Do-It-Yourself Concrete Walkways

Stake out the location of the walkway. Stretch a carpenter's string from stake to stake to define the project. Use a shovel and wheelbarrow to remove the sod and roots from the project area. Excavate the soil to a depth about 4 inches deeper than the planned surface of the walkway.

Place a 2-by-4-board on the edge of the planned walkway. Drive stakes into the ground ever 4 feet on the outside of the board. Place the board at the appropriate level and nail the board to the stakes.

Place a second 2-by-4-inch board on the other side of the planned walkway. Place stakes on the outside of the board in the same manner as in step 2. The second form must be level with the first as concrete will find its own level.

Pour the concrete into the forms. Use a garden rake or shove to roughly level the concrete with the top of the forms. Use a straight board, called a screed, to level the cement at the top of the form. Hold the screed to the top of the form and pull it forward, while sliding the screed back and forth, to level the concrete.

Trowel the concrete to smooth the surface. Kneel on the ground beside the walkway and work the trowel in long smooth arcs. Continue to smooth the concrete until you are satisfied with the smoothness of the surface.

Add sidewalk grooves. Hold the screed across the forms as a straight edge. Run a grooving trowel along the board to create the sidewalk grooves. Touch up the concrete with a standard trowel if the screed marked the concrete.

Remove the forms after the concrete has dried about 24 hours. The walkway will continue to cure and gain strength for about a month but is safe to walk on at this point.