Do-it-yourself decorative garden path from saw cuts on a personal plot
The emergence of humanity is associated with the emergence of roads. Paths and paths have long been considered landmarks leading to people who can help a lost traveler. In the modern world, paths have not lost their functional significance, but, on the contrary, have acquired additional value for a person, becoming a decorative element in the landscape of a garden plot. If you had to cut a large tree in a summer house or dismantle an outdated structure into logs, do not rush to part with a trunk or logs - all this can be an excellent material for garden paths made of tree saw cuts. It will not only become a decorative element of the landscape, but with proper care will serve no less than a cement or stone path.
Content
- Garden paths made of wood cuts. Advantages and disadvantages
- We create a garden path from saw cuts with our own hands. Preparatory stage
- Track creation sequence. Material processing video
- Arrangement of drainage is the key to long track service
- Stacking cuts. Decoration
- Care of a garden path from saw cuts
Garden paths made of wood cuts. Advantages and disadvantages
Before you start sawing the material, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with a number of advantages and disadvantages that characterize garden paths made of saw cuts. Of the advantages, the following can be distinguished:
1. Availability of material. Tree cuts are considered practically waste: they can be made from trees cut down on a plot or purchased as a wood blank for the winter;
2. Ease of use. Unlike paving slabs, the production of garden paths from wood does not require specialized tools;
3. Environmental friendliness. This can be considered the main advantage of the tracks made of wood. Given the fact that an increasing number of people strive to follow fashion trends and equip a house in an eco-style, cut tracks are becoming increasingly popular;
4.Originality. It is achieved due to the fact that it is difficult to find a tree with the same pattern on cuts, which ensures the uniqueness of the picture.
Of the shortcomings, it is advisable to consider:
1. Relatively short service life, due to exposure to various natural factors, as a result of which the wood rots, ignites or is populated by insects. However, proper care can extend the life of wood at times;
2. Specificity of application. Paths made of cuts do not always harmonize with the general design solution for the site.
We create a garden path from saw cuts with our own hands. Preparatory stage
If you plan to make a garden path from a tree just cut down, stock up on a circular saw or chainsaw, which will be needed to form saw cuts. They should be at least 10 cm thick and about 20 in diameter, since smaller saw cuts will make travel on ready-made garden paths much more difficult. You can ease your task and get prepared cuts, pre-soaked in an antiseptic, though it will cost significantly more.
If you have made a choice in favor of ready-made cuts, pay attention to the species of wood from which they are made. The best option would be saw cuts from larch, as this breed is quite durable and almost not subject to decay. Oak cuts are also characterized by considerable strength: garden paths made of oak cuts will last at least 8 years, while pine is less wear-resistant and has a five-year service life.
Track creation sequence. Material processing
If you prepared the cuts yourself or purchased raw material, cover the cuts with an antiseptic.
If you use an antiseptic that is prone to film formation, you need to dry the material in advance, since then you will not be able to do this, and cracks will appear on the tree. You can do otherwise, and for the treatment of wet wood, choose filmless antiseptics, of which there are a great many on the market. They are ideal for processing material that will subsequently be often in contact with precipitation and wet soil.
Next, you need to prepare bitumen, which will provide effective waterproofing of the material. They cover the lower side of the saw cuts, for which bitumen is first melted in an old bucket or any other metal container, preheating it on fire. Saws are dipped into molten bitumen only on the underside, which will subsequently be laid on the ground, and left to dry completely.
The arrangement of drainage is the key to a long service of tracks
High-quality drainage is the key to a long service life of wooden garden paths. Before that, they choose a place for garden paths and mark their shape. If you plan to make a straight path, then we advise you to use a rope stretched between two pegs, and if a winding garden hose, with which you can easily lay out the outline of the track. After marking up the territory, it is necessary to check the convenience of the future path, the possibility of moving along it at the same time two people and the simplest garden equipment. If the track design meets all of the above requirements, go to the next step.
Carefully clear the place under the garden path and dig a trench, the depth of which is at least 15-20 cm.The bottom of the newly dug trench is covered with geotextiles, which will prevent the growth of weeds, and is covered with a layer of rubble, which is moistened with water and carefully compacted. Next, you need to do the arrangement of a sand cushion on which the saw cuts will be laid. To do this, a 10 cm thick sand layer is poured over the gravel. To ensure a higher density, the sand layer is gradually poured into several thin layers, pouring water after each layer. The sand cushion needs to be leveled, for which you can use the building level or bar.
Stacking cuts. Decoration
When the waterproofing work is completely completed, and the saw cuts are thoroughly dried, you can proceed to the final stage of creating a do-it-yourself saw path with your own hands, directly laying the saw cuts. Before laying, we advise you to process the saw cuts with drying oil, preferably in several layers. Stacking of saw cuts can be made in various stylistic directions. If your saw cuts are the same size, they can be laid out in a checkerboard pattern or in several rows, the gaps between which can be filled with earth or planted with a lawn.
Saws of various sizes can be laid out randomly, and the gaps between them can be filled with saws made of branches. Moreover, it is important to consider that the larger the diameter of the saw, the greater the gap between them.
Large gaps open up space for imagination; they can be filled with decorative dusting or gravel, which will give your track an additional charm. The stones laid along the path will organically complement the gravel and look no less interesting.
If you cut the saws at a certain distance from each other, you get an intermittent track, and if you cut the saws a little, the design of your site will complement the continuous track.
When laying down saw cuts, it is important to immerse them as much as possible in a sand cushion and level them with the help of a building level.
The gaps between the saws are covered with wet sand or a mixture of gravel with sand and carefully tamped. To revitalize the path and give it originality, fill the gaps between the cuts with earth, into which you can later plant moss or ground cover plants.
Saws can be left in their original form and enjoy the eco-style garden path, or painted in bright colors.
Care of a garden path from saw cuts
So that the do-it-yourself saw path for a long time does not lose its original appearance, it is necessary to provide it with quality care.
To do this, saw cuts annually with a metal scraper, treated with an antiseptic and apply a coating that protects the saw cuts from external influences. It can be paint or drying oil.
