How to Pour a Concrete Parking Pad
If you own a rural property and wish to build your own garage or putg in your own driveway, making a parking pad out of concrete is a project you will have to confront. The most complicated part of pouring concrete is creating a proper mold and preparing the work area. Thankfully, parking pads are almost always simple rectangular shapes, so this job is not nearly as intimidating as it might look. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Hammer
- Nails
- Lumber
- Stakes
- Shovel
- Dirt tamper
- Level
- Saw
- Concrete mixer
- Concrete mix
- Steel rebar
- Rubber mallet
- Float
- Rubber gloves
Instructions
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Preparation
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1
Mark the perimeter of your proposed concrete parking pad using a rubber mallet to pound in stakes. To create a visual check and make sure the stakes are properly aligned along straight lines, tie twine along their length.
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2
Clear all vegetation from the interior of the work area, as marked in Step 1.
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3
Create a mold for your parking pad using 1x4 or 2x4 lumber. Nail the lumber together into a rectangle to match the size of your proposed pad. You may need to nail pieces of lumber cut to fit across one or two of the corners to provide some rigidity to your mold, but these will need to be removed once the mold is set in place and you are ready to pour the concrete.
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4
Check your work area to see if it is reasonably level. Parking pads are usually level, which is one of the things that separates them from being a mere driveway. Lay the level along the ground, and move and set dirt with a shovel and tamper until you have achieved your reasonably level surface.
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5
Pull up your marking stakes and then lay the mold over the work area. Secure it into position by driving stakes flush against the outside of the mold. There should be one or two stakes per side.
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6
Dig out a trench inside the work area, alongside the mold. This trench should be about 5 inches deep and as wide as the head of your shovel.
Pouring Concrete
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7
Mix your first batch of concrete using a concrete mixer, following the manufacturer's instructions. A parking pad is large enough that you will not be able to improvise your concrete mixing using a tub or wheelbarrow.
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8
Pour enough concrete into the form to fill it to a depth of 2 inches. Mix more concrete for a second pour.
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9
Place 4 pieces of steel rebar into the wet concrete at equidistant positions. These bars should be about 2 or 3 inches shorter than the length of the mold. For example, if the mold is 200 inches long, the bars should be 198 or 197 inches. Then lay two more bars along both ends of the four bars, forming a rectangle.
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10
Pour the remainder of the concrete and fill the mold.
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11
Go around the perimeter and tap the stakes and the mold with your rubber mallet. The vibrations from the tapping will help the concrete settle.
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12
Carve a half-inch deep joint across the middle of the pad, going widthways. A concrete pad of this size will need a joint to enable it to expand and contract without cracking. For a home job like this one, you can use the edge of your concrete float.
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13
Smooth out the concrete with the float. Keep an eye on the concrete, and when you see small pools or droplets of moisture forming on the surface, it is time to smooth it out with the float a second time.
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14
Wait overnight and let the concrete dry. Return the next day and use the claw on your hammer to pull the mold apart. Your concrete pad is finished.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear rubber gloves whenever you are working with concrete.
