Paving slabs: variety and practicality

It is impossible to imagine the arrangement of a personal plot or square in front of a public building today without the use of such material as paving slabs. Manufacturers offer various types of these products, which differ both in their decorative qualities and in practical characteristics. This allows you to optimally select the paving slabs in accordance with the tasks, budget and features of the project.

Materials used

In the production of paving slabs, both natural and artificial materials are used. The following product types are found in manufacturers' catalogs:

stone - obtained by processing natural stone: granite, marble. It features a long service life, exquisite appearance and high price;
concrete - made from a mixture of sand and cement, the solution can have different strengths, which affects the cost and scope of application, using pigments they are painted in any color;
clinker - made from special grades of clay by roasting at high temperature, has an attractive appearance, is resistant to engine oil and gasoline, high strength;
polymer-sand - made from sand and polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene.It is characterized by durability, high strength, gas resistance and resistance to aggressive chemicals.

All products can withstand significant loads, and different cost allows you to choose the material in accordance with the budget.

Preparation method

Manufacturers use different options for manufacturing tiles, according to this principle, I classify the material as follows:

vibrocast - is produced without affecting the mixture with high pressure, this makes it less durable, but affordable, used to pave garden paths;
vibropressed - manufactured under low pressure, can be used for paving areas and roads with low throughput;
hyper-pressed - it is produced under high pressure, the process is fully automated, the output is a material with high strength characteristics that can cope with any loads.

By comparing the characteristics of tiles produced in different ways, you can choose the best option for projects of any complexity.

Shape and color

A superficial review of the products of leading manufacturers reveals the diversity of the material in shape and color. These signs are the basis for the classification of paving slabs, depending on the form, the following types of products are distinguished:

square - has equal-sized faces;
brick - rectangular tiles;
wave - rectangular tile in format, two long edges of which have a wave-like shape;
rhombus - rhomboid shape;
spool - a tile that resembles an I-beam or a spool of thread in shape.

Some collections contain both square and rectangular tiles. Due to the availability of pigments, manufacturers produce a wide range of tiles in different colors. All products can be divided into two categories:

monochrome;
with a decorative pattern.

The drawing applied to the surface of the tile allows you to implement complex exclusive projects. The decorative features of the tile include the difference in surface texture. The following material classes are distinguished:

smooth - has a flat surface;
embossed - has a texture of any shape, which makes it less slippery.

This allows you to choose a material that has not only characteristic decorative features, but also certain practical characteristics. Paving slabs vary in format and thickness. Large-format tiles allow you to quickly implement large projects. Small-format tiles are used for arranging garden paths, park paths, as well as for arranging sites with an original design. The thickness of the material varies from 20 to 60 mm, the more it is - the more severe the load will withstand the tile. You can choose paving slabs for a variety of parameters, with a good budget it is better to use clinker tiles, characterized by excellent strength and decorative characteristics. For the implementation of large projects, concrete tiles made by hyperpressing are suitable. You can equip a personal plot with the help of inexpensive polymer sand or concrete tiles.