

Of course, it also has disadvantages:

• Difficulty with installation . To lay the tires, you need to make a base for them, provide drainage, cut each tire by hand... This will take time.
• Boring look . All tires are black, there are no colored ones. Therefore, the paths in the garden will be black, which is not particularly interesting or beautiful.

Making a track from tires is very simple - the tires are cut to form long strips. Then there are boards and strips are nailed to them - from one transverse board to the other. Afterwards, the entire structure is laid on a prepared sand base.

Advice Making a path out of tires only makes sense if you or one of your close relatives has a car. Otherwise, problems may arise in order to obtain new replacement tires.

Plastic bottles

If you are used to drinking lemonade or mineral water, you don’t have to throw away the bottles, but use them as material for the path. The advantages are as follows:

• Reliability . The plastic from which the bottles are made is not afraid of anything. It may only bend a little over the years of use, but it certainly won’t rot.
• Durability . A plastic bottle takes several decades to degrade. This is harmful for nature, but for a person who decides to make paths out of bottles, it is useful - they will last a very long time.
• Massage effect . Walking on the protruding bottoms of bottles is useful for preventing flat feet.
• Easy to repair and maintain . If one of the bottles becomes very wrinkled, it can be replaced. And there is no need to wash them at all, unless you spilled something that gets dirty.

A little imagination and you get an interesting option

And, accordingly, the disadvantages:

• Difficulty in installation . Each bottle must be filled with sand and gravel, each must be buried by hand - this takes time and effort.
• Boring look . The bottles look worth their price - that is, cheap. To give them a beautiful look, you will have to try.

The technology for making a path from bottles is very simple.

Sand and crushed stone are poured into each bottle for weight. Then the bottles are dug into the ground where the path will be, bottoms up, at a short distance from each other. The whole thing is either sprinkled with sand on top or filled with concrete to create a relatively flat surface.

Mini paths - beautiful and creative

Tip To give the bottles a more interesting look, you can add colored sand to them.

Third - bottle caps. Their advantages are the following:

• Reliability . Like any plastic, they do not suffer from water, heat, cold and pests.
• Durability . Just like plastic bottles, they take decades to decompose.
• Brightness _ Using lids you can lay out pictures or patterns that will look interesting and original.

Plastic lid option

There are also disadvantages:

• Difficulty in installation . You will have to make an effort to put at least something out of the lids - this process is similar to putting together a mosaic and can take several days, or even weeks.
• Difficulty of preparation . You not only need to prepare a sand base, but also put concrete on it, into which the lids will be inserted. Moreover, this must be done sequentially, gradually, but pour more than fifty centimeters at a time, otherwise the concrete will dry out before you have time to lay out anything.

This method of laying out is quite troublesome.

Advice Under plastic covers, it is good to mark out one path along which few people walk and from which you can take your time. Then styling it will be a creative process and relaxation, not at all like in a hurry.

Nuances

In addition to the materials, it is also worth mentioning the rules by which paths are generally laid:

• Convenience . The path should be comfortable to walk on, and this is much more important than how it looks from the outside. Therefore, the best way to decide where it should be is to allow the inhabitants of the site to trample the paths on it, and then fill or fill them.
• Tortuosity . The paths don’t have to be straight - unless, of course, you want to make your place look like an English park. They should bend weirdly. This way they look much more beautiful.
• Width . It should not be less than seventy centimeters, otherwise even two people will not be able to pass on the path, and of course nothing will pass along it.
• Location. The paths should be located at least one and a half meters away from the nearest trees - or the branches should be carefully tied so that it is convenient to walk under them.
• Curbs . They are not at all necessary - paths made of grass or wood can do without them. But for bulk materials they are required. Otherwise, all the gravel or all the bark will very quickly spread all over the garden around.
• Laying . It is better to lay out paths in the fall, shortly before the rains begin. This strange timing is due to the fact that over the winter the path will shrink and become more suitable for walking. But this rule does not apply to bark and grass.
• Texture . If elderly people live on the site, you need to pay special attention to the texture of the paths. They should be impossible to slip on.

DIY garden mosaic

VIDEO: How to make a garden path on a budget?

Garden paths

Low Cost Options

How to make it yourself from curly shapes?

The main advantage of creating garden paths with your own hands is its low cost. It will be cheaper to prepare the solution and pour it into molds than to order ready-made slabs. In addition, you will be able to save on delivery.

Tools and materials

To create paths from shapes you will need:

• Cord.
• A regular and a shovel.
• Cement.
• Sand.
• Water.
• Gravel.
• Container for solution.
• Special mold made of plastic.
• Machine oil.
• Master OK.

Step-by-step instruction

Let's get started:

1. The future structure should take place either along a path or along carefully compacted earth. We mark the boundaries with a cord and remove the turf layer.
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2. Then we fill the trench with gravel and sand and compact it thoroughly.

3. Mix sand and cement in a ratio of 3 to 1. Add water to obtain a solution with the consistency of sour cream. You can mix with a shovel, but for a more convenient process it is better to use a drill with a special attachment.

4. The mold must be greased by applying oil to a toothbrush. It is important that the entire internal surface - edges and corners - is lubricated.

5. Place the mold, press down and pour in the solution. We push it through with a trowel, getting rid of the voids. Add mixture if necessary.

6. After about 40 minutes, carefully remove the mold.

7. This way we form a path of the required length. After drying, fill the seams with sand.

8. The garden path has been completed.

Video tutorial

For a detailed master class, watch this video: