How to Pack Sand & Dirt for Slabs

Mark the location of the slab using wooden stakes planted around the chosen site with a mallet. Tie string to the stakes to show your proposed slab perimeter.

Remove all vegetation and stone from the area, using a pick, shovel or ax where necessary. Dig the foundation hole at the site to the depth required by your slab plans using a spade. Depth is determined by the use that you intend to place the slab to, local soil conditions and building codes.

Level the bottom of the hole with a rake, creating any slope required by your slab plans.

Use a hose to slightly moisten the soil lining the bottom of the hole. Pack the moist soil with a flat metal tamping tool. Tamp the soil by raising the tool then driving it down onto the soil, compacting it beneath the tool's base. Work the tool in rows along the base of the hole to compact all of the soil in the slab area.

Use a plate compactor to pack the soil in larger slab projects. Move the compactor to a corner of the hole and then start the engine. Run the vibrating plate over the surface of the soil at the base of the hole in rows, allowing the plate to compact the soil as you go. Turn off the engine and remove the machine from the hole after completing the run.

Pour sand into the foundation hole to serve as a base for your slab, using the amount called for in your slab plans. Use the rake to level the sand over the packed soil. Pack the sand after leveling using the same process used to compact the soil, utilizing the hand tap for smaller slabs and the plate compactor for larger slabs.