How to Put Concrete in a Yard

Spray-paint the outline of the slab on the ground to mark its location.

Excavate the ground inside the marked-off area. Use a shovel for smaller projects, and a 1 1/2-ton excavator for larger projects. Dig the hole deep enough to go beneath the frost line if that is a factor in your area. Your local zoning board can provide you with this information.

Drive wooden stakes into the ground every 3 feet around the hole. Nail 2-by-4 boards to the stakes against the ground to complete the form.

Cover the soil inside the hole with a vapor barrier. This is a plastic sheet that prevents moisture from seeping up through the ground.

Put a layer of gravel or sand on top of the vapor barrier, following local building requirements regarding the depth of the layer and which material to use.

Place wire mesh or rebar on the sand or gravel, again following local building codes.

Mix a batch of concrete, following the instructions on the packaging. Use a wheelbarrow for small projects and a concrete mixer for larger projects.

Pour concrete into the hole until it is just above the top of the wooden form.

Screed the surface of the concrete by dragging a 2-by-4 board back and forth across the top of the frame. This smooths the concrete and exposes low spots in the pour. Fill in any low spots, and screed the surface again.

Place a bull float on the edge of the slab nearest to you with the back end of the float tilted into the air. Push the float across the concrete to the other side of the form, then lower the float to the surface. Pull the float back towards you. Repeat this process until the entire slab is finished.

Place a plastic sheet over the concrete while it cures. Once a day, lift the sheet and add water to keep the concrete damp, the re-cover the concrete. Do this for one week, then allow the concrete to cure on its own for four to five days.

Remove the plastic sheet and wooden form from around the concrete.