How to Lay a Cement Walkway

A cement walkway will help keep your shoes clean from mud and dirt. You can also use a cement walkway as a decorative element in your garden, to separate two sides of a flowerbed, or to keep people from walking on your lawn or through your garden. Making a cement walkway is somewhat challenging, but you can do it without any professional knowledge.

Shovel and spade
Sand
6-inch-wide wood slats
Insulating textile
Concrete mixture
Concrete mixer

Instructions

- 1
  Choose a place for the walkway and clear the area from debris and plants using the shovel and spade.
- 2
  Dig a 3-foot-wide and 9-inch-deep trench. Pour a 3-inch-deep layer of sand evenly into the trench. The sand will make a good foundation for the concrete and will serve as drainage as well (see Reference 1).
- 3
  Place the wood slats at the edges of the trench. Buy enough wood to line the entire length of the trench so you can pour all the concrete at the same time.
- 4
  Line the trench with insulating textile to protect the cement walkway from ground water damage and plant roots.
- 5
  Mix the concrete mixture with water in a concrete mixer. Check the concrete mixture's label for the manufacturer's instructions.
- 6
  Pour the concrete into the trench. Smooth away the top surface of the concrete using a wood slat. Pour the next portion of concrete as soon as possible. Leave the concrete to dry for one day.

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