DIY Wooden Garden Paths
DIY Wooden Garden Paths.
Hello.
This is what the new wooden garden paths look like compared to last year's.
The path material was 100x50 mm pine boards, as the coastal area is expected to be barefoot.
An estimate for a section of such a path 11 m long and 1.5 m wide is at the end of the video.
For the foundation system, pieces of steel pipe from the house's old heating system were chosen.
The pieces were cut to any length, but I tried to make them at least 50 cm long.
A 10 cm angle iron cap was welded directly to the end of the pipe.
To prevent the posts from being pushed out by frost heave, I welded a crossbar in place of the standard heel.
This way, our posts can be driven into the ground with a sledgehammer, after removing some soil.
We paint the posts and drill holes to attach the wooden joists. Experience shows that such a pile can bear a point load of over 200 kg and is ideal for garden paths.
The distance between the supports is 1.75 m.
After installing the posts in place, if possible, compact the remaining holes with crushed stone, fill with soil or sand, and thoroughly water for maximum compaction.
During use, the height of these posts can be adjusted; for example, by hammering the pile to the desired height if it was uprooted in the spring.
If the pile needs to be raised, you can use a regular crowbar as a lever and temporarily secure it by placing something under the head until the soil compacts.
To prevent weeds from growing under the path in the future, you can cover the area with agrofibre.
I used remnants of old linoleum, fiberboard, OSB, plastic film, and even old rags.
But this is optional. Previously, you may have seen a similar terrace structure on the channel, where the weeds, shaded by the boards, had already died off on their own.
Since one side of the path is adjacent to the ground, I insulated its wood from possible ground moisture with a layer of roofing felt.
Next, I laid longitudinal joists made of 100x50mm boards and nailed them to the pile caps.
Strong reinforcement isn't necessary; once we nail the transverse boards of the garden path itself to the joists, this structure will become very strong and stable.
In this section, the piles are no higher than 15 cm above ground level, so additional reinforcement is not necessary, but...
In places where the garden path piles are raised 50 cm or more, I welded the outer four piles of the path with 8-12 mm diameter rebar. I reinforced areas where the posts were arranged in a rectangular or square plan with longitudinal, transverse, and diagonal bracing.
The wooden garden path takes its final form after nailing 100x50 mm cross-section boards 1.5 m long.
In some places, black mold is visible on the boards. I'll remove it by spraying the finished path with a solution of ferrous sulfate, but later, when I use the same solution to treat the plants.
After this treatment, the wooden path will acquire a noble silvery hue, closely resembling the natural aging of wood.
Problems with substandard lumber often arise when using wood with natural moisture content, especially when sawn during the sap flow period.
No matter how well you stack materials with maximum ventilation, there's always a risk of finding a damaged board in the stack, but it will still serve me well...
Thank you for your attention!
#Paths #DIY #Walkway