How to Make Sidewalk Cement

Whether you need a long walkway around your home or a small path through your garden, concrete is an economical material with which to create a sidewalk of any dimensions. Although it might seem intimidating if you've never done it before, mixing and pouring concrete is actually a simple task, even if a little messy. When you're working with concrete, make sure you work quickly, have a lot of water on hand to clean up drips and spills, and wear gloves to protect your hands.

Gloves
Cement mix
Sand
Gravel
Wheelbarrow or cement mixer
Shovel

Instructions

- 1
  Determine how much cement you need for your sidewalk. Cement totals are usually measured in cubic yards.
- 2
  Find the cubic yardage of your project by measuring the length, width and depth your sidewalk needs to be, and multiply these numbers together in units of feet. Then divide by 27 (the number of cubic feet in a cubic yard). For example, if your sidewalk needs to be 3 feet long, 2 feet wide and 6 inches deep, you would multiply 3 by 2 by 0.5 (which is one-half foot). Then divide that figure, which in this example is 3, by 27. That equals just over a tenth of a cubic yard of concrete, or 0.111 cubic yards.
- 3
  Don gloves. Mix together in a wheelbarrow or cement mixer one-half cubic yard of sand, three-quarters of a cubic yard of gravel and 7 bags of cement for each cubic yard of sidewalk you need.
- 4
  Add water to the mixture until it becomes porridgelike in consistency. Add water a little at a time, stirring it in as you go. Depending on the humidity in your area and the brand of cement you purchased, most cement requires between 30 and 35 gallons per cubic yard to form correctly.

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