Do-It-Yourself Concrete Driveway Paving

Call 811 to get free information on where underground wires and pipes are located in your yard. It’s essential to make sure the construction site is clear of underground utilities for your own safety and to avoid disruption of services.

Outline the driveway site with two parallel ropes, and check the width using a tape measure. A driveway should be 16 feet wide for two cars and 10 feet wide for a single car. Trace the ropes with landscaping paint.

Excavate the area with shovels or an excavating machine until the site is a foot deep. Dig the bottom to a slight pitch of about 1 inch for every 8 feet of length. Push a compactor over the bottom until the dirt floor feels firm under pressure.

Line the dirt bottom with geotextile fabric, and nail it down with lawn spikes.

Shovel 3/4-inch aggregate into the site, and shift it around with a shovel. Push the compactor machine over a 4-inch layer of aggregate, then add another 4-inch layer and compact it. The small rocks will support the concrete under heavy vehicles, while providing enough flexibility to absorb ground tension and facilitate underground drainage.

Roll steel mesh over the aggregate that will serve to to strengthen the slab.

Fit 2-by-6-inch form boards against the interior perimeter, and screw them end-to-end with a drill. Hammer stakes into the ground behind them to reinforce the forms against the pressure of wet concrete.

Mix concrete in a mixer with the proportion of 1 part cement, 2 parts sand, 3 parts aggregate and enough water for a thick, pourable consistency.

Pour the wet mix in the forms, spreading it over the entire site with a gauge rake. Screed the top by dragging a long board across the top to push off excess and fill low spots. Follow the screed with a trowel to smooth the concrete. Wait until bleed water seeps back into the concrete, then push a medium-bristle broom over the top to impress small grooves in the surface for traction.

Hold a board over the concrete and score a grid of control joints every 4 square feet with the end of the trowel. The depth of the joints should be half the depth of the slab.

Slow-cure the slab for seven days. Throw a breathable cloth over the top, and spray the cloth with water to provide extra moisture for the concrete to absorb.