How to Pour Concrete

Have a small do-it-yourself project? Maybe you’d like some paving stones, or maybe you need a pad at the bottom of your deck stairs. No need to have a truck deliver pre-mixed concrete. Mixing a small batch of concrete is not complicated, (though I've rated it as challenging from the physical work aspect,) and it’s relatively inexpensive

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• a plan
• be in good to excellent physical condition
• a buddy/friend to help
• wheelbarrow
• flat head shovel, a spade and metal grading rake
• cement trowels
• gloves
• cement mix
• garden hoe or cement hoe
• 2x4's and 2x2 stakes
• hammer
• measuring tape
• wire mesh or rebar

1. Begin by preparing the area where you want the concrete. You want the base to be as level and you can make it so that the concrete is uniformly thick throughout the project.
2. Next, build strong forms to frame the wet concrete. 2”x 4” lumber is most commonly used. It doesn’t need to be new wood, but it should be straight. Hold the forms in place using small 2”x 2” stakes about every 24 inches (make sure the stakes are level with the top of your forms so that you can level the concrete after you pour it). Take measurements so that you know the volume of cement you’ll need.
3. Lay wire mesh or rebar inside your concrete forms. This will help prevent the cement from cracking and make stronger. If you use mesh, pull it up into the wet concrete with a rake as you’re filling the forms so it’s really in the concrete, not just under it. If you use rebar, wire it together into a grid shape, then raise the grid by placing it on scrap tile, or brick pieces so that the rebar grid is about in the middle of the concrete pad.
4. You might want to buy the sand, gravel and “concrete” parts in separate bags and mix them yourself, or you can buy the “just add water” pre-mixed concrete. Read the directions on the bag so you’ll how much your project requires. It’s better to have a little too much than too little.
5. To mix a small batch of concrete, you won’t need a cement mixer. Use a plastic cement mixing pan or a large steel wheelbarrow. To mix the concrete, you can use a concrete hoe, which looks just like a garden hoe with a couple hoes in it, or the garden hoe works too if you already have one in your tool arsenal.
6. Add water very gradually. Don't over wet! If you’ve done any baking, the proper mix should look like cake frosting but just a bit wetter; thick enough so that it forms a small peak but doesn’t quickly flow into a level puddle.
7. Using a flat head or scoop shovel, fill your forms with your concrete mix. This is heavy work, after all concrete is slurried rock and sand!
8. After you’ve filled the forms, gently tap the outside of the forms with a hammer to drive air bubbles out of the concrete and cause it to settle. Level the concrete by dragging a straight 2-by-4 across the top of the form. Use a concrete trowel to give the concrete a more finished look by smoothing the top over and over.
9. Edging trowels will give your project rounded edges if you so desire. A broom finish over the top (using a stiff bristled push broom,) will make the dried concrete less slick.
10. For stronger concrete its best that it dry slowly. So pouring concrete on cool days is optimal. If it’s hot, mist the concrete frequently with water throughout the day to slow the drying process. If you live in a frigid climate, you don’t want the concrete to freeze as it’s drying either. When it’s partially dry you can cover it with a tarp and spread a layer of loose straw on it to protect it from a frost.
11. After a few days, remove the forms and fill in the area around the concrete with gravel or topsoil as necessary.

Tips & Warnings

• Concrete is brutal on the skin. Wear gloves and avoid getting your hands coated in the stuff.
• If you’re going to be working on a smooth finish, you might want to don some thick knee pads.
• Avoid breathing the cement powder when mixing. You’ll be breathing rock!
• Be tidy and thoroughly clean all tools after you're finished. Otherwise the cement will never come off once it dries.