Unusual drainage coverings have begun to appear in parking lots, sidewalks, and parking lots on private property. Concrete grating is a product that allows you to combine functionality with environmental friendliness. This product is easy to use and easy to install. Such concrete structures are gaining wide popularity. They are often installed on lawn areas and eco-parking areas.
What are concrete gratings?
Decorative product - . Stamping is done using casting or vibration pressing. Typically, the dimensions of a lawn structure are 60 by 40 by 10 centimeters. The concrete grid has several square or diamond-shaped holes. This lattice can protect the roots of plants. So, if lawn geogrids are exposed to external influences (transport, etc.), the grass will be able to recover immediately or after irrigation. Lawn geogrid performs several functions simultaneously:
- allows you to maintain the attractiveness of the lawn;
- helps make the lawn smooth;
- protects grass roots;
- strengthens the soil;
- warns floods.
The concrete structure is installed in the soil at a shallow depth. Drainage is laid under concrete geogrids, which protects the soil from excess moisture.
Advantages and disadvantages
Grass parking lots based on a lawn grid are becoming popular. The lawn structure for eco-parking has many advantages that make the lattice stand out against the background of asphalt and tiles. Concrete used in the manufacture of geogrids is a good alternative to plastic modules. Such cells are stronger than their plastic counterparts. At the same time, the gratings can reliably protect the lawn: it will be preserved better than plants that were sown using traditional technology. Cars driving on the concrete support will not crush the grass, since it will be located in a niche.
Concrete geogrids have other advantages:
- grates allow rainwater to penetrate directly into the soil without interfering with plant growth;
- products are presented in different sizes and shapes of cells; in addition, it is possible to manufacture parking products according to sketches to order;
- During production, concrete mortar of different colors is used, so you can choose a shade that suits the landscape design;
- lawn or parking gratings are laid on sites; they can also become an alternative to conventional tiles, which are used for laying sidewalks.
The eco-parking structure is a universal product used in private and public areas, since its service life is at least twenty-five years. In addition, the color saturation of the cells does not disappear under the influence of ultraviolet radiation and precipitation - they remain bright for a long time. Products do not deteriorate due to the influence of low temperatures.
However, such structures also have their disadvantages that must be taken into account during installation. First of all, the material from which they are made does not allow the production of thin walls of the gratings, which often does not coincide with the architecture located nearby. It should also be taken into account that the installation of the slab material involves installation and fixation in the soil, which implies additional financial costs for the work.
Kinds
Building materials are classified according to several main characteristics. We are talking about the shape and color of the gratings. In particular, the form depends on their purpose and happens:
- honeycomb-shaped (products can withstand loads of up to about twenty tons per square meter, so they are used when arranging sidewalks or bicycle paths, parking lots for cars and playgrounds for children);
- square (grids are intended for constructing areas where vehicle traffic is especially intense; they are able to withstand heavy loads - about four hundred tons per square meter).
The range of cell shades is varied. Products made using coloring pigment are sold at a higher price. The most popular shade is gray, since its cost in comparison with other products is minimal. The designs also come in red, brownish, yellow, green and blue.
Laying technology
Installation work of concrete products intended for eco-parking and other areas is more difficult to carry out than the installation of plastic cells. Experts explain this by the greater mass of building materials. Individual sections are difficult to lift on your own. Otherwise, the building material must be laid in the same way as sidewalk tiles. To construct the cushion, builders use crushed stone and sand. To carry out the work, you will need a rubber mallet to install the product, a tamper, stakes, a cord and a building level.
Work must be carried out in the following order:
- First you need to prepare the site - make markings, hammer in pegs, weed the turf and make a small depression in the soil (thirty centimeters).
- Then you can level the bottom and check the depth using a level.
- After this, ten centimeters of crushed stone are poured. It should be watered and compacted well.
- A sand cushion (seven to ten centimeters) is placed on top, watered and compacted.
- Cell laying. The sections are carefully tapped with a mallet, setting them to the required depth. The depth is checked using a building level.
When installing the grate in a parking lot, you don’t have to maintain the slope, since water still does not accumulate on the surface of the structure. After completion of installation in the eco-parking area, experts recommend treating the surface with tamping equipment, then filling the cells with soil and planting plants.
When developing a site, the problem of laying garden paths and parking inevitably arises. The article below will tell you in detail about the advantages and disadvantages of various types of lawn gratings for paths in the country.
Lawn grates will allow you to cover most of the area with greenery, while dirt will not be spread throughout the yard Source sevparitet.ru
Made of plastic
Grates made of plastic are one of the most popular ways to arrange a lawn. For their manufacture, high-strength polymer compounds are used that are not destroyed by moisture and ultraviolet radiation. With high-quality performance and proper installation, they can serve for 20 years or more.
The most common are grilles made in the form of diamonds and honeycombs. For ease of fastening, each module is equipped with special plastic latches. Such connections make it possible to create a coating of any size with uniform distribution of external load. A high-quality laid modular surface perfectly resists shifts and compressions, which effectively prevents various damages during operation.
Where are they used?
Lawn grating is a versatile building material. It can be used to create sports grounds, playgrounds and park areas, and golf courses. With its help, you can also lay eco-parking on the lawn, the price of which is practically no different from laying asphalt or concrete. Depending on the type, the grid-based coating can withstand a load of over 1 ton, which is equivalent to parking a heavy truck weighing about 40 tons.
Lawn grates can be completely invisible among plantings Source buildor.ru
When arranging the private sector and park areas, gratings with a height of no more than 40-50 mm are used. At higher load levels, options reinforced with stiffeners are used.
Kinds
All existing lawn gratings can be divided into 2 large groups according to the degree of stability:
Lungs. Suitable for arranging parking lots for passenger vehicles with low and medium traffic intensity, sports areas and playgrounds. They can also be used to strengthen moving soils and slopes.
Heavy. Designed for use in areas with heavy loads. They are used to create parking lots for heavy vehicles, buses, and on helipads. Widely used to strengthen slopes and embankments. If necessary, they can be filled with turf, gravel and other materials.
Plastic grilles are also classified by shape and color: diamond, square or honeycomb, black or green.
The shape of plastic lawn paths can have different shapes Source fd-kostroma.ru
Advantages:
High levels of aesthetics. After complete overgrowth, the structural elements are practically indistinguishable.
Ease of installation. During installation, the modules are easily divided into parts, which allows you to create a wide variety of geometric shapes.
Environmental friendliness. Plastic lawn does not emit harmful compounds, and it can also be recycled.
Flaws:
The sharp edges of the gratings cut off the crushed stems when the car drives in.
To prevent the grass from withering and turning yellow, the car has to be moved to a new location every 2-3 days.
If technical fluids get out of the car, the entire slab has to be dismantled.
On our website you can find contacts of construction companies that offer design and installation services for garden trellises and other landscaping work. You can communicate directly with representatives by visiting the “Low-Rise Country” exhibition of houses.
Concrete
A parking grid on a lawn can also be made of concrete. It is produced in the form of stamped blocks made by casting or vibration pressing. The standard size of such products is 60×40×10 cm. If desired, the size can be changed in accordance with an individual order. The cells of the concrete lattice effectively protect plant roots from external influences. In addition, structures of this type can be used to protect against erosion.
Concrete gratings for lawn decoration Source buildor.ru
Kinds
All manufactured concrete gratings can be classified according to their shape into the following groups:
Honeycomb. Able to withstand loads of up to 20 tons. Concrete honeycombs for lawns and parking are used for arranging sidewalks, car parks and playgrounds.
Square. Can withstand loads of up to 400 tons. Used for arranging places with very high traffic intensity.
Concrete gratings can be produced in almost any color range. It all depends on the coloring pigment used. The most affordable ones are gray ones.
Advantages:
Durability. The average service life of such products is 10-15 years.
Can be used practically on any soil.
High strength indicators. Ideal for arranging areas with constant high loads.
Affordable price. Compared to lawn mesh, the cost of concrete gratings is significantly lower.
Painted concrete “Snakes” for creating lawn grates Source cckomplekt.ru
Flaws:
Sparse grass cover. Even after complete overgrowth, concrete islands are clearly visible.
Large weight of products, which requires special delivery conditions.
Difficult installation. Laying gratings is possible only when using special equipment.
Laying technique
The technique for laying various types of lawn gratings is very simple. You should start by leveling the area. After preliminary preparation, a cushion of sand and crushed stone is poured.
Before starting masonry work, the territory is calculated and the number of modules and other auxiliary materials are calculated. If the work area is small, installation can be carried out by a construction team, but when organizing a sports ground or parking lot, you cannot do without the use of special equipment.
After preparing the base, they begin laying the modules. It can be carried out in rows or in a checkerboard pattern. During the laying process, it is imperative to monitor the quality of fastening of the locks. If necessary, the modules can always be cut to the desired shape.
After laying, they begin to fill the cells with soil and sow grass. When organizing parking, individual cells can be filled with special colored markers that will indicate parking spaces.
Laying plastic gratings follows the principle of assembling puzzles Source xxlstavebniny.cz
If necessary, the grilles can be used immediately after installation. However, if possible, it is better to postpone this until the grass germinates. To clean the grating covering in winter, special plastic shovels and scrapers are used.
Video description
An example of decorating a site with lawn trellises in the video:
What you should pay attention to when choosing gratings:
Material. High-quality models are usually made from 100% polyethylene. To reduce the cost of products, some manufacturers introduce various impurities into the composition, which significantly shortens the service life and reduces performance characteristics.
Maximum load degree. This indicator depends on the thickness of the cell walls.
Fastening type. The strength and stability of the structure depend on the reliability of the locks. At the same time, the most reliable fastenings are considered to be the “lock-groove” type. They allow you to reliably connect modules into a single structure.
Availability of special cells. To ensure that the gratings can withstand temperature changes, they are equipped with special “temperature cells”. Such elements maintain the integrity of the canvas in the summer heat and at low negative temperatures.
Properly selected and laid trellises will become a decoration for the garden Source ekb.zoon.ru
Conclusion
A lawn or parking lot decorated with trellises, like a regular lawn, requires constant care. They need to be watered and fertilized periodically. With proper use, they retain their decorative appearance from early spring to late autumn.
Any owner of a suburban area wants his site to look modern and well-groomed. The external picture of the landscape will depend on how well the lawns around the house are decorated. Recently, the use of lawn gratings has become quite common. Do-it-yourself lawn grates for parking can be easily installed.
They are practical, and before purchasing such gratings, you need to decide which type of design will be most preferable.
Purpose of lawn gratings
The main purpose of lawn gratings is to protect green spaces from external influences. For this reason, such installations are most often installed in parking areas, as well as near pedestrian paths. At the same time, the grass is preserved, since the load is distributed on the walls of the cells. Ultimately, the root system remains intact, and excess moisture leaves through the drainage system, which is located under the lawn.
If you have begun to wonder whether your site needs lawn gratings for parking (which are quite easy to install with your own hands), then you should pay attention to their positive qualities. The lawn grid does not interfere with the use of the lawn mower and facilitates the work
Types of lawn gratings
Lawn gratings are modules that are most often based on plastic or concrete. The first type is considered the most modern, and recently it has gained the most popularity due to its attractive appearance and ease of installation. appeared quite a long time ago.
Among their positive qualities are low cost, durability and long life span. In terms of profile, such designs are advantageous, since the shape of the modules can be varied; every owner of a suburban area will be able to find something similar for themselves.
Plastic gratings
If you have already decided to install lawn gratings for parking with your own hands, then you can choose plastic structures, which are considered the most modern. This installation is based on high-strength material that can withstand loads of up to 1.2 tons per 1 square meter. The service life of such a grill is also long and can reach 25 years. The shape of plastic gratings can be different.
If you decide to use them on your property for parking, you can install them yourself using special locks that ensure secure fastening of the modules into one frame. In this case, you do not need to use special equipment. If there are geometrically irregular areas on the territory, then a plastic lawn grating can be laid according to the territorial features of your site. Such structures are very resistant to the chemical effects of petroleum products and acids. Such elements do not melt under the influence of ultraviolet radiation; in addition, they are not afraid of frost and retain their characteristics and qualities under harsh external conditions.
Laying lawn grating
A lawn grate for parking with your own hands can be laid using the technology below. Initially, preparatory work should be carried out, which involves marking the area on which the grille will be installed. At this stage, you need to determine the purpose of the future lawn. This can be a regular lawn or one that is intended to be used as a sports ground, as well as for games or car parking. Based on your goals, you need to choose a type of lattice. After the area has been marked, the soil needs to be removed from it.
Do-it-yourself lawn grating for parking is installed to a depth determined by the height of the gravel cushion - it should be equal to 5-20 cm (the final value will depend on the expected loads). If you need to arrange a parking space on the grid, then you need to use this parameter to the maximum. This is due to the fact that situations may arise in which it will be necessary to park not only a passenger car, but also special equipment, as well as a minibus. The thickness of the leveling layer must be at least 3 cm. It must be taken into account that the height of the lawn grid is 5 cm. In general, it will be necessary to remove soil whose thickness is 28 cm.
Laying a lawn grid for parking with your own hands at the next stage involves compacting the soil, as well as strengthening the boundaries of the site. The last manipulations can be carried out using bricks and stones, or concrete pouring technology can also be used. At the next stage, you can proceed to the installation of the lawn grate. A backfill must first be prepared, which consists of sand and gravel, which will need to be mixed. Sand is needed so that the crushed stone lies tightly enough and does not move under the influence of mechanical loads.
Geotextiles should be laid on top of this preparation, which will protect the lawn from weeds and grass. At the next stage, you need to fill the sand with a thin layer, the thickness of which is 3 cm. Geotextiles are necessary not only to protect against weeds - it is used as a separating layer.
Features of grating installation
Do-it-yourself installation of a lawn grate is carried out according to a certain scheme. In this example, we will consider the option in which a plastic grill is used. The master needs to pay attention to the fact that each module has connecting elements; they will be used when assembling the structure into a monolithic fabric. Before purchasing, you must take into account that the dimensions of one plastic grill module are 40 x 60 cm.
The final stage
When an eco-parking for a summer residence is being set up, a lawn grid (which is easy to install with your own hands) must be laid, and soil must be poured into its cells, which must reach the very top. It is preferable to use light soil - peat or compost are excellent for this. After backfilling, the site should be flooded with water, which will allow the soil to settle. Now you can fill in the lawn grass and roll out the surface. Do-it-yourself lawn grating installation is complete at this stage.
Now you know how to install a lawn trellis on your property.
Anyone who has dealt with a lawn knows that natural grass is very fragile and is easily damaged by tires or the soles of your feet. However, many still prefer to use it instead of artificial materials due to environmental friendliness. Today there is a way to strengthen the lawn using a special lattice. It allows you to prevent the destruction of the grass cover from physical impact, while maintaining the possibility of normal development of the root system. This method is now actively used in the construction of eco-parking lots, as well as strengthening the lawn on slopes. But how to lay a lawn lattice? To do this, you should follow the following simple technology.
Determination of purpose. Before laying a lawn lattice, you should determine the purpose of a particular area. The laying technology will largely depend on the loads for which it is intended. Thus, to arrange an eco-parking lot, a large (up to 20 cm) thickness of gravel cushion will be required, while for a pedestrian area 5 cm is sufficient. In addition, at the preparation stage, you should select an area of soil with low humidity, mark the area, and also take into account all utilities laid in this area (cables, pipelines, etc.) in order to prevent their damage.
Excavation. After the preparation stage, a pit is dug for laying the lawn lattice. The soil is excavated to a depth of 10-30 cm, depending on the type of load on the lawn. After leveling the bottom of the pit, draining it and constructing drainage systems, crushed stone is backfilled and then compacted using a roller or vibrating plates. After this, curb or decorative stones are installed, which serve as the boundaries of the site and prevent the modules from spreading. The technology of how to properly lay a lawn grate involves the use of geotextiles to prevent sand from being washed away into crushed stone. The geotextile is covered with sand, which is compacted to a thickness of 10-20 cm.
Installation of lawn grating. The lattice modules are laid on the resulting cushion of crushed stone, geofabric and sand. There are quite a large number of samples of such coating, in particular, from DAREL LLC, produced under the ERFOLG brand. The grille modules are connected to each other into a single structure using the provided locking latches. The cells are filled with fertile soil into which lawn grass seeds are placed. The work is completed by watering the coating. Depending on weather conditions, you can use a fully formed and strengthened lawn in 2-4 weeks.
Knowing how to lay a lawn grate yourself, you can easily do without the help of qualified specialists, which will provide very significant savings. At the same time, this material has the following advantages over both traditional lawn and other types of coating:
- high resistance to prolonged and intense mechanical impact, for example, from car or bicycle tires, shoe soles;
- ensuring free access of air to the fertile layer due to the cellular structure of the lattice;
- free penetration of atmospheric moisture into the underlying soil, due to which puddles do not form on the surface of the lawn;
- environmental friendliness of the lawn surface, ensured by the chemical inertness of plastic;
- convenience and ease of installation, as well as replacement of damaged coating modules.
How to properly install lawn grate for parking? In essence, the whole process repeats the one described above, but a more powerful gravel bed should be built. It is necessary to prevent soil movement when exposed to heavy bodies, for example, a vehicle. You should also take into account the location of the future parking lot - it is optimal if it is built near the entrance to the territory of a private house, cottage complex, yard, etc. If you want to consult in more detail about how to lay a lawn grate under a car, our company’s specialists will advise you on this issue.