How to Build a Concrete Patio

Building your own patio is hard work, but if you follow the steps below, you can have a patio with a smooth concrete surface. It is a good idea to go to your local home improvement store and ask about the materials needed. Once you have gathered everything that you need, you can start to build your own patio.

Things You'll Need

• Ground compactor
• Bull float to smooth the wet concrete
• Edging trowel
• Finishing trowel

Instructions

1. Use stakes, chalk and string to make an outline of where you want your concrete patio to be. Place your strings outside the perimeter of your outline by exactly three inches. This allows space for your wooden forms. Mark the curves on your concrete patio with a garden hose. Then, excavate the patio area and use a great deal of weed killer to rid this location of vegetation.

2. Use expansion strips to indicate the locations where your patio will butt against a wall or building.

3. Build the forms using two by fours and pound stakes into the ground so the stakes are level with top of the forms.

4. Nail double-headed nails through the stakes and into the boards to hold them into place.

5. Spread gravel, cinders and crushed rock all along the bottom of where your patio is being built. This acts as a bed for your concrete, so moisture can travel under the concrete effectively.

6. Lay wire mesh and flatten it. Place some rocks under the mesh so it's suspended a little. You'll be pulling the mesh back up when you pour the concrete.

7. Pour your concrete and start slicing it with a 2 by 4 to show whether you're putting in enough material. Use some floats to smooth the surface and make at least 3 passes over the concrete with a trowel to completely smooth the surface. Allow the patio to dry for a week and make sure no one goes near it.