How to Build a Cement Patio Form

Building a cement patio form is one way to create a streamlined outdoor patio.

If you are looking for a simple and straightforward patio design, consider a cement patio form. The area for your cement patio can be as large as you want it to be. Start off small if this is your first patio project. Then build on to your concrete form if you feel like expanding. You can even tint the color of your patio by mixing in a concrete dye if you are feeling ambitious. Once you are finished with the entire process, liven up your concrete patio with your favorite outdoor furniture and plants.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Wooden stakes
• Twine
• Shovel
• 2-by-4-inch lumber
• Drill
• Gravel
• Metal screening
• 2-inch-thick bricks
• Concrete mix
• Trowel
• Garden hose
• Burlap sheet

Instructions

1. Create the dimensions for the patio form. Use a tape measure and measure out the length and width of the proposed patio. At each corner of the patio, drive a wooden stake in the ground. Then connect each of these stakes by stretching twine between them. This will act as the border for your patio form.

2. Excavate the area for the patio. Use a shovel and remove all of the sod and dirt. Dig down to a depth of 6 inches.

3. Create a framework along the inside perimeter of the excavated site. Lay 2-by-4-inch pieces of lumber along the inside wall of the hole. Place a wooden stake between the wall and the piece of lumber at 2-foot intervals. Then drill the wood stakes to the pieces of lumber. Do this along the entire inside portion of the wall in order to create a stable framework for the patio form.

4. Add 2 inches of gravel to the hole. Spread the gravel over the bottom of the hole and tamp it down with a shovel. Tamp it down until the gravel is level on top and packed tightly

5. Take several 2-inch-thick bricks and lay them in various spots on top of the tamped gravel. Then place a metal screen on top of the bricks. This screen will act as a reinforcement for the cement.

6. Mix the concrete. Follow the directions on the packaging for the concrete to make sure that you are mixing the correct amount. Then use a shovel to place clumps of the mixed concrete over the gravel and the metal screening. Keep adding concrete until the area is covered.

7. Drag a 2-by-4-inch piece of lumber over the wet concrete until the concrete surface is level. Then use a trowel in order to smooth out the area.

8. Take a garden hose and mist the wet concrete. Cover the concrete form with a burlap sheet. Keep the sheet on top of the concrete form for the next five to seven days. During this time, mist regularly with water until the concrete has hardened and cured.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want your concrete form to have some color, purchase concrete dye from your local hardware store. Add the dye when mixing the concrete. Once the concrete is mixed and poured, you should have a colored patio form.

References

• "The Complete Guide to Patios: Plan, Build and Maintain"; Philip Schmidt; 2007
• "Start-to-Finish Patios"; Larry Erickson; 2004