Step-by-Step Concrete for a Patio

Remove the sod and plants from the new patio area. Level the remaining dirt and tamp it down.

Frame the patio with 2x4 boards to create a form to hold the wet concrete. Nail the boards together in the shape of the desired patio. Drive wooden stakes on the outside edge of the form every 2 to 3 feet, and nail the stakes to the form for stability. If the top of the patio form is higher than 2 inches from ground height, attach angled wooden braces around the form every 4 feet to keep the form from bowing with the weight of the concrete.

Fill the form with an even layer of gravel 1 to 2 inches thick.

Install rebar around the inside perimeter of the concrete forms to strengthen the finished patio. Drive metal stakes into the ground every foot, and attach 1/2-inch rebar to the center of the stakes with wire ties. Saw the rebar as needed. Drive the stakes far enough into the ground to be completely covered by the patio. The horizontal rebar should be roughly in the center of the concrete slab. Create a grid pattern with rebar to fill the center of the patio. Tie the rebar together where the bars overlap.

Pour the wet concrete into the forms. Pull the rebar grid up to the center of the slab as you pour the concrete.

Rake a 2x4 or other straight edge over the concrete with a back-and-forth motion to smooth the surface, remove excess concrete and to ensure that the form is properly filled.

Smooth the concrete surface with a concrete float and allow the slab to dry until the surface no longer appears wet.

Line and smooth the edges of the concrete with a concrete edger.

Pull a stiff-bristle push broom across the surface to create groves in the concrete that will make the patio less slippery when wet for safer foot traffic.