DIY glowing paving slabs: Instruction + Video

Pavement tiles of garden paths or paving elements of estates, glowing in the dark, are gaining popularity among owners of country cottages. These elements create an atmosphere of comfort and safety in the territory surrounding the private property. Strictly speaking, such luminous elements are divided into two types: the first, produce a luminous effect due to a special luminescent coating, and the second, due to an electric current.

Luminescent paving slabs

The luminous design elements are ordinary paving slabs, but they contain luminescent components.

To do this, you must first buy a phosphor, then apply a primer to the top edge of the tile to prevent absorption of the most luminous paint into the body of the tile. Then apply the luminescent paint itself to the same facet, then cover it with a protective layer on top of it, which will prevent rapid destruction or erasure of the paint.

The advantage of this technology can be considered the possibility of applying a light coating to the existing and laid paving slabs.

If you have a need for the production of luminous paving slabs, then you will need to purchase the appropriate components - a luminescent dye and plasticizer.

In the process of self-production of tiles, when pouring the front plane, these components are introduced into the solution and poured into the mold.

After drying, such paving slabs will also glow in the dark.

The possibility of night glow for tiles with a green-yellow glow spectrum will persist for 6-9 hours, after capturing ultraviolet radiation throughout the day.

LED elements in paving slabs

As such, such elements cannot be called tiles, they are rather, elements imitating the shape of a conventional paving slab. Most often they are made of high-strength glass or have a durable metal body and a top edge made of plastic or glass.

Inside such a "tile" there are one or more LED elements. The power source for the LED elements can be a battery charged from solar energy during the day, or electrical energy supplied by wires from an outlet.

If we consider the design of light elements with mains supply, then we must bear in mind the following features:

• The power supply wires must be laid in advance, before the laying of the main concrete paving slabs;
• For normal operation of the lighting system, it is necessary to purchase, install and set up a power supply and controller;
• In the light elements themselves, it is possible to install both monochrome LED sources and polychrome LEDs, which can change the glow color depending on your desire or according to a certain algorithm embedded in the controller program.

If you are more interested in the option of powering LED elements from solar panels, then the design features of such elements are somewhat different:

1. A photosensitive element must be installed in the housing, which in the daytime must accumulate light energy and transmit it for storage on a battery;
2. Also there must be installed a light sensor and, if necessary, a motion sensor, which should turn on the LEDs when darkness falls or when being near it a moving object;
3. LED elements must be connected into a single circuit in other electrical elements;
4. It should be noted that, as in the case of a network power supply system, this circuit is so they are very sensitive to weather disasters and the guaranteed service life of such paving slabs usually does not exceed 2-3 years.

As a body, you can use industrially produced glass blocks. You can also make the body of the glowing paving slabs with your own hands using polymer resins.

Polymer luminous blocks

Relatively recently, more one product that has the property of glowing in the dark is polymer granules and ready-made luminous paving slabs "Luna".

Luna granules are added to the mortar in the production of conventional paving slabs. The chemical composition and production technology of such granules is a trade secret of the manufacturer.

Paving slabs made with the use of such granules illuminate garden paths well and retain the luminescent effect for a long time, but the price for such products is quite high.