How to Pour a Small Cement Patio
Building a small cement patio as a wonderful addition to your yard. Cement is a relatively inexpensive building material that can last a long time and requires much less maintenance than building structures like decks. A cement patio requires several days worth of your time, but the end result can be worth it. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Cement
- Gravel
- Hand tamper
- Crushed rocks
- 2-by-6 boards
- 2-by-8 board
- Rebar grid
- Mesh wires
- Metal float
- Wheelbarrow
Instructions
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1
Measure out the desired building area for your patio. Most small patios will measure 10 by 10 feet or smaller.
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2
Ask your utility company to make a trip to your house and tell you whether or not there are underground wires that will prevent you from digging.
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3
Purchase your materials. Take your measurements to a local home improvement store and ask how much cement you will need. For a 10 by 10 patio with a four-inch concrete foundation, you will need 1.23 cubic meters of concrete. Purchase two-by-six pieces of wood and stakes for your cement patio frames.
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4
Excavate a hole that is six inches into the ground.
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5
Create your frame, or "form," by lining the outer two-by-six boards along the outside border of your patio area. Pound the boards into the ground securely with a rubber mallet and connect each of the two-by-six boards to each other using deck screws.
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6
Lay two inches of gravel down in the bottom of the hole and compact it using a hand tamper.
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7
Install a half-inch rebar grid by cutting the bars to fit within the confines of your building area and then spacing them out every two feet. Tie the rebar together using wire. Place crushed rocks underneath the rebar grid before proceeding.
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8
Mix your cement in a wheelbarrow or concrete mixer according to the package instructions.
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9
Pour the concrete within the entire inner border of the form. Use a hand tamper or shovel to evenly distribute the cement throughout the area.
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10
Use a two-by-four or two-by-eight board and drag it across the surface to level out the concrete.
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11
Use a metal float to even out the surface until it appears smooth.
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