Do-it-yourself paths in the country from scrap materials

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Garden paths are practical and decorative. To improve the territory, it will take a lot of financial costs. But if this is not possible, then the paths in the country can always be made with your own hands from scrap materials.

Garden paths from plastic bottles

Craftsmen have learned how to create tracks in the country with their own hands from such improvised material as plastic bottles. For arrangement, you can use both whole containers and individual parts of the bottles.

Regardless of the material chosen, the first step is to carry out preparatory work, that is, to equip the foundation for the future path:

1. We dig a trench to the height of the bottles. Its depth is determined individually, it all depends on whether the track will protrude above the site or be level with it.
2. We tamp the resulting trench. You can just walk on it or use some kind of skating rink, even a homemade one.
3. We mix sand with cement in a ratio of 1: 8, pour it onto the bottom of the trench and ram it again.
4. We put a film or roofing material on top. This is necessary so that the path does not collapse quickly, and also to prevent the germination of weeds.
5. On the sides of the future path, we install formwork, which will help to evenly position and securely fix the plastic containers.

Track installation

First you need to remove the labels from the plastic bottles, rinse and dry the containers well. If there are bottles of different colors, then you can lay out a drawing or ornament on the path. If the bottles are only transparent, then you can pour colored sand into them, fill with candy wrappers or colored paper.

Then the containers are filled with sand and rammed. To do this, you just need to knock the bottom on a flat surface, then tighten the lids. Place the sand bottles in the trench in an upright position, and when the path is completely laid out, it must be compacted.

For these purposes, you can use:

• cement, which is mixed with sand, make a mortar and fill the path so that the bottoms of the bottles are visible;
• soil or lawn grass;
• gravel or sand.

After the installation of the path is completely completed, remove the formwork, and fill the voids with cement. The garden path does not have to be made of whole bottles, only the bottoms can be used. The stage of work is similar to the first, only laying is better done in wet cement mortar or in moistened sand.

From plastic lids

You can lay out paths in the country with your own hands from whole bottles, from bottoms, or from plastic lids. Due to such an improvised material, you can get original mosaic paths.

Preparatory work and installation:

1. We start by removing the soil (the depth is shallow). The base is rammed or we use sand to level the surface.
2. We install the formwork and lay out a preliminary fragment of the future drawing.
3. To finally level the surface, as well as ensure the strength of the future track, fill the base with concrete.
4. Next, we prepare the solution. To do this, take a fourth of the sand, one part of tile adhesive and one part of cement. In terms of density, the mixture should resemble sour cream. Such a solution sets very quickly, so you should not knead it in large volumes.
5. Now pour a little mortar on the base with a thickness of the height of the lids. We take the material itself and press the covers into the solution. We install the covers tightly to each other without gaps (only if the design idea does not require it). Thus, we lay out the entire track.
6. As soon as the solution completely hardens, remove the excess with a hard broom. Since the lids have a smooth surface, it will not be difficult to clean them of the cement mixture.
7. Finally, we remove the formwork, and bottles can be used as borders. We just bury them vertically by half.

Despite the fact that the track made of plastic covers does not withstand heavy loads, and after rain or winter it is very slippery, there are pluses. These are moisture resistance, durability, cheap material, ease of installation and the ability to show your design skills.

Garden path from wood cuts

You can equip the paths in the country with your own hands from various improvised materials, but many are attracted by wood made from sawn cuts. Paths made of natural material look very unusual and beautiful, the main thing is to choose the right type of wood.

Hardwoods are suitable here: oak, aspen, larch, walnut or beech. Pine can also be used, but its lifespan is much shorter.

Preparatory work and installation

You can buy wood cuts, and if possible, you can cut a log on your own. The cuts should be of the same thickness (at least 10-15 cm), as too thin ones will simply "walk" along the path.

Also, wood must be treated with linseed oil, copper sulfate or bitumen, and then dry well. If this is not done, the cuts will start to rot and will also be vulnerable to pest attacks

• We are digging a trench for the future path - its depth should be 30-35 cm higher than the height of the cuts. But the width should not be made already 40 cm, it will simply be inconvenient to walk along such a path.
• We cover the bottom of the trench with any waterproofing agent (you can take a regular plastic wrap). Pour crushed stone or gravel on top, 3-5 cm high, align and tamp.

• In the next step, you can frame the curb with logs, blocks, brick or sheet metal. But this is optional, it just seems to some that a path from cuts without a border looks unfinished.
• Next, fill the layer of crushed stone with sand and pour it with water so that the sand layer is better compacted.

• Now we lay the cuts themselves in the way that fantasy suggests, the main thing is that they are well "drowned" in the sand.
• The resulting voids between the cuts can be covered with earth and sowed grass, and flowers can be planted along the edge of the path. There are many options for how to refine the paths from the cuts in the country with your own hands, for this you can use any materials at hand.

Garden paths made of tires

Today, skilled craftsmen make the most original things with their own hands from old car tires. Someone uses them in everyday life, someone makes flower beds and garden figures out of them.

But the most practical craftsmen build neat paths in the country from such an improvised material. And here there are even several types - it all depends on preferences and skill.

Tape

This version of the path is suitable in order to equip the passage between plantings or beds. First, it is imperative to make bases of gravel or crushed stone, which will serve as drainage

• Tires must be cut into strips. To do this, make a mark on the tire.
• Using a sharpened knife or an electric jigsaw, we open the tire, that is, the part with the protector that was in contact with the road when the car was moving, we separate it from the rim and side part.
• Cut the resulting ring across and get a ribbon. We make the rest of the blanks in the same way. The number of belts will depend on the width of the trail.
• We fix the canvases on wooden boards: we just nail them, while leaving gaps of 1, 5-2 cm and put them on the ground.

Over time, grass will sprout in the remaining gaps, which will prevent the canvases from moving.

Stepped

1. Whole tires can be used to build a real staircase. This option is especially suitable for uneven surfaces, the main thing is to securely fix the tires.
2. We lay out the tires on the ground, and then lay them out, starting from the lower tier and so we move up. We check each tire for durability. For greater reliability, it is better to tamp it a little into the ground.
3. We fill the tires with sand and compact them well.
4. To prevent slipping in rainy weather, we sprinkle the path with gravel.

From rubber plates

The rubber from the tires can be cut into square or rectangular pieces and laid out from them a track. A mixture of acetone and tile glue will serve as the basis for fastening. When laying, it is important to observe proportionality, and make the same indentation between the "tiles".

In appearance, such a path does not look very attractive, but everything can be fixed if the rubber plates are painted, and colored pebbles are poured into the gaps between them.

When using track tires, it is important to open them with protective equipment, as this material can release hazardous substances under the influence of the sun.

It's so simple and beautiful, and most importantly, without special costs, you can make the most unusual paths in the country from scrap materials with your own hands. Among all kinds of ideas, there are other options for garden paths, for example, you can make bulk paths from rubble, gravel or pebbles. You can also build them from bark, grass, concrete and even broken tiles.