How to Make Forms for Concrete Sidewalks

Building a concrete sidewalk is a manageable do-it-yourself project, as while it involves considerable care and concentration, the job requires no truly specialized skills. After digging out the work area, the next and perhaps most important step is making the form (or mold) for the sidewalk. An improperly constructed mold will result in a sidewalk that might turn out warped, crooked and/or uneven. The mold must be properly built before any concrete can be poured.

Scrap lumber
Saw
2-by-4 or 2-by-6 planks
Hardboard siding
Wood stakes
Tape measure
Claw hammer
Nails

Instructions

- 1
  Cut down a scrap piece of lumber with a saw so it matches the width of your sidewalk, to serve as a spacer.
- 2
  Set planks on each side of the bed of the sidewalk so that you've created two straight walls. Check the width of the placement with your spacer as you go. You can use 2-by-4 planks, 2-by-6 planks or hardboard siding for this task.
- 3
  Drive stakes along the outside of the walls every three feet, and then hammer a nail through the stake and into the plank/board. Leave enough to the nail sticking out so you can pull it with the claw end of your hammer after the sidewalk has hardened.
- 4
  Nail the ends of the planks/boards together by driving a nail into both from an angle. As in step 2, leave some of the nail sticking out so you can withdraw it later.
- 5
  Prepare for a curve in the sidewalk by cutting a half-inch deep notch into the end of the last planks before the curve. If you used only hardboard siding to make the form walls, skip this step.
- 6
  Bend the hardboard siding around the curve. Secure the hardboard as you did in the straight part of the sidewalk, but reduce the spacing of the stakes from three feet to 18 inches.

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