Paving slabs and tiles made from plastic bottles. Plastic paving slabs

A well-kept courtyard is the face of the owners. Modern market provides many materials that will help create comfort on suburban area. Plastic is increasingly being used to decorate paths and parking areas. paving slabs. It has high quality and variety color palette, which can be a decoration for any yard.

Paving plastic slabs

Paving material or paving slabs are a building element that is used to create hard surfaces for pedestrians or vehicles. It is made from three main components:

Plastic paving slabs

sand is the basis and occupies 75% of the total composition of the tile. Particularly strict requirements are imposed on it; it must be well washed, calcined, and the particles must be of medium size;
the crushed polymer is binder and occupies 24% of the total volume (use polystyrene, polypropylene or LDPE);
various inorganic dyes 1%.

Typically, tiles are made using hot pressing. This method allows you to create a durable building material. It has high physical and chemical properties, which reduces porosity.

Plastic tiles are manufactured in many factories and have already won the trust of consumers. The production process is quite simple. To begin with, all components are thoroughly mixed so that the pigment spreads throughout the mixture and qualitatively colors the entire material. After which the resulting solution is placed in an extruder, where additional impurities are added and everything is thoroughly mixed again. The resulting mass is sent under the press, where the tiles and patterns are formed. At this stage of production plastic material ends.

Manufacturers make products in the form of lattice tiles and just ordinary paving stones. Lattice tiles have a square shape, measuring 50x50 or 30x30. Its thickness is no more than 2 cm, and its weight is about 1.5 kg. All elements have through cuts; there are grooves on the sides of the tiles that hold the structure together into a single whole. Paving-shaped tiles are smaller in size, but weigh more. Available in a wide range of colors.

Advantages and disadvantages of building materials

Paving slabs made from plastic are superior to other types of tiles that are presented on construction market. To the advantages plastic design tracks can be classified as:

Before purchasing a plastic building material, you need to familiarize yourself with its disadvantages and weigh the pros and cons.

TO negative aspects materials include:

Of course, plastic tiles are made of durable material, but they are not as durable as stone;
plastic wears out faster than stone paving stones;
expands slightly when exposed to high temperatures, so when installing it is necessary to leave a small gap of 3-5 mm.

Polymer-sand paving slabs

Plastic tile laying technology

The material is easy to lay, so it can be done with my own hands. You can install the tiles on different base: sand or crushed stone. If you lay tiles on sand or a cement-sand mixture, you need to adhere to certain simple rules.

Laying plastic tiles

The place where the tiles will be laid must be cleaned and about 20 cm of soil removed. After which the surface must be leveled and compacted efficiently.
Along the edge of the surface you need to make small grooves where the curb will be installed. Sand (5 cm) is poured into the groove and watered, after which it is compacted. The curb line is marked and pegs are driven in along the edges and then a rope is stretched. A small amount of cement mortar is poured into the bottom of the groove, and curb stones are installed.
A geotextile layer is applied to the compacted soil surface; its edges must be secured with construction tape. A layer of sand is poured over the material, watered and compacted.
You can begin laying tiles on the compacted sandy surface. Installation is carried out using a rubber hammer at a distance of up to 5 mm from each other.
After installation is completed, sand is poured onto the surface of the site, which effectively fills the seams. At the end of the work, the tiles are washed with water to remove any remaining cement-sand mixture.

As already mentioned, plastic tiles can also be mounted on crushed stone. The sequence of work is slightly different from the previous one, and therefore requires consideration of some nuances. Adhering to simple installation rules, the sidewalk path will last a long time.

As in the first case, you must immediately remove top layer soil, level the area and thoroughly compact the surface. Then you need to make recesses for the curb and install it, following the sequence described above.
The compacted area must be covered with crushed stone (20–40 mm) and the resulting layer thoroughly compacted. After which the surface must be filled with concrete (layer about 100 mm). It is important to do the pouring at a slight slope to allow water to drain.
The concrete surface must be covered with a sand-cement mixture (2–3 cm) and tiles installed on it using rubber hammer. Paving slabs can also be laid with tile adhesive.
You need to pour sand onto the finished area and scrub the seams with a stiff brush. After that, the finished paved area must be washed with water to wash away the remaining cement-sand mixture.

Use new beautiful path or the site is possible only after 2 days. During this time, the solution will harden qualitatively, and the tile will be motionless.

Video: Polymer sand paving slabs

Paving slabs, or paving stones, are a beautiful, durable material that is used for construction and decoration garden paths, platforms and interior space yard Everything would be fine, but, to my great regret, paving stones are not a cheap pleasure, and everyone wants to make their yard clean and beautiful, so I had such a great desire. Buy paving stones from required quantity I couldn’t - it turned out to be beyond my means, but it was easy to make it myself. :) I will tell you exactly how to make paving stones yourself in this article, fully illustrating the manufacturing process.

The actual technology for producing paving stones, as well as its recipe, was found by me on the Internet, fortunately there was more than enough information, and I got to work.

To make such paving slabs, you must have cement, sand, superplasticizer and, if desired, dye.

In the store I purchased several bags of grade 500 cement and a superplasticizer; it will increase the strength of the paving stones and increase its resistance to low temperatures.

Not huge, of course, but quite a decent pile of sand, brought about a year ago from a local quarry, we still had after finishing the house.

I decided not to purchase a colorant dye. Honestly, as for me, the difference between colored and gray paving stones is small; the color still turns out to be a shade of gray!

As a vibrating table, without which it is simply impossible to produce high-quality paving stones, it was decided to use an old Siemens washing machine, which had long since served its purpose, but was still very functional. If anyone doesn’t know what a vibrating table is for, I’ll explain - with its help, maximum compaction of any shape is achieved concrete elements, in our case, paving stones, which become more uniform and, accordingly, stronger.

I will tell you about the forms separately and in more detail. :)

When I shared the idea self-made paving stones with friends, some of them suggested that I make the molds myself. Some suggested making molds from old wooden planks, the second advised to use unnecessary containers - trays, bowls, etc., the third persuaded us to make the molds ourselves from a special polymer. I, of course, am a girl with “hands”, but I didn’t dare do that, I decided to buy ready-made forms, they are quite diverse, thanks to which you can choose a shape with a beautiful pattern that will be imprinted on the surface of the finished product, giving it a special charm and chic.

Buying molds was also not an easy task, first I had to decide what kind of molds I needed: rubber, capable of withstanding about 500 castings - manufacturing cycles, plastic, which will last about 250 cycles, or polyurethane, whose service life does not exceed 100 castings . Rubber and plastic ones turned out to be quite expensive, and given that I was not 100% sure of a successful outcome, I purchased 10 ordinary polyurethane molds for making paving stones.

I started producing paving stones back in May, fortunately the weather turned out to be favorable, and I continue to this day; I need quite a lot of paving stones. :)

Now I will describe to you in detail the production technology of paving slabs - paving stones. For one casting, to fill 10 molds, I needed 10 kilograms of sand, 5 kg of cement and 30 grams of superplasticizer.

I mixed all the above components thoroughly with the usual manually in a large plastic bucket and only after that began to add water in small portions, stirring the mixture until smooth - so that the solution was viscous.

At this stage, the main thing is not to overdo it with water, its excess will reduce the strength of the finished product significantly!

In addition to the components I listed above, fine gravel or screenings can be added to the mixture for casting paving stones.

In addition to the fact that gravel will add even more strength to the products, its inclusions will visually make the paving stones more natural - “stone”. The ratio of the solution in this case will be as follows: 30 grams of superplasticizer, 2 parts each of sand, gravel and cement.

Before pouring our solution into the mold, it must be lubricated with a special emulsion. There are a lot of emulsions sold on the market for these purposes, but I took the advice of an old friend and treated the molds with ordinary dishwashing liquid - you can use any. Apply the liquid with a small brush, carefully distributing it thin layer throughout inner surface each form.

After all the forms have been processed, they need to be slowly filled with solution. I placed the molds directly on the top lid washing machine and, having filled them halfway, turned the machine into spin mode.

To slightly increase the vibration, I first put an old blanket in the drum of the washing machine. As soon as the machine began to vibrate along with the forms, I added the remaining solution to them, filling them completely. This improvised vibrating table does its job perfectly, and I was very pleased with the quality of the vibrating casting.

Then I removed the forms from the washing machine and, laying them out on racks in the garage, covered them with ordinary plastic film to prevent excess moisture evaporation. Only after two days did I remove the paving stones from the molds; doing this earlier is not recommended because cracks quickly form on the molds during use.

In order to remove the paving stones from the mold, I dipped it for a few seconds in water heated to 80 ° C, this helps to expand the mold, as a result the paving stones are very easy to remove.

The emptied forms were filled with a new portion of the solution, and the paving stones were laid in rows on the pallet left over from the purchased blocks.

The finished products were stored under plastic wrap for the first 10 days, all in the same garage, and then moved outside and kept for another month to gain strength.

Naturally, it makes sense to make paving stones yourself only when you don’t need very much of it, although each of us has our own concept of “very much”. :) But this particular method turned out to be the most acceptable for me, especially since the work did not take me much time and I did it in the intervals between main tasks and, most importantly, with great interest and pleasure.

Whether to make paving stones with your own hands or not, everyone decides for themselves, but I can only say that it is exciting, easy and profitable. I hope mine small master class on making paving stones will be useful for you, try it and show off your results.

A good alternative to traditional concrete paving stones is a polymer sand tile. Thanks to its high performance characteristics, the product easily copes with the tasks assigned to it. Finished elements are distinguished by their low weight, high strength and wear resistance, and a large selection of colors and shapes. In this regard, many entrepreneurs decide to build their business on the production of this paving surface. The article will describe polymer sand tiles and their production. We will also describe how to make polymer tiles at home.

Characteristics and advantages of polymer tiles

Polymer-sand paving products have the following composition:

the main volume (3/4) is occupied by quartz sand;
a quarter of the composition is high-pressure plastic;
pigments.

Thanks to this composition, polymer raw materials are resistant to external influences and at the same time plastic, which facilitates the molding of the future product. The advantages of this material include the following:

These sidewalk tiles will last up to thirty years.
A special production technology makes it possible to produce a product that is resistant to temperature changes and its extreme values (withstands up to minus 70°C). Plastic in the tiles increases the moisture resistance of the product. Thanks to sand components paving Resistant to aggressive liquids and oils. The tile can withstand significant loads.
During the manufacturing process, the product is given desired color and shape, which guarantees a wide range of products. There is also a choice of surface options (matte, structured, glossy).
Recycling of PVC waste ( plastic bottles, boxes, bags) solves the problem of their disposal.
Light weight, strength and low abrasion.
When exposed to sunlight, the product does not emit toxic fumes.
Maintainability and easy installation.
The coating does not accumulate dirt and is easy to clean.
Possibility of making at home.
Wide scope of use (as covering sidewalks and platforms in private households and in public places).

Material used

The production of polymer tiles requires the following raw materials:

used as a binder crushed polymers, they occupy a quarter of the volume (usually polystyrene, polypropylene and LDPE are used);
sand acts as the main filler (it accounts for 75% of the total volume), choose well-sifted sand of medium coarseness (it must be washed and heated to high temperatures;
inorganic pigments(iron oxide is used to obtain red, orange or brown tiles; chromium oxide is used to obtain a green coating; titanium dioxide produces white tiles).

In order to reduce the cost of purchasing raw materials, they practice making tiles from plastic bottles and other PVC products, for example, boxes or even film (but in the latter case, no more than half the volume of all polymers). Since the polymer is neutral chemical composition, nitric acid acts as a solvent. To obtain a homogeneous mixture, the plastic is melted at a temperature of 180°C and high blood pressure. The melting process is called extrusion.

Required Equipment

Making paving slabs from plastic bottles is impossible without the use of special equipment:

plastic crushing machine;
scales;
melting apparatus;
molds;
press;
extruder;
When listing equipment for the production of polymer sand tiles, it is worth mentioning devices for cooling products;
to move finished products you will need forklifts.

To produce plastic tiles at home, a molding press, a melting machine and an extruder are sufficient. If production is established in industrial scale, then you can’t do without a molding unit, a thermal screw mixing machine and a polymer crusher.

Important! When making tiles for your own needs, a drill with a mixing attachment is used to mix the components.

Also, to produce tiles from plastic bottles, you will need molds for pouring the mixture. They are bought on the Internet. There are molds made of plastic, rubber and fiberglass. Rubber molds the most durable (withstands up to 500 cycles), but also expensive. Fiberglass products suitable for large tiles, but require additional lubrication. Most often, ABS plastic molds are used.

Advice! Don't forget to buy molds for making curbstones.

Technology for making tiles at home

The production of polymer-sand tiles is carried out in several ways:

Method of hot pressing of a polymer mixture.
Vibration casting using plasticizers.

Vibrocasting allows you to produce products with low porosity. The hot pressing method produces tiles with excellent technical and performance characteristics. In factory conditions, vibration casting and hot pressing technology are used simultaneously for the production of polymer sand coating.

Tiles for your own needs are produced directly on the street or in well-ventilated areas.

The manufacturing sequence is as follows:

Plastic bottles are placed in an extruder to grind the raw materials. Old plastic boxes are sometimes used instead of bottles.
The heated mixture is then poured into the melting apparatus. Moistened sand and dyes are also added there. As a result of mixing and simultaneous heating, a mixture of viscous consistency is obtained.
This composition is poured into molds and pressed using special equipment.
The finished products are cooled.

Covering technology

Laying polymer sand tiles with your own hands is quite simple. Laying is carried out on one of two types of base:

crushed stone;
sandy.

When laying on a sandy base, work is carried out in the following sequence:

In the place where the tiles are supposed to be laid, remove the soil to a height of 150-200 mm.
The soil is leveled and a surface slope is created for the drainage of sedimentary water. The surface is compacted.
On the sides of the path or platform there are ditches for laying curb stones. The bottom of the ditches is compacted.
Then sand is poured into the prepared ditches for the curb to a height of 50 mm. The sand is moistened with water and compacted.
Strictly along the line of the curb, pegs are driven into the ground and the cord is pulled.
The bottom of the grooves is filled cement mortar and install curbs.
Strips of geotextile are laid on the compacted base of the paths with an overlap of up to 20 cm. The edges of the strips are connected with tape.
Next, sand is poured in several layers, followed by wetting with water. Also do not forget about compacting each layer.
A reinforcing mesh with a cell size of 5 by 5 cm is laid on the sand. A dry mixture of sand and cement is backfilled on top of the mesh (keep a ratio of 3 to 1). The backfill is slightly moistened with water.
Now start laying the tiles. The elements are laid out on the sand at a distance of 3-5 millimeters from each other. A rubber hammer is used for leveling.
The seams between the paving elements are filled with sand.

If desired, you can compare it with the cost of laying paving slabs.

In our country, paving slabs appeared at the end of the last century. This building material continues to be very popular in our time. Among its many advantages, I would like to highlight its elegant appearance, ease of installation and high durability.

Relatively recently, manufacturers began to use plastic to make tiles. The production of paving slabs from plastic bottles is a new direction in business. Entrepreneurs who produce such products not only earn good money from it, but also support the secondary raw materials industry. In the previous publication we talked about, today we will talk about making tiles.

General information

If you are planning to open a mini-factory for the production of paving slabs as a business, you should understand that this is a seasonal job, unlike. Therefore, the enterprise will operate only a few months a year.

To create a small plant, you will need significant start-up capital. It will cost you almost the same amount as buying ready-made business. On the one hand, you can get rid of unnecessary hassle and acquire an existing business. But on the other hand, if you organize it yourself, you will be able to control the process of assembling the production line, as well as choose high-quality equipment and methods for producing paving slabs.

Try to diversify your product range as much as possible. This will allow you to short terms attract a huge number of clients to it. Thanks to this, the income of the enterprise will significantly increase.

Selecting premises for production

In order to start such a business, you need to find a room with an area of at least 70 square meters. meters. It can be located anywhere. The main thing is that there are convenient access roads for the delivery of raw materials and the removal of finished products. To connect everything necessary equipment, you will need 360 V. You should also immediately select a location for installation drying chamber. The temperature in it should not be lower than + 40 degrees.

Don't forget that in addition to the production department in which the equipment is installed, you will need:

Warehouse for raw materials;
Warehouse for finished products;
Staff room.

According to experts, the technology for producing paving slabs is an environmentally friendly process, but despite this, a ventilation system must be installed in the room.

Raw materials

Plastic paving slabs can be made from any waste:

Plastic bottles;
Broken boxes;
Plastic bags.

These are very cheap raw materials that can be bought from people for little money. To purchase it, special collection points should be organized. For 1 kg of plastic waste you will have to pay only 3 rubles. In addition, you will need dye and sand. The cost of such products is sometimes much lower than that of their concrete counterparts. If you are determined to engage in this type of income, then a business plan for the production of paving slabs and a description of the equipment can be found on the Internet on thematic resources. In addition, we recommend reading about. This earning option will probably interest you.

Equipment

You will have to pay a large sum for the equipment of the enterprise, since it is quite expensive. A full-fledged high-performance production line will cost 1–1.5 million rubles

Domestic equipment for tile production is cheaper. You will spend 950 thousand rubles to purchase it. This line consists of:

Polymer crushers;
Thermal screw mixing machine;
Molding unit.

It provides a capacity of 35 sq. meters of high-quality tiles in one shift. Typically, a machine for the production of paving slabs is operated by no more than 5 people. Do not forget that personnel must control the quality of products at every stage so that defective products do not go on sale.

Forms

Manufacturers who produce molds for the production of paving slabs offer products made from different materials:

Rubber. This technology is considered obsolete because such forms are too expensive and heavy. They will last only a few months and will become unusable, so the costs of purchasing such products are unjustified.
Fiberglass molds are usually used to produce bulk products or large tiles. They are used extremely rarely, since they require lubrication before each use and have irregular geometry.
Plastic forms are the most common option. They are used in mass production of products in large volumes.

To make paving slabs from plastic waste, you can use the same molds as for concrete slabs.

Features of business and product sales

The biggest problem in organizing a tile manufacturing enterprise is collecting recycled materials. You will have to equip several waste collection points, and also advertise them well. You will have to spend 70-100 thousand rubles on one collection point.

In addition, difficulties may arise with the sale of products. Despite the fact that plastic tiles have a lot of advantages, there is not yet much demand for them, so it is quite difficult to sell such goods in large quantities. To receive a stable income, you will have to spend a lot of money on advertising to promote your products on the market and tell consumers about their benefits and beneficial properties.

Even if you produce tiles high quality, at first it will not be possible to sell it at a high price. Consumers do not have much trust in businesses that have recently opened, so it is not advisable to put a high price on their products. This important point which you should pay attention to special attention. Organize such process how to produce tiles from plastic bottles in the most tight deadlines. This type of business is more designed for the future, since it will require large capital investments at the very beginning.

Plastic bottles are used as containers for a huge number of drinks, after which they are used as garbage. Europe has long been engaged in industrial plastic processing, but in Russia this is not yet such a popular business. But the mechanism of making tiles from plastic bottles in mini-factories and even in...

It's quite easy to make tiles from a plastic bottle in a makeshift way for personal needs. This does not require the purchase of expensive equipment. Raw materials are cheap and available in abundance.

Characteristics of plastic tiles

Plastic tiles are durable and reliable, in no way inferior to their concrete counterparts, and in some cases even superior to them.

It prevents the formation of ice and has anti-slip properties, which is very important in the Russian winter for comfortable walking.

This is ensured by the abrasiveness of the material due to the presence of sand in it. Smooth and smooth surface Such tiles have good adhesion to the shoe sole material.

The advantages of plastic paving slabs are:

increased strength and wear resistance;
insensitivity to moisture;
when liquid gets on the coating, it seeps into the cracks between the elements without eroding the path;
the ability to maintain its properties at extremely low temperatures;
relatively low weight;
resistance to chemical influences;
if it is necessary to replace individual tiles or parts tile covering no expensive and labor-intensive operations are required;
long service life;
the permissibility of producing a relief surface and painting in different colors;
easy to machine if you need to saw or make holes;
ease of installation work.

Due to the ease of laying tiles, it can be done without professional help.

If the temperature rises significantly, the tiles increase slightly in volume, so when laying, be sure to maintain a gap of 3–4 mm.

It is worth noting that paving slabs made from plastic bottles also have remarkable aesthetic properties. It is suitable for implementing bold and varied design solutions. The color of the material does not fade when exposed to sun rays, the tile is not deformed and does not wear off. Appearance The material is unique, finishing with such products will look elegant and original.

Components of the material

To make paving slabs not only from plastic bottles, but also from other polymers, you will also need sand and a dye. The raw materials are ordinary bottles, which do not even need to be cleaned of labels and food residues. All excess ingredients burn without a trace. There is no need for sorting either.

In addition, soft polymers impart plasticity to the finished tile. Without them, she will be more fragile. You just need to comply with the following requirement:

soft plastic – 40%;
solid polymers – 60%.

This is necessary in order to ensure optimal rigidity of the plastic tiles. The use of this technology almost completely eliminates polymer waste. The addition of polycarbonate or fluoroplastic, as well as rubber, is not allowed. After all, these ingredients are not capable of imparting improved properties to products, but the structure of the material is disrupted, losing its homogeneity.

The sand is cleaned of impurities (their content, including clay, is no more than 1/5). The drier the sand, the less time is spent on making one tile. The quality of the finished product will depend on the uniform mixing of sand and plastic. Mixture proportions:

sand – 90%;
polymers – 9%;
dye – 1% (if added).

It is preferable to add inorganic dyes. Without them, the products will turn out to be a dirty gray color.

Business idea in the garage

Production technology

Equipment for the production of polymer tiles includes the following equipment:

crusher for grinding plastic raw materials;
extrusion apparatus for melting and mixing ingredients and squeezing out the finished mixture;
molding press.

The entire technological process is relatively safe, but is carried out in rooms with good ventilation using respirators and protective gloves.

The manufacturing technology is quite simple and consists of the following steps:

the polymer material is crushed into small pieces;
When the ingredients enter the extrusion machine, the molten viscous plastic envelops the grains of sand, everything is mixed repeatedly, and a dough-like mass is obtained. At this stage, dye is added;
the extruder extrudes the mixture, the temperature of which is 200 degrees, it is cut in the required quantity and placed into molds.
Under the molding press, the product is given its final form and simultaneously cooled.

This applies to production on an industrial scale. Handicraft production of tiles in small quantities will require only a melting machine and a molding press. In this case, the polymers are first melted without preliminary crushing, then this mass is mixed with sand and dye.

This stage is very important, as good mixing is required. Now all that remains is to put the mixture into molds under a press and cool. If you don’t have a press, you should just wait for the tiles to cool in the molds. It usually takes 1-2 days to dry completely depending on conditions and temperature.

The output is products of the same shape as cement tiles. At the request of the manufacturer, they are given different dimensions, color shades and texture.

The production of tiles from plastic bottles cannot be done without molds for pouring the molten mass. The material from which the molds must be made is plastic, fiberglass or rubber.

No rubber molds found wide application, because they are relatively expensive, heavy and quickly become unusable. Fiberglass is well suited for the production of large-sized products.

The peculiarities of this material are such that a special lubricant must be applied to the mold each time it is used. The most common are plastic molds made of heat-resistant material.

Sometimes layer-by-layer technologies are used to save dye. Then a colored layer is formed first, then a layer without dye and then a colored layer on top again. The thickness of one layer is 2 cm.

In the process of manufacturing a material, there are always defects and various trimmings. They should be re-crushed in the machine and used as raw material for new products. But when making paving slabs from plastic bottles, the environment does not suffer much trouble.

The production of modern and beautiful tiles from plastic bottles will serve the purpose of environmental safety. After all, difficult to decompose waste is being removed. Possessing high performance characteristics, this product will always find its consumer. Modern production paving slabs made from plastic bottles will soon be replaced by a concrete counterpart.