Cement slabs for walkways. Concrete slabs for the garden. Paving garden paths

Two methods are used for the construction of paths and platforms made of concrete slabs. In the first case, in pre-prepared forms, required amount small tiles and then lay them on the base. In the second option, pouring concrete for the manufacture of slabs big size produced directly on site from the location. In both cases, a special basis is being prepared for them in order to exclude a drawdown. pavement as a result of exposure to moisture.

Path preparation

For laying concrete slabs on garden and footpaths, it is necessary to prepare a reliable base, consisting of a drainage layer and a sand or cement-sand cushion. To do this, the top layer of soil is removed by 20-35 cm and lined along the bottom of the trench - non-woven waterproofing roll material. A layer of sand 3-4 cm thick is poured onto this coating. It is needed so that the sharp edges of the rubble do not pierce the canvas.

A layer of gravel of medium fraction should be poured onto textiles, which will play the role of drainage to remove moisture coming from concrete slabs and remove ground water in the spring during their rise. Crushed stone is well compacted, sprinkled with sand on top and covered with another layer of geotextile.

Two layers of non-woven fabric will ensure free passage of water into the soil and exclude moisture from below, making the drainage layer work quite efficiently. In addition, geotextiles will prevent the germination of weeds inside the base and between the tiles. garden paths.

Covered drainage is covered with sand or a dry cement-sand mixture in a ratio of 1:6.

The second option of backfilling the base allows the tile floor to withstand higher loads, making it more durable and stronger.

Sand or dry mix is well compacted and leveled with a rule or even wooden block. In this case, it is necessary to provide slopes for a possible runoff of water from the surface of the track.

Production of single-layer tiles

Manufacturers of concrete products offer on construction market a wide range of precast concrete slabs various sizes and configuration. However, if you decide to make paving material with your own hands, then this will require molds and concrete mix.

Most simple shapes can be made with your own hands from wooden blocks with a height of at least 50 mm and plywood, which is used as a bottom. The bottom can be made from other sheet materials. Wood is not difficult to make into rectangular, square, trapezoidal, or triangular shapes for making concrete tiles. The design of molds for concrete slabs should provide for the possibility of disassembling them to remove finished tiles after the concrete has hardened.

Scheme of the mold for manufacturing concrete tiles.

The mixture is prepared from 1 part of PC400 cement, 2 parts of river or washed sand and 3 parts of fine crushed stone (no more than 10 mm). All components are mixed in dry form, and then water is gradually added. Its optimal amount is a quarter of the total volume of the remaining components. If you use larger gravel, then the amount of water increases.

The best consistency for concrete allows you to squeeze a certain amount in your hand and the lump will not fall apart after that.

fill concrete mix molds for garden path slabs are produced in two stages. First, the mold must be lubricated from the inside with any technical lubricant or used oil. This will make it easier to take out the finished products.

Then it is necessary to pour the concrete mixture into the form to half. Lay a steel reinforcing mesh or pieces of reinforcement on the surface, pour concrete to the top and level the surface. The curing time of concrete before laying products on the track should be more than 36 hours. The recommended plate thickness should not be less than 50 mm.

Formwork scheme.

Production of plates at the place of their installation

With this technology for the manufacture of concrete garden paths, forms that do not have a bottom are used. They are laid and fixed on the prepared base and then poured with concrete mixture twice with the installation of a reinforcing mesh. Instead of a mesh, reinforcing can be added to concrete synthetic fibers. Then filling in the forms is performed for 1 time.

It is possible to cast large slabs without moulds, simply by setting the formwork to the desired shape. In this way, large slabs of various configurations are made and a very original coating is obtained.

The composition of the components of the concrete mixture is the same as in the manufacture of piece slabs for garden paths. But the forms themselves, which do not have a bottom, are made of flexible strip plastic, thin plywood and other sheet materials. Before the concrete hardens, it is recommended to iron the surface. To do this, the slabs are sprinkled on top with a dry cement-sand mixture in a ratio of 1: 1 or only with cement grade PC300. The layer of powder is about 2 mm.

Backfilling of seams.

Cement dressing must be rubbed into the surface of concrete slabs with a trowel or a wide spatula. For ironing, you can use a mixture of cement with a coloring pigment. This will give the surface of the garden path slabs more original look and increase their wear resistance. If, before ironing, the surface of the slabs is sprinkled with fine marble chips or similar material, then in winter time and after the rain the surface of the track will not be slippery.

After the concrete has hardened, the molds or figured formwork are removed, and the seams are filled with a dry cement-sand mixture, granotsev, broken brick, colored fine gravel, marble chips or simply earth for the possible germination of lawn grass.

Advantages and disadvantages

The main advantages of do-it-yourself concrete slab walkways are:

available manufacturing technology;
obtaining a durable and frost-resistant coating;
use of inexpensive materials;
the ability to do all the work with your own hands;
durability and environmental friendliness.

The disadvantages of concrete paving slabs include increased abrasion of the surface with the formation of dust, and appearance inferior to factory-made products.

Abrasion can be reduced by coating the surface with a reinforcing agent. Such protection is valid for 5-7 years, after which it must be renewed.

Finally

Independent production of concrete slabs is much cheaper than industrially manufactured products. The design of the tracks is determined by the form that you create yourself, depending on your own wishes and imagination.

For the manufacture of molds, you can use not only new materials, but also various improvised means. Pouring on site can be done in the most ordinary formwork, without the use of special forms and fixtures. By adding colored coloring pigments to concrete or ironing bedding, you can get an original and beautiful surface.

Make at least one path from homemade concrete slabs on your site, and you will see all the benefits of using such technologies in the manufacture of paving surfacing.

Slabs made from reinforced concrete mortar are widely used in the construction of various buildings and structures. Such products are in demand during the construction of a building, the arrangement of foundations, the construction ground floor, as well as similar designs are widely used to create beautiful and durable paths for the garden.

In order to build a house from concrete slabs, you need to familiarize yourself with the technology of work. Such construction does not require special knowledge and experience at all.

Arrangement of garden paths with concrete slabs

In order to master the production of concrete slabs for the construction of paths, you need to purchase and prepare the following set of tools and materials:

Wooden beam with section dimensions 5/5 cm;
A hammer;
Nails;
Steel sheet for the construction of the bottom of the mold;
Concrete mortar;
Color pigments, if you want the paths in your garden to have a certain shade of color;
Reinforcement, which can be metal rods with a cross-sectional diameter of 5 mm.

In order to do it yourself, you will have to build a form for concrete. Usually, the simplest rectangle or square, the bottom of which is a sheet of metal, acts as such a form. From wooden beam a form frame is constructed, which should not have slots or gaps.

As soon as the form is built, you can start working with the solution, or rather, pour it with concrete. But before you start pouring, it is imperative to lay the reinforcement in one belt.

Advice. Reinforcement will make your track strong, reliable and durable.

Pictured is a garden path.

After the pouring is done, you should let the slab dry for 7 days, and only then start laying the path.

Advice. In order to significantly speed up the manufacturing process, you should build several molds at once or use purchased silicone ones, the price of which is not so high.

Foundation slabs

Concrete plates for the foundation, it is simply a unique element that can be used as the basis for any structure. Such products are distinguished by a high level of strength and reliability. It is these characteristics that make the question of how to break a concrete slab a real problem.

In addition to high-strength parameters, it should be noted that concrete slabs are easy to install, work with them does not take much time and does not require special knowledge and experience of such work from the master.

Types of concrete slabs

For the most different types products of this kind, among which the most popular are the following:

Wall. Plates of this type are often used for the construction of low-rise buildings. In practice, you can often meet with factory products endowed with the following parameters: width from 30 to 60 cm, length from 60 to 240 cm, height from 30 to 60 cm;
Void reinforced concrete slabs . Such products are rarely used as the basis for the construction of a residential building. More often, such structures can be found as walls in combination with monolithic construction gender. Concrete facing slabs are used as a finish for such plinths from the side of the facade;
Unified elements rectangular section used to build foundations belt type;
Monolithic reinforced concrete slabs. The pouring of such a base is carried out directly on construction site into the formwork. Similar products have a reinforcement frame, excellent strength properties and a wide range of applications. It is this type of foundation that is the most popular in both industrial and private construction, especially when it comes to complex soil.

Advantages of slab foundations

Foundations for the construction of which are used different kind concrete slabs have the following advantages:

Ease of pouring the structure. In order to pour such a foundation, you do not need to have extensive experience in the production of such work or hire a team of professional workers. In order for the design to turn out to be durable and of high quality, it is enough just to clearly follow the technology, immediately prepare necessary materials and take care of their quality;
Good load carrying capacity. Concrete slabs are the base, which in its own way bearing capacity easily surpass, for example, a tape-type foundation. Moreover, the thickness of such a foundation should not be too large.

For the construction of a conventional country house a concrete slab only a few decimeters thick will suffice, even if the building site is considered unfavorable due to the high level of groundwater.

Note!
Even the massive Ostankino tower stands on a concrete monolithic slab only 1 m thick, which confirms high level the strength of such foundations even with a small thickness.

It is monolithic flood foundations that make it possible to create a sufficiently dense base capable of competently distributing loads. In addition, such a foundation eliminates uneven shrinkage, cracking of the walls of the building and failures.

Note!
The use of ready-made concrete slabs as a foundation is also possible, but such a foundation must be strengthened at the seams, and besides, the transportation of concrete slabs will cost a pretty penny, because such elements weigh quite a lot, and their loading and unloading without the help of special equipment is simply impossible.

The foundation for buildings in the form of a concrete slab will at the same time be the foundation for floor covering. The main thing is that the solution of such a plate is well compacted. With this foundation, there is no need to fill the subfloor. In addition, monolithic floating foundations will make it possible to build a strong and reliable structure even in conditions of high groundwater.

Despite all positive traits slab bases, in some cases it is still more expedient to build strip foundation, which is considered much more economical. But there are situations when only the plate can withstand the expected loads and has all the necessary parameters.

A monolithic poured foundation is used in cases where:

The building site is a complex and wet ground;
If it is necessary to build a basement, without arranging a high basement of the building;
When the foundation itself will serve as the floor for the building and only heat and waterproofing of the surface will be needed, without arranging the basement.

Do-it-yourself slab foundation

How to make a concrete slab with your own hands for arranging the foundation? This is not as difficult to do as it might seem at first glance, but such work will require accuracy and a large number time.

Advice. When building a foundation, it’s not worth doing anything by eye; all design parameters must be carefully calculated.

A step-by-step instruction for the production of work consists of the following types:

The first step is to mark the territory, after which the soil is excavated to the required depth, i.e. digging a small pit;
A layer of geotextile is laid at the bottom of the excavated pit, which will become a reliable barrier between the soil and the structure. Thus, soil moisture will not be able to penetrate the structure, and the sand that will be poured on textiles will not be able to go into the soil;
Next is the arrangement of a sand cushion of sand and gravel. Each layer of the pillow must be carefully tamped, and then moistened. The thickness of the pillow should be about 10 cm;
All necessary communication systems are being entered (sewerage, water supply, etc.);
After the pillow, a form or formwork is constructed;
A 10 cm thick screed is made from a solution of the M100 brand;
The resulting slab is waterproofed. Materials for this layer are selected rolled, roofing material, for example. The edges waterproofing material should be soldered with a propane torch;
The foundation is insulated with polystyrene foam. The insulation layer is covered with polyethylene;
Next, a reinforcing frame is laid, consisting of two belts. The reinforcing mesh should have parameters of 20/20 cm. The first belt is located at a distance of 5 cm from the surface of the insulation, and the second at a distance of 5 cm from the top level of the plate;

After the reinforcement is completed, we pour the concrete slab.

Finally

Making concrete slabs right on the construction site for arranging a foundation or for creating a quality garden path is a simple matter and everyone can do it.

The video in this article will tell even more secrets of the process of manufacturing reinforced concrete slabs.

A garden path made of concrete slabs is one of the most inexpensive options paving. You can buy pre-made tiles or make your own. And in this case, their color, shape, texture has no boundaries at all, because in fact it depends only on your imagination. For example, look at the multi-colored track in the photo below. And all that is required is to add dyes different colors into solution. Thanks to this variety, it will not be difficult to choose what you like and is suitable for decorating the site.

Laying ready-made concrete slabs

To begin with, the foundation is being prepared. To do this, an even bed of the required depth is dug out (depending on the thickness of the sand and slabs), on which a layer of sand is poured, which is leveled and rammed. Ready-made slabs are laid on the sand, which, for strength, are deepened by gentle blows of a hammer through a wooden board (or you can use a rubber hammer).

If you have on the site sandy soil, and the slabs are laid in a joint, then the layer of sand can be 2–3 cm. If the soil is clayey or loamy, it is first necessary to lay a layer of gravel or slag, 5–10 cm thick, after which 4–5 cm of sand. Large, loosely placed, single stones can be placed on the ground without additional foundation preparation.

Another way of laying concrete slabs is laying on a mortar applied to a prepared base. The solution is applied in small portions in the corners and center, and when laying and deepening it is evenly distributed over the entire surface.

Plate arrangement

The location of the plates will depend on the purpose and type of the future track. If this is the main path leading from the street to the main entrance, then the slabs must be stacked one to the other. On rather infrequently used tracks, there may be large gaps between slabs that can be filled with earth and sown with grass or flowers. If it is a straight path made of single slabs on the lawn, then the gaps between the slabs should be the same and equal to the length of the average step. Paths laid out of slabs of various shapes look beautiful, and various combinations of slabs with other materials, such as bricks, as in the photo.

Production of concrete slabs

Concrete slabs are easily made by yourself in wooden forms ah, or directly on the ground using plastic, metal or wooden templates. The ease of manufacturing concrete slabs makes it possible to carry out a planned project from start to finish, starting with the shape of the slabs, ending with the pattern of their laying. You can make square, rectangular, triangular tiles and paint them to match the color of stone, brick or any other color. The top layer can be decorated with pieces of ceramic, colored glass, granite or marble chips. You can lay out the drawing you like from improvised materials.

For the manufacture of plates, wooden forms are used independently knocked together from boards and bars. The bars are best connected using grooves that make it easy to assemble and disassemble the structure. The size of the plates is usually chosen in the region of 50x50, 40x60, 5–8 cm thick and with steel lattice reinforcement with a diameter of 5–8 mm. Before pouring concrete, wooden forms must be lubricated with any technical oil or drying oil.

For casting round slabs, you can use cuttings of large metal pipes, barrels, buckets with a cut bottom.

Reinforcement, in order to be in the middle of the slab, should be placed in the mold after it is half filled with mortar. After that, the form is completely filled, the concrete is compacted and the surface is leveled. During the process, keep an eye on the armature so that it is completely submerged.

If you want to create a smooth, kind of polished surface, then you need to: pour even layer 5-7 mm thick layer of dry cement and rub it with a metal trowel until the cement is saturated with water and the surface layer is perfectly smooth.

The plates should be in the forms for at least 2-3 days, until they are completely hardened. At the same time, they should be closed from direct sun rays and moisten daily with water from a watering can.

To give different colors to concrete mortar dry mineral dyes are added or multi-colored pebbles are added to the top layer of concrete. When using colorants, remember that white cement and white quartz sand. The coloring consists of two parts: the selected dye is poured evenly on the newly poured solution, after which it is rubbed with a metal trowel. Upon completion, the identical operation is repeated.

To apply a pattern, an interesting pattern can be made from a hard wire, which is pressed 2–3 mm into a slightly dried solution. If you decide to decorate the surface with some kind of pebbles, gravel, broken ceramic tiles or other small filler (2-3 cm in diameter), then for this, pour the filler in an even layer on the leveled solution and carefully rub it with the same metal trowel. After the first hardening of the solution, the outer side of the filler is cleaned of the solution with a brush and water. If the decoration material is large enough, it should be laid out on the surface, and then evenly partially pressed with a board. Don't forget to wash them the same way.

Monolithic concrete walkway

The monolithic concrete walkway is distinguished by its high strength. It should be done, for example, from the gate to the garage or other places that involve serious loads. Although, of course, they can be made throughout the site, decorating with any of the methods described above. To make such a path, the future route is first marked, after which a bed is dug out with a depth of at least 15 cm, which is carefully compacted. On the sides of the bed, it is necessary to make formwork from boards 2–2.5 cm thick. It is also made across with an interval of 1.5–2 m. concrete to formwork level. The concrete surface must be leveled wooden lath, the edges of which rest on the formwork. Given that concrete expands after pouring, hollow joints should be left through each meter of the concrete surface, which will be filled later.

That's all. As you can see, it is made without much difficulty, we hope that this article was useful to you.

On the final stage arrangement own site it's time to think about what material the paving of garden paths and playgrounds will be made of. Many look longingly at the expensive slabs of natural stone, realizing that a modest family budget cannot endure such a luxury. Well, don't despair! Thanks to the ingenious inventions of mankind, in all sectors of construction, not natural, but artificial stone, whose name is concrete, is more popular. The plasticity of this material allows you to create "stones" from it. different sizes and forms that make it easy to decorate areas of any stylistic orientation. In addition, concrete slabs, if there is time, can be made and laid on their own, while spending mere pennies. You can read about how to make inexpensive and beautiful concrete paving right now.

A simple option for the manufacture of medium-sized slabs involves pouring concrete mortar into square shape. It is made from four wooden bars connected together with metal staples. The bottom of the form is made from any solid material, which can prevent the spreading of the solution. It could be wooden plank, sheet iron, plastic, etc.

Formwork scheme for a concrete slab: 1 - cross bar, 2 - longitudinal beam, 3 - fixing groove, 4 - wedge, 5 - metal bracket, 6 - bottom

To ensure that the concrete does not adhere to the mold during hardening, it should be lubricated with drying oil or other technical oil before pouring.

The slab, the formwork for which is shown in the diagram, is quite large in size, so it is desirable to reinforce it. This is done by embedding a mesh of round reinforcement in the middle of the shape. The easiest way is to lay the mesh on the first layer of poured concrete so that it is in the middle of the finished slab.

After that, you can pour concrete, which will harden in an hour. However, it is too early to get the product out of the mold - wait 2-3 days for the concrete to gain strength and you are sure that when the formwork is raised, part of the material will not remain inside.

The period of complete hardening of concrete is 28 days - only then it will be possible to walk on the slab

To increase the strength of the top layer of concrete, as well as to obtain a smooth, as if polished surface, ironing is performed. At the same time, dry cement is rubbed into wet concrete, which has just begun to set. This can be done with a metal trowel, or with hands wearing rubber gloves.

A few more options for plates of different shapes

Above we have described common technology production of concrete slabs, tying it to a specific rectangular shape. However, concrete slabs can be made not only square or rectangular. Let's say if you have a garden in landscape or mediterranean style, then uneven artificial stones as if worn down by waves or time.

Uneven concrete slabs - an option for a landscape garden

To do this, you can use molds made from hoops of old barrels or other similar material that should bend easily. The strip is given the desired shape (round, wavy or just uneven) and laid directly on the track. In this case, the poured concrete hardens immediately at the place of its further stay. After 2-3 days, the form can already be removed, and the edges of the slab can be hewn to make them look like natural flagstone.

Plates can also be made round by assembling an interesting path from elements of different diameters. Any available material is used as forms: basins, buckets, bowls, pots and even pallets from flower pots.

You can even use old bowls as molds for such round plates

And on the surface of the tile, you can apply an interesting pattern, for example, in the form of a leaf. To do this, it is enough to put an ordinary fresh leaf, for example, chestnut, on the bottom of the mold before pouring concrete. After the leaf is removed, a spectacular imprint will remain on the surface of the plate. Instead of leaves, you can use any other decorative elements: beads, broken colored glass, mosaic, pebbles.

Recall that concrete is a very versatile material, which can be given not only different shape, texture, but also paint it with all the colors of the rainbow. The easiest way to use at home for this acrylic paint, which is added to the concrete solution during mixing.

The nuances and secrets of the correct laying of plates

Externally, concrete slabs, especially unpainted ones, look neutral, therefore, when laying them, they can be combined with other road cladding: brick, paving slabs, wood, metal, glass.

As for the technique of laying plates, it is quite simple. First, you need to prepare a base of sand 7-20 cm thick, on which the slabs are laid. In order for them to be securely fixed, they are deepened by blows of a special rubber hammer.

Depending on the track line being created and its functionality, the distance between the plates may also change. In the event that the path leads from the porch to the house and is used frequently, then it is desirable that the slabs be laid next to each other without gaps - such a design will be reliable and withstand regular loads.

In recreation areas, near the gazebo or pool, slabs can be laid at intervals of several centimeters, planting these voids lawn grass. An interesting option laying exists for the arrangement of terraces. In this case, the slabs are stacked next to each other, and then some of them are removed and real mini-flower beds are planted in these empty pockets. Very original and simple!

Independent production of concrete slabs and laying a garden path with them.

Paths that are paved with concrete slabs will look great on any suburban area. In addition, they are comfortable and durable. Production concrete garden paths are divided into two stages - casting slabs, and then laying them.

Production of garden paths.

The process of production of garden paths requires the following materials:

Steel sheet;

Dry mix for manufacturing concrete;

Wooden beam;

Pigment additives

Reinforcement (steel mesh, steel bar and polymer fiber);

Decor (pebbles and broken ceramic tile).

The process of manufacturing and decorating concrete slabs.

The form.

The shape and size of concrete slabs is selected based on the width of future concrete garden paths. It will be much easier and more convenient to cast square slabs having a side of 30-50 centimeters. For casting, it is necessary to make several wooden shapes based on the volume of concrete to be mixed at one time.

The form is assembled from wooden bars with a section of 50x50 millimeters and a base in the form steel sheet. The bars are fastened together, as well as to the base nails. For a free exit of the finished plate from the mold, it is desirable to grind the inner surface of the bars and paint with oil paint.

The resulting shape will be reliable and will withstand repeated casting. But, there is also a simpler option for the form, which allows you to do without a base in the form of a steel sheet or coloring a bar. Simplified forms are assembled without a bottom and placed on any flat surface that is covered polyethylene film.

After setting, as well as hardening, you need to expand the form with a chisel by 5 millimeters and remove the tile. After that, when casting the next tile, knock down the mold again in size and pour it - this is enough forms to make about 8-10 tiles.

Concrete.

To prepare concrete, you need to take a mixture of cement and clean sand with gravel in proportions of 1: 2: 4. You can also use ready mixes for concrete, which are now commercially available. If there are small volumes of one-time work, then the ingredients with water are mixed manually with a shovel in a suitable containers.

Buying a concrete mixer perfect solution those who intend to do a lot on their site. For grasping or hydration cement it will be enough to add water to the mixture in the amount of 20-25% of the weight of the cement. Only such a mixture is mixed very difficult and in practice it is usually added up to 40-45%.

A large amount of water reduces the strength of concrete, therefore, you need to start with a smaller amount and gradually top up as needed. If you choose the right ratio, then from the squeezed solution in the fist should remain wet plastic a mass that is easily formed into a dense and not crumbling ball.

Decoration.

Of course, gray concrete surface not everyone likes it. In order to somehow “revive” garden paths made of concrete, you can apply pigment coloring powders, which are introduced during mixing into concrete. Now synthetic, natural pigments, as well as multicomponent coloring additives in various colors can be easily found on sale.

Among them, the most famous are brown umber and ocher mineral dyes, which color concrete yellow. Another way to decorate is to intersperse pieces into the surface. ceramic tiles or pebbles, for which a paper sheet is placed on the bottom of the mold before pouring. Next, the selected material is attached to paper using a water-soluble glue. From the finished plate, the paper is washed off with water.

Reinforcement with mold filling.

Liquid concrete fills the form by about a third or half of the height. After that, the finished reinforcing mesh or steel bars of reinforcement with a diameter of 5-8 millimeters are laid in the form of a lattice, and the form is topped up.

When using polymer fibers as a reinforcement, it is introduced into the concrete during mixing, and then thoroughly mixed. The concrete poured into the mold is rammed and leveled, leaving it alone for 2-3 days, during which its surface is periodically moistened with water or covered with a wet cloth.

Paving garden paths.

When paving garden tracks, which will be used intensively (frequent rolling of garden carts, strollers or cycling), it is assumed that concrete slabs will be laid with a minimum gap of less than 2-3 centimeters.

Naturally, a gap of 5 or 6 centimeters looks much better and flaws are not so noticeable when laying. What if form the path is exclusively for walking, then you can generally place the plates at a distance of a step.

On the intended route, the top layer of soil is removed about 10 centimeters deep. Half depths trenches are filled with sand. Next, the slabs are laid on a sand-leveled base in several or one row, which depends on the width of the future track.

With such paving of garden paths, it is necessary to ensure that each of the slabs rests on the sand with its entire plane, while they should not differ too much in height. An uneven path will look bad, and it’s inconvenient for walking. dense styling can be achieved by tapping with a hammer through the board on the stove.

The gaps between the laid slabs are covered with sand. If the gaps are wide, instead of sand, you can take soil, into which you can then plant grass. To arrange paths on the lawn, cutting out in the grass under each slab hole, remove a piece of turf. The bottom of the resulting hole is covered with sand so that the slab does not protrude above the grass cover.