How to Build a Concrete Walkway

Provide a safe place for visitors to walk with a concrete walkway.

Create an inviting walkway that encourages guests to walk up to a home's front door by laying fresh, smooth concrete. While laying concrete can be a difficult project for a beginner, it is not impossible to achieve with some planning and hard work. Be sure to reserve several days to complete the project properly. The Family Handyman recommends only adding concrete walkways to flat or gently sloping areas; steps are a difficult undertaking for a novice.

Things You'll Need

• Garden stakes
• Twine
• Scissors
• Spade
• Axe
• 2 construction-grade wheelbarrows
• Shovel
• Hardboard siding
• Miter saw
• Nail gun
• Gravel
• Steel rake
• Level
• Blosters
• #3 steel rebar
• Rebar bender
• Isolation boards or expansion joints
• Wood glue
• Concrete
• Bull float
• Straight edge
• Trowel
• Concrete edger
• Concrete groover
• Stiff-bristled broom
• Plastic sheeting
• Hammer

Instructions

1. Lay out the new walkway by pushing garden stakes into the ground where the borders of the walkway will be placed. Tie twine around the stakes to mark the outline of the proposed walkway.

2. Use a spade to remove the grass or sod from inside the stake and twine border. Extend the grass removal to 6 inches beyond the twine edges.

3. Use an axe to cut up any large roots inside the proposed walkway. Load grass and roots into a large wheelbarrow to make cleanup easier.

4. Dig a trench about 6 inches deep where the grass and sod have been excavated.

5. Cut hardboard siding into 8-inch-wide strips about 16 feet long. Push the hardboard siding strips into the ground along the inside edge of the garden stakes. On level ground, push the left side of the hardboard siding ¼ inch deeper into the soil for every foot of sidewalk width, recommends the Family Handyman website. Use a nail gun to secure the siding to the nails. This creates flexible, durable concrete forms. The gentle slope prevents water from pooling inside the walkway.

6. Fill the inside of the concrete forms with 4 inches of gravel. Use a rake to distribute the gravel evenly inside the forms. Use a level to make sure the surface is even.

7. Multiply the length of the sidewalk by the width and the depth; divide the total by 27 to convert the measurement from inches to yards. This gives you the number of cubic yards of concrete to order. Order premixed, wet concrete from a local concrete company and have it delivered. The Family Handyman recommends ordering an extra 5 percent to ensure there is enough.

8. Insert bolsters about 2 inches into the gravel along the interior of the walkway. Anchor #3 steel rebar into the bolster. Be sure the 2 pieces of rebar are evenly spaced within the concrete forms. Use a rebar bending tool to bend the steel to follow the curves and angles of the sidewalk. Glue isolation boards to the stairs or driveway where the walkway touches.

9. Fill a wheelbarrow with concrete from the cement truck and transport it to the work site. Pour the concrete into the forms so that that it heaps every few feet. Use a steel rake to push the concrete level with the forms.

10. Check for bleed water, recommends the Family Handyman. Bleed water is water that pools on the surface of the concrete. It will appear on its own as water rises to the top of setting concrete. If no bleed water is present, use a bull float to even the concrete. Sweep the bull float back and forth over the surface of the concrete. If bleed water is present, do not float the surface until the concrete reabsorbs the water.

11. Use a straightedge and a trowel to cut control joints into the concrete. Control joints are planned cuts in the concrete which allow for the expansion and contraction of the walkway without cracking the entire surface. Space the joints evenly every few feet along the concrete.

12. Run a concrete edger along the edges of the forms to help prevent the concrete from sticking to the forms. An edger is a hand tool which looks similar to a float and has a grooved edge on one end. It helps create a separation between the edge of the concrete and the form. Use the groover to complete the cut through the control joints. A groover is a hand tool with a pointed end, designed for cutting setting concrete. Run it along the joint lines cut in Step 11 to completely cut through the slab.

13. Sweep the float over the concrete in order to smooth out the surface. Create a textured, non-skid surface by sweeping a stiff-bristled brush in one direction over the concrete.

14. Cover the concrete with plastic sheeting for one week to allow the concrete to properly cure. Remove the plastic and use a hammer to pry away the concrete forms.

Tips & Warnings

• Arrange for another way to enter and exit the home while laying the new walkway.

• Some areas require a building permit for this project. Be sure to check with your local government before tackling the project.

References

• Concrete Network: How to Build a Walkway
• The Family Handyman: How to Pour a Concrete Sidewalk