How to Level a Concrete Patio

Wet cement will self-level when poured into a level platform.

The secret to a level patio lies under the cement you are pouring. When the area is framed with temporary retaining walls to the height you want your patio to be, to hold the wet cement, you should level the ground where you will be pouring your patio. This is a simple process requiring only a board, a shovel or hoe and a level. Once the earth under the pouring site is level, the wet cement will pour into the wood framed area and level itself, as liquid always does.

Things You'll Need

• Level
• Board, the length of the patio
• Hoe
• Shovel
• Wood for patio pour framing
• Concrete
• Wheelbarrow
• Water
• Trowel
• Tamper

Instructions

1. Use your level to check the boards you used to build the pouring frame. Ensure that they are all level, or adjust until they are.

2. Use the hoe and the shovel, as needed, to make the ground under your patio as flat as you can. Take your board and lay it across, from corner to corner. Place your level on top of your board.

3. 

   Use your level to check the grade of the poured cement.

   View the bubble in the level window. If it isn't showing itself in the bubble as level, move the board until this window shows level. If you had to lift the board to get the window to show level, then you need to move your dirt to infill under the board so the ground does become level.

4. Use the hoe to move earth into the areas needed to establish the board as level. Tamp the earth to firm it at level. When the board can be moved around in any position within the patio pouring frame, and the bubble shows level each time, then you are finished.

5. Spray your level platform with water to moisten the earth before pouring the cement. Mix your cement in the wheel barrow. Use the hoe for mixing, too. Once the cement has been poured into your patio frame, you can use the board again.

6. Pull the board across the wet cement to help get cement into all the edges and hard-to-fill areas. Pull the board across the surface of the wet cement to help smooth and level the surface. This is the time to make any patterns or designs you may want on your patio floor. Many people also wet the cement when finished to help it cure more slowly for a strong set.

Tips & Warnings

• Using a tamper to pack the foundation dirt level is a good idea.

• Trowels for cement leveling are handy for making the surface attractive and smoothed into the edges.

• Be sure you plan for a start to finish event. You must complete the project before the cement begins to dry.

References

• Berkshire Eagle: Concrete: Step by Step to a Concrete Patio