How to Pour a Patio

Prepare the Pour

• 1

  Determine the location and size of your patio. Consider where the patio will get the most use and provide the greatest benefit. Make a list of your requirements. For instance, if you want to use the patio to suntan, it should receive sunlight during midday. If you want to entertain during the summer, perhaps a location where your home will block the wind would be desirable. The patio should be easily accessible if you will be carrying food out or grilling.

• 2

  Measure out the perimeter of the proposed patio and use stakes to mark out the corners and edges. Dig or have the area excavated to a depth 3 inches deeper than you desire the thickness of the concrete. A typical residential patio contains 4 inches of concrete. To pour a 4-inch patio, you would excavate the area to a depth of 7 inches.

• 3

  Set your patio forms, using dimensional lumber. You can use 2-inch by 4-inch long boards. Set them along the edges of the patio perimeter and pound stakes on the outside to brace them. You will nail the dimension lumber form to the stakes for support. Make sure to measure to be sure the dimensions are accurate.

• 4

  Use a long carpenter's level to set the top grade for your patio. This is a very important step because your patio will not be perfectly level. All concrete surfaces should have a slight grade in order to encourage drainage. If your patio is next to your home, the grade must be away from your foundation to keep water from draining towards your home.

• 5

  Employ a grade no less than 1/8-inch per every linear foot of concrete. This means that your patio level will drop at least 1 inch for every 8 feet of concrete. Resist using a grade any less than this and, in many cases, you may opt for a steeper grade if you experience a lot of rainfall in your area. A patio that holds water will crack when the water freezes and expands.

• 6

  Fill your formed area with 3 inches of sand and place steel reinforcement on top of the sand. Steel reinforcement can be either rebar in long pieces, crisscrossed at 2-foot intervals or steel mesh, cut to fit the entire area.

• 7

  Prepare your tools before the concrete truck arrives. Avoid using quick-mix concrete in bags since the entire pour should cure at the same time to protect the integrity of the patio. Use a handy online concrete calculator to determine how much concrete to order and order a little bit more to be on the safe side. (See Resources)

When the Concrete Truck Arrives

• 8

  Shovel or use a concrete puller to quickly distribute the wet concrete into the corners of the patio. Spread evenly. Work quickly. Recruit assistants since you are working against the clock once the wet concrete is in the formed space.

• 9

  Puddle the wet concrete against the corners and forms, using the back of your shovel to tamp it into position. This removes large air holes that compromise the strength of the patio. Pull a powered concrete screed from the high end of your patio to the low end with an assistant on each side to keep it level. The vibrations smooth the concrete and level it.

• 10

  Float the wet concrete with a bull float, placing it flat on the close side of the patio and carefully pushing it across to the other side. Lift the handle of the float only when it reaches the opposite side and pull it straight back, smoothing the surface. Float the concrete constantly until you achieve a relatively smooth surface.

• 11

  Let the concrete to cure slightly, while you use an edge trowel around the forms to cut in a beveled edge. When the concrete is slightly firm, use the industrial broom to brush across the surface, creating a brushed effect that will increase safety for walkers when the patio is wet.

• 12

  Allow the patio to dry completely, spraying it lightly with a water hose every hour until it is set. Cut the patio at no more than 4-foot increments with a concrete saw to provide creases to control cracking caused by temperature variations. In this way, you will avoid undesirable cracks in the patio.