How to Replace a Concrete Walkway

Break up the old concrete using a rented/borrowed jackhammer. Use a sledgehammer and chisel to further break the larger chunks of concrete into smaller, moveable pieces. Thoroughly clean out the ground space for your new walkway and ensure that there is no remaining debris. Try to make the thickness of your new walkway match the thickness of the old one; this will make the process of leveling it with the adjacent ground easier.

Create an edge for your new walkway space, leaving at least six inches of extra space on either side of where your intended walkway will be. Use your step edger to cut through the grass and dirt down to the walkway's base. Flatten and level the dirt on the base of the entire walkway using the garden hoe. Detect any slopes in your pathway using a level and use your gardening hoe to level out these portions.

Place the 2x4s along the pathway, leaving at least three inches between the outer side of the wood and the edge of your yard. The Black and Decker Home Improvement Library recommends that you "drive 1 X 3 inch stakes next to the forms at 3' intervals. Attach the stakes to the forms with duplex nails for easy nail removal."

Calculate how much concrete you will need for your project. Measure the dimensions (length, width and height) of your walkway. Enter them into the concrete calculator (included in Resources) to easily determine the amount of cement you will need for your walkway. Lay down a one- to two-inch layer of gravel in the walkway to help with water drainage. Use a garden hoe and level to pack it down and level it out.

Lay two sets of #3 steel rebar on top of the gravel along the length of the walkway. Use form oil to coat the insides of the 2x4s. Pour or shovel in your concrete mixture carefully, making sure not to get any of the mix outside of your walkway area. Smooth out the surface using a wooden float and then lightly brush the surface of the concrete with a stiff-bristled broom.

Create straight indentations one quarter of the depth of the concrete laterally along the walkway, using your trowel; these "control joints" will prevent the walkway from cracking in random places. Cover the walkway in plastic and let the concrete set for three to four days. Remove the plastic and 2x4s, and then fill in the space on either side of the walkway with gravel or soil.