Concrete patio block installation

You can buy bags of the mix from a home improvement store. Typically, you only have to add water for it to be ready to pour. Otherwise, you risk getting a weaker concrete once it cures, which could lead to cracks or crumbles within a couple of years.

A pound bag yields. For a 10 x 10 slab, you would need 77 pound bags or 60 pound bags. Taking the DIY route also means you can be sure the technical details are done correctly. Your choice of pebbles or aggregate added to the concrete mix is what creates the range of different styles and adds to the durability. Will last a very long time.

You can use hand tools to break up or dig up an old patio or drive in large equipment to dig the soil to a uniform depth. The cost will include preparation of the area, protective measures set up for the home and surrounding trees, and removal of debris. Concrete can be crushed and then reprocessed or recycled as a granular refill, course base material for new pavement, or as aggregate in new concrete. Subgrade is the earth underneath the patio structure.

If this is not professionally prepared, there is a high chance that the concrete will crack as it settles. Make sure that the subgrade soil is prepared so that it gives adequate, firm support and will not move or wash away. An acrylic spray-on cure and seal will cost approx. High-gloss sealers are no longer popular and can be slippery. They block in the moisture, which can cause fracturing, white hazing, or fogging. Concrete can crack if the sub base is poorly prepared, the concrete is of poor quality, badly mixed, or the patio undergoes severe thaw-refreeze weather.

Get free estimates. How much will your concrete patio cost? Usually needs to be power washed, stained, and resealed every few years. Return to Top Concrete Patio Designs The most significant factor to impact the cost of a patio is the intricacy of the design.

Below is a more comprehensive list of potential finish options for your concrete patio. Appearance: A surface that yields a range of rich, rusty, or patina tones. Has a naturally earthy, variegated shade. Pros: When treated with acid stain, the concrete will not fade, flake, or peel because of the chemical bonding process to adhere it permanently to the concrete surface.

Summary: Allows for the creation of a unique, random finish with natural colors without needing any sealant. Appearance: Replicates the look of natural rock tile, and stone patterns like slate, brick, flagstone, and natural stone. Pros: Looks incredible. Because it is a continuous block of concrete, it prevents weeds from growing, and cleaning it is an easy task.

Upkeep: Depending on wear, climate, and usage, occasional power washing and resealing every couple of years is typically required.

Summary: The widest variety of patterns, colors, and textures available. Upkeep: Standard cleaning methods and resealing every couple of years. Washington D. Professional Category. Search Professional Category. Design-Build Firms. General Contractors. Home Builders. Landscape Contractors. Carpet Dealers. Door Dealers.

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Build and install forms, making sure they're level and properly graded for drainage. Place and level a 4"-6" bed of gravel; you need a gravel base in areas of poor drainage or freezing temperatures.

Be sure to compact the gravel base and rent a compacting machine if necessary. Check gravel thickness with a homemade template that extends down from the tops of the forms 4" of the finished patio; when it just touches the top of the gravel, the base is thick enough. A taller slab will be stronger- we recommend 4" thick. Let the gravel extend under the edges of the forms.

If the patio will abut an existing concrete patio or slab, install isolation-joint strips. Attach the strips flush with the top of an existing slab using hardened concrete nails or construction adhesive. Thoroughly dampen the gravel. Start placing the concrete at one corner of the form while a helper uses a shovel or hoe to spread it above.

Pour the concrete up against the form and compact it into all corners with a square shovel or mortar hoe; with a hoe, push- don't drag the concrete. But don't overwork the concrete, and don't spread it too far; overworking will force the heavy aggregate to the bottom of the slab and will bring up small particles that can cause defects in the finished DIY concrete patio.

Instead, space out your placement along the form, placing each batch against the previous batch to fill the form. If you plan to leave the dividers in place, finish, and cure the concrete in alternating sections.

Imagine it like a checkerboard and do all the red squares first. Once they've cured for at least three days, remove the stakes from inside of the remaining sections black squares and complete them.

Move a strikeoff example above- a straight wood 2x4 across the form to level the concrete. On large jobs, do this batch-by-batch, rather than after all the cement is placed. Move the board slowly along the form, using a side-to-side, sawing motion; be sure to make two passes.

Even on narrow forms, two people will make the work faster and more efficient. If necessary, a third person can shovel extra concrete into any corners to save time. If you're working on a very small walkway leading to your patio, you can skip this step.

After striking off, use a darby or bull float-depending on the size of your project-for the initial finishing, to smooth down high spots and fill small hollows left after striking off.

Use the darby above, left on small DIY concrete projects. Move it in overlapping arcs, then repeat with overlapping straight, side-to-side strokes. Keep the tool flat, don't let it dig in. For larger jobs, use a bull float above, right.