We make a tile ourselves

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I made paving slabs myself, in the winter, in the apartment. The husband initially laughed, but then realized that it was much more economical.

To prepare the solution, cement, sand and small stones (crushed stone, gravel) were poured into the container in a ratio of 1: 3: 1. Stirred, added a plasticizer, then gradually filled with water. The consistency of the solution should resemble thick sour cream. Poured it into molds, pre-lubricated with vegetable oil.

You can stir the solution using special nozzles on the electric drill.

For kneading, it is convenient to use a plastic liter bucket of mayonnaise. One of these is enough for one tile 30 × 30 cm and, accordingly, a bag of cement for 30 tiles 5 cm thick.

If it is difficult to find a form for paving slabs, you can use any plastic products. Round look original - I used a tray from a flower pot. You can also make tiles in the shape of a semicircle by placing a partition in the middle of the circle. And to make the tile with a pattern, you can put broken tiles, glass fragments, etc. on the bottom of the casting mold. Since the solution does not stick to wood, rubber, plastic, polyethylene, it made the bottom of the mold from linoleum, and the sides from boards. To fix them clearly, I screwed one screw at the joints. Instead of linoleum, you can take a relief base: an old rubber mat from a car or a grill from a refrigerator, etc.

The original tile is obtained by laying it on a rhubarb leaf. True, it needs to be made of small thickness and it is imperative to add reinforcement to the solution.

For greater strength, the tiles already embedded in the form, "pass" through the vibrating table. This allows you to remove voids (air) from the solution. The washing machine copes with the role of the vibrating table. I put a completed form on it and turned on the "spin" mode for 2-3 minutes - it shakes what you need! At the end of the spin, she placed the reinforcement (metal) and pressed it a little into the solution (at the end of this process), because this way it does not go down and is not visible from the front side.

It is better to remove the tile from the molds on the third day: during this time it hardens and does not break. Finally, it will gain strength within two to three weeks. But in order to reduce the hardening time of the tile, the mold should be covered with plastic wrap.