How to Create a Concrete Patio
A concrete patio adds to your home's exterior by giving you a place to entertain guests and spend time with your loved ones. Concrete patios are constructed of poured concrete laid over top of gravel and wire mesh. Concrete is an inexpensive and easily maintained patio surface. Building a concrete patio requires time and concentration but the end result will be worth the effort. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Wooden stakes
- String
- Garden hose (optional)
- Baking flour
- Sod cutter
- Shovel
- Hammer
- Compactable gravel
- Tamper
- Sand
- Two-by-four lumber
- Screws
- Drill
- ¼-inch flexible wood or metal, 3 1/2 inches wide
- Nails
- Reinforcing mesh
- Leather gloves
- Expansion joint or thin strip of wood
- Three bricks
- Concrete
- Wheelbarrow
- Float
- Burlap or old blankets
- Plastic sheeting
- Straw
Instructions
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Place stakes in the corners of the patio and wrap them with string to outline the area. Make sure the outlined area is square by measuring the diagonals. If your patio will curve, then lay a garden hose following the string outlining the patio and curving in the corners. Pour baking flour over the garden hose and then lift the garden hose and you will be left with a curved outline to follow.
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Dig a 1-foot-wide trench extending 3 inches beyond the outside edges of the patio area.
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3
Use a corner stake to determine the height of the finished concrete. Adjust the string to this height. Hammer in a stake every 2 to 3 feet, 1 1/2 inches from the outside of the string and with the top slightly below string level.
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4
Remove the sod and soil from the inside of the outlined area with a sod cutter and/or a shovel. Excavate to at least a 6-inch depth. Lay a 4-inch layer of compactable gravel and tamp with a tamper until level. Lay a 2-inch layer of sand on top of the compactable gravel and tamp with a tamper until level.
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Build a form with straight two-by-four lumber pieces. Screw each two-by-four to the inside-facing sides of the stakes slightly above the tops of the stakes. Make sure the two-by-fours are all level with one another. Cut a flexible ¼-inch piece of wood or metal that is 3 1/2 inches wide to a few inches longer than your patio's curve. Bend the piece around the inside of the form where it curves and tack the ends to the stakes with nails. Repeat for all patio edges to complete the sides of the concrete form.
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Unroll reinforcing mesh over the inside of the form with the curved side down, using leather gloves to protect your hands. The reinforcing mesh should extend to 1 inch away from the form on all sides. If the concrete is butting up against a structure, use an expansion joint or a thin piece of wood against the structure to create an expansion gap. Hold the strip in place temporarily with two to three bricks and remove them once the concrete is poured.
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Wet the area with water to keep the concrete from drying out. Mix the concrete to the manufacturer's instructions. Pour the mixed concrete into a wheelbarrow and pour it into the farthest corner of the area. Pour mounds of concrete so that concrete piles to 1/2 inch above the form. Have one person pour the concrete and one person rake the concrete out over the entire inside of the form. While raking, pull the reinforcing mesh up into the concrete so that the mesh is sandwiched by concrete. Make sure the mesh does not push against the form at any time and stays 1 inch from the form.
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Level the concrete's surface with a piece of two-by-four. Have one person stand at each end of the two by four outside of the form. Rest the end of the two-by-four on the top of the form. In a sawing motion, keep the ends of the two-by-four level with one another and pull the two-by-four over the concrete. Shovel on concrete and then relevel any area that depresses.
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Smooth the concrete's surface with a float. Move the float in back-and-forth motions being careful not to dig the float into the concrete. Finishing concrete is best left to the professionals; consult a skilled finisher to finish large concrete projects or for special finishes.
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Cure the concrete for several days by laying burlap or old blankets over the top of the concrete when it is hard enough to withstand damage. Keep the blankets damp at all times. Cover the blankets with plastic sheeting to hold in moisture. If the temperature drops below freezing, insulate the concrete by laying straw over the top and then adding plastic sheeting over the entire area and sides.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear rubber boots when pouring concrete.
Concrete finishing requires skill. Hire a professional if you desire a specific look.
Building a concrete patio is a multiperson job.
Concrete can crack over time if settling occurs; proper soil preparation helps to prevent settling.
References
- Photo Credit concrete forms image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
