Lawn grate: its purpose and installation technology. Eco-parking in the country: a lawn grate for parking and a garden path Laying a plastic lawn grate

06.05.2020

The use of lawn grids in landscaping allows you to solve several problems at once: strengthen the soil, protect the roots and grass cover from trampling and other troubles, make any area attractive and clean.

Although concrete lawn grids appeared back in the sixties, due to their impressive weight and the need to use special equipment for their delivery and installation, they were not widely used, and now they are mounted mainly in truck parking areas.

Lawn grate plastic StandartPark

The invention in 1994 of polymer structures led to the active and widespread use of these modular coatings for arranging lawns and car parks. Modules made of lightweight and high-strength plastic are conveniently and reliably docked with each other using locks. If they are used to create paths, they are covered with gravel, and fertile soil is needed for them.

How to choose a lawn grill

The purpose of lawn gratings is very different: creating lawns in adjoining, summer cottage areas and in park areas, laying them on sports and children's playgrounds, equipping eco-parking, so the parameters and appearance lattices are also different.

The main indicators are the possible load and cell size. These data are always indicated by the manufacturer in the labeling. It is necessary to provide for some margin of safety and add it to the calculated load: for example, if 10-20% is enough for a regular lawn, then for car parking it should be increased by 30-40%, taking into account the weight of passengers, cargo or the possibility of parking a heavier car .

The shape of the cells affects only the decorative appearance of the finished coating. As for the material of manufacture, the "boundaries" of the concrete modules will always be visible, which is not entirely aesthetically pleasing, and the plastic walls are green, brown or black as they grow lawn grass become almost invisible, and the surface will look much more like a real lawn.

The durable edges of the modules will keep the green lawn looking neat even with heavy use. The service life of a properly installed structure will be more than 20 years.

How to prepare the base before laying the lawn grid?

Laying a lawn grate is easy, you just need to carefully prepare the surface, consistently performing all the operations. The soil in the marked area is selected to the height of the grid, taking into account the purpose of its use. In any case, a layer of geotextile is first laid on the bottom of the pit and then a gravel-sand cushion is poured. Her height:

for the playground 15-20 cm;
for parking a car 25-30 cm;
for trucks 30-50 cm.

Having poured gravel and sand to the bottom of the pit, they need to be compacted, spilled with water and once again well tamped. A leveling layer of 2-3 cm of sand is poured onto this base, and the modules can be laid. Experts recommend spreading geotextiles between layers in order to achieve maximum strength of the base and prevent the formation of dips.

In order to be able to park a car on the lawn or make a footpath, you need to use special lawn grates. Lawn grass subject to mechanical stress is quickly trampled down and loses its original appearance.

The lawn grate consists of modules made of plastic or concrete. This design serves to strengthen the soil and protect the roots of plants. The main purpose is to protect lawns in areas of intensive use (parking, playgrounds, recreation areas, etc.).

Types of lawn grates

A lawn grate or mesh is made of concrete or durable plastic. Most often, plastic gratings are used, as they are easier to install and look neater. Of course, like any other material, plastic and concrete have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Concrete lawn grate

A veteran of the market, it was with her that the history of lawn strengthening began. Until now, in parks or in the parking lot you can meet concrete tiles with cells from which grass grows.
Main advantages concrete gratings:

Affordable price;
High strength and durability;
Modules can be of different shapes;
No need for large scale preparatory work before laying;
Increased rainwater drainage.

Video: Ecological parking // FORUMHOUSE

The main disadvantage is that with the help of a concrete lattice it will not be possible to create a solid carpet of grass.

It will look like an area with green grass and islands of concrete. Therefore, this design is mainly used for installation in a parking lot or in places with high traffic.

Plastic lawn grate

Plastic lawn net more modern design and unlike concrete is used more often. It is made of high-strength plastic, capable of withstanding loads up to 120 tons per m².

The service life of the plastic structure is 25 years. Lattices are produced with small or large round or diamond-shaped cells.

Advantages plastic nets for the lawn:

Aesthetic appearance - produced in black and green, which makes it almost invisible in the grass;
Not difficult installation. Separate modules are assembled into a single whole with the help of special locks;
Not a lot of weight, for its transportation you do not need to hire heavy equipment;
Resistant to gasoline, engine oil and acid;
Not afraid of frost and does not soften in the sun;
Not toxic.

Grass paving technology

To install a lawn grate, you do not need to have special knowledge, anyone can handle this work. Installation work can be divided into several stages.

Before starting work, you should decide on the purpose of the territory and mark it. Perhaps you need to strengthen the entire lawn or build only sports ground, parking, place for rest, etc.

Tip: Choose a lawn grate depending on the site where it will be used.

Further work is almost the same for both plastic and concrete gratings.

Soil preparation

We remove the top layer of the earth. The depth depends on the purpose of the site. Let's calculate the example of a place for parking a car:

Sand and gravel pillow: its height depends on the expected load and ranges from 5 to 20 cm. In our case, the height of the pillow should be 20 cm, so not only a car, but a micro bus can enter the parking lot;
Leveling layer, the height of which can be up to 3 cm;
The lawn grate itself is 5 cm high.

It turns out that for the installation of the grating we will have to remove the ground to a depth of 28 cm.

Rammer

After preparing the pit, it is necessary to compact the soil in it and strengthen the walls. This is done using brick or rubble stone. You can strengthen the walls with the help.

Cushion device, geotextile laying, leveling

For the device of the pillow, gravel or crushed stone and sand are used. Sand is needed to fill the voids between the rubble, which does not allow it to slip under load.

We lay geotextiles on a sand-gravel pillow, it will protect against weeds and perform the function drainage system. After that, a leveling layer of sand is poured onto the geotextile.

Grass grate installation

The lawn grate is laid on the leveling layer. Plastic modules are fastened together with locks, thus a single canvas is obtained.

If the grille does not fit along the edges of the platform, cut it with a hacksaw to the desired size. After that, we pour fertile soil into the cells, you can take peat or compost.

For. In order for the soil to settle, it must be watered. After all these manipulations, we sow the site with lawn grass seeds or roll it out.

Video review of the lawn grate

A neatly trimmed lawn with rich bright green grass - what could be better for decorating a personal plot, the area next to the house, etc.? But a do-it-yourself lawn planted in ordinary dug up soil is not very neat. Walking on it and the influence of adverse weather conditions can soon lead to a loss of appearance (the grass will thin and turn yellow).
What is the way out? Currently, there are many means by which it is possible to create an even, high-quality lawn that will not change in appearance even after a long period of operation. One of these means is the installation of a lawn grate.

Such a lattice is a special construction of concrete or plastic modules connected to each other by means of latches. The main purpose of the lattice is to strengthen the earth and protect the roots.
In most cases, laying the lawn grate is done in the country. It is used for parking spaces, playgrounds and other places of intensive use.

Advantages of do-it-yourself lawn grates

The low weight of the gratings facilitates the process of transportation. Any car will do this.
Ease of assembly. Structural elements are easily assembled directly at the work site.
Increased frost resistance (up to -40 С°).
Ease of repair and maintenance. The grid prevents deformation of the lawn, and mowing becomes simple and fast. It is not forbidden to use tools such as a trimmer, electric or gasoline lawn mower, lawn mower.
Environmental Safety. Non-hazardous materials are used in the production of lawn grates environment.

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Lawn Grating Types

Modern market building materials offers the following types of grids:

plastic;
concrete.

And often the buyer wants to do everything with his own hands, but finds it difficult to choose.

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Comparative analysis of concrete and plastic gratings

Plastic:

areas landscaped with plastic gratings are more neat in terms of appearance due to their thin walls between the cells;
the laying process is less laborious;
no special equipment is required;
even with equal values of reliability and strength, the plastic grating allows you to get a lawn that is as close to natural as possible.

Now about concrete gratings:

the history of these devices began with concrete gratings (concrete is famous for its high strength and reliability);
the device of a lawn grate made of concrete is most suitable in areas with dense soils, where it is not possible to create a full drainage ground water and good drainage of heavy rainfall;
such gratings do not require special preparatory work before laying;
relatively low cost.

With all this, it should be noted that a parking space with such a lawn does not have a very attractive appearance, as it looks like a green area with concrete islands.

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Do-it-yourself lawn grating technology and arrangement

Any person who has a little desire can carry out the installation of lawn grates and the subsequent one. There is nothing supernatural in this.

Grass paving. Step-by-step instruction.

Using pegs and own hands, it is necessary to mark the area on which the lawn is planned. Advice to lovers of something unusual, exclusive.
Lawns of any shape can be created from plastic gratings, because the edges of such gratings are easily cut with a jigsaw, circular saw and hand saw.
On the marked area, a layer of soil is removed, having a thickness of 25-30 cm. for cars, it requires removing the soil to a depth of 30-50 cm. As a result, it turns out that the depth of the pit directly depends on the intensity of operation of the lawn.
In the finished pit, a pillow is arranged, consisting of gravel and sand or crushed stone (bearing layer). Its thickness should be about ¾ of the depth of the pit.
A geotextile is laid out on top of the carrier layer, which will help strengthen the base and prevent the gravel-sand cushion from mixing with the rest of the layers.
The next layer (levelling) 2-3 cm thick is laid on the geotextile, which is a mixture of fine gravel and sand. The surface is carefully rammed.
Module installation begins. Each module is attached to another with special locks. The entire surface under the lawn is gradually covered. The modules are laid out in rows, the direction of movement goes from left to right.
After the do-it-yourself lattice installation is completed, soil is laid on it, distributing it as evenly as possible over the cells. Cells should not be filled to the brim. The soil should not reach the top edge of the grate by about 0.5 cm, otherwise it will simply wash out. It does not matter that the plastic lawn grate is not completely camouflaged. As the grass grows, the plastic parts will hide anyway. In addition, the grilles are usually green, black or brown, and against the background of grass or earth, they will not be so noticeable.
The soil used should be as light as possible. To form it, you can take sod land, peat, sand, compost or biohumus (organic additives), vermiculite or perlite (baking powder).
It is necessary to sow the site with seeds so that they evenly fall into the cells. Water the mature grass very carefully. You can do this in the evening and in the morning, when the sun is not so active. They take care of a ready-made lawn created with gratings in the same way as a simple lawn. It needs to be watered, trimmed and fertilized.

Lawn grills are usually used for parking lots, playgrounds or game courts.

The lawn concrete lattice represents system of the cellular modules connected among themselves by locks. It protects the root system of plants from mechanical influences. After driving across the lawn vehicle or a pedestrian has passed, the grass is restored immediately or after watering.

The concrete grate performs the following functions:

maintains an attractive appearance of the lawn;
ensures evenness of the lawn;
protects the root system of plants;
strengthens the soil;
prevents flooding.

The design is mounted shallow in the ground. A drainage layer is laid under it, protecting the soil from waterlogging.

Benefits and scope

Lawn lattices - an irreplaceable element for arrangement of territories. They are used in the construction of playgrounds, driveways, terrace coverings, walking and cycling paths, parking spaces, etc.

Quite often, designs are purchased for summer cottages. Islands of greenery, surrounded by concrete cells, catch the eye and do not require special care.

A concrete lawn grate, which can be easily installed by hand, is used for decorative purposes to create landscape design on the personal plot or cottage.

With this design, it will not be possible to build an even lawn, but it can be used to equip garden paths. Paths equipped with concrete gratings allow you to move around the site in any weather and connect different areas of the infield.

Concrete gratings are endowed with undeniable advantages:

ease of installation - the module can be installed independently, without the involvement of special equipment;
resistance to frost - withstand negative temperatures up to -40 ºС;
ease of maintenance - after laying the structure, the lawn does not deform, cutting plants with any tools is allowed;
increased strength - gratings can be operated under conditions of constant loads;
long service life;
transportability - structures made by vibrocompression are light in weight, their standard dimensions are 400 × 600 mm;
low cost - concrete structures are cheaper than plastic counterparts.

Kinds

Concrete structures can be classified according to a number of criteria.

The form

Depending on the purpose, the shape of the lattice modules can be:

diamond-shaped or honeycomb - such gratings can withstand a load of up to 20 tons per 1 m², therefore they are used for arranging pedestrian or bicycle paths, parking lots cars and playgrounds;
square - designed for arranging areas with heavy traffic, they can withstand a load of up to 400 tons per m².

Colour

The color scheme of the gratings is quite diverse. When adding a coloring material, the price of a lawn module increases. The most popular color is gray due to its lowest price. Concrete gratings are also available in red, brown, red-brown, yellow, blue or green.

Mode of production

To create lawn concrete gratings, 2 methods are used: casting and vibrocompression. During casting, the liquid concrete mixture is poured into molds and hardens in them. To increase the strength, this design is equipped with reinforcing elements.

Vibrocompression allows you to get a module with an ideal geometry and increased strength.

The semi-dry concrete mixture is poured into a special form, where it is mixed under the action of vibrocompression equipment and evenly distributed over the surface of the form. As a result, structures are formed without chips, cracks or voids.

This method allows not only to speed up the production process of modules, but also to reduce the labor costs of the manufacturer.

Laying technology

Mounting sequence concrete structure quite trivial, laying the module with your own hands is within the power of even an inexperienced summer resident.

markup

First, you should mark the area on which it is planned to lay the grating. It is not recommended to install concrete modules on slopes exceeding 5%. The type of construction depends on the purpose for which the lawn will be used: arrangement of a camping site, parking for cars, etc.

Ground work

the height of the gravel cushion, which is 5-25 cm (the specific value is determined by the planned loads on the lawn, for example, for a parking space it is recommended to set this parameter to the maximum value);
the height of the leveling layer is approximately 2-3 cm;
the height of the concrete structure is about 5 cm.

As a result of calculations, it turns out that about 27-28 cm of soil should be removed to install the grate.

Important! A lattice with a height of 4-5 cm is used to equip areas with light loads. If a more serious mechanical impact is expected, then reinforced structures equipped with additional stiffeners should be used.

Pouring concrete and grating installation

At the end land works the soil is compacted and the boundaries of the pit are strengthened by laying stones or pouring a concrete mixture. Then a sand and gravel cushion is laid. First, a layer of gravel is poured, geotextiles are laid on top of it. This material protects the site from the growth of weeds. The next layer is sand (2-3cm). It provides a tight fit of gravel and increases the mechanical stability of the structure.

The concrete grating is installed with a wide surface down. All rows are shifted one cell towards each other (checkerboard). In order for the modules to easily take their position, they must be fastened together at an angle of 45º. In places where the entire module does not fit, pieces of the desired size should be cut with a carbide circular saw.

The cells of the concrete structure should be filled with a fertile soil mixture. Peat, compost, and a mixture of soil and gravel in equal proportions can be used as it. After abundant watering, the soil will settle a little, then it can be planted with grass and rolled around the entire perimeter of the lawn.

The service life of the grate depends on the mode of its use, as well as the brand and quality of the concrete mix. Such structures retain their operational characteristics for a long time - 30-50 years.

Concrete gratings are indispensable for protecting lawn grass. They prevent excessive water saturation of vegetation, as they effectively remove rain moisture from the site.

Is it possible to harmoniously combine technical progress, convenience, cleanliness, beauty, soil strengthening, plant protection? This task will be helped by the use of special designs, which were first developed in 1994 in Germany. It's about about lawn trellises. In this article, you will find information about the types of lawn grating and the possibilities of their use in different areas, as well as learn how to lay a lawn grate yourself.

The lawn grate is a durable coating that is made from separate small sections, called modules, that are interconnected by locks. Each individual module has a structure in the form of cells, in the form of honeycombs, rhombuses, squares with a minimum height of 4–5 cm.

Depending on the purpose of the cover, the cells can be covered with gravel or soil. Gravel is used to create a path, and fertile land is needed for a green lawn.

Lattice modules are made of concrete or very durable plastic. Any variety has its pros and cons. The choice depends on what tasks you want to solve.

It was from concrete that the first gratings were made. Now they are used much less often, but they have a number of advantages:

They are very durable, withstand heavy loads (these properties will be very useful in parking lots intended for trucks).
The cost of concrete products is low, much less than plastic.
There is no need to carry out complex work in preparation for installation.
The service life is quite long.
In the area where the concrete grating is laid, the water from the rain does not linger, it leaves quickly (there will be no dirt and excessive waterlogging of the lawn).

But unfortunately, the concrete block grating has very significant drawbacks, which forced us to look for the possibility of using other materials:

The modules are heavy, laying requires special equipment.
Concrete walls are thick, so to visually create the appearance of an even green array, the walls of concrete modules are always clearly visible.

Plastic gratings have earned the greatest popularity, as they have much more advantages than their concrete counterparts:

The modules are light in weight, securely and quickly fastened together.
No special equipment is needed for installation, absolutely anyone is able to mount it with their own hands.
Fast laying speed.
The cells have thin walls, they will not be visible when the grass grows, a solid green array is obtained.
Sufficiently high strength.
Good drainage properties, keeps the moisture in the cells necessary for good grass growth, but excess water leaves.
A variety of cell shapes (honeycombs, squares, crow's feet, and others).
Different colors of links (modules).
Strengthens the soil.
In parking lots, in the yards of residential buildings, in summer cottages, an aesthetic appearance is created, there is no dirt after rain.
Does not harm the environment (does not emit substances into the atmosphere and soil that adversely affect human health).
Grass bends under car wheels or feet, but is not damaged.
Easy to take care of your lawn.
Withstands severe frosts.
Can serve 20 years or more.

Disadvantages of plastic grating:

In terms of strength, it is inferior to concrete, not suitable for parking lots of trucks.
The need to prepare the soil, fill it with sand and gravel so that the plastic links do not sag.

Below we consider the possible scope of lawn gratings.

Plastic lawn grates are used very widely:

for green eco-parkings.

in parks;
for sports grounds;
for playgrounds;
for laying out garden paths;
to create bright green lawns in cottages and courtyards.

If you have chosen a grill and decided on your goals, you can begin installation. All work is divided into three stages:

First you need to mark the territory. Then you need to remove the top layer of soil, then to fill it with the necessary components. The depth depends on what you want to see in the end. Next, pour gravel mixed with sand. If a truck parking is provided, then this layer should be thick enough from 30 to 50 cm. For parking cars, the thickness of the pillow with sand and gravel is 25-30 cm. To enter the garage, 20-25 cm. 20 cm

On top of 2-3 cm, you need to pour sand and level the surface. In order for the gravel not to mix with sand and soil, many people spread geotextiles between the layers and on the base of the pit.

Now you can start installation. The modules are fastened together (they have special fasteners) and stacked on the surface. Usually laying goes in rows from left to right. Plastic modules can be easily cut if necessary. Therefore, you can create lawns of any shape: square, round, triangular, etc. It all depends on your desire and imagination. Installing a lawn grate is a very exciting process that gives room for creativity.

The color of the lawn grating links is most often chosen in brown or green. When the grass sprouts and grows, the plastic edges will not be visible. For tracks, you can use modules of a different color. It all depends on your creative ideas.

The cells are half filled with fertile soil if you want your lawn to be green. Then you need to sow grass seeds and fill the grate with earth to the brim. The soil in the cells should be nutritious and fertile.

Some experts believe that 5 cm of fertile land is not enough for the lawn to be fresh and green for many years. When the roots grow and go deep, they will have nothing to eat. In the sand and gravel layer, there are no substances necessary for plants. Water doesn't stay there either. Such a lawn will dry out quickly. If this is a lawn in the country, they advise putting geotextiles and a layer of soil on the sandy layer. Then lay the grate and fill it with earth.

For paths, the cells can be filled with small pebbles. There will be no dirt on them after the rain. At the cottage or in the garden will always be clean, comfortable.

Recently, lawn grating has been used very widely. Perhaps you will find some new areas of application for it, come up with your own effective methods styling and create unique creative compositions.

Video

The provided videos show the methods of laying the lawn grate: