How to Pour Sidewalks

Mark the perimeter of the sidewalk by utilizing a tape measure, measuring wheel, stakes and a hammer. Remove the sod with a shovel and dig a trench roughly eight inches deep.

Lay wood boards along the sides of the trench and secure them to the stakes just outside the trench with nails. Fasten the boards to each other by driving screws at an angle through one board and into another. Leave the tops of the nails and screws exposed so they can be easily extracted later.

Check the bed of the trench with a level and check the consistency of depth by crawling on the trench bed with a plank of scrap lumber long enough to reach from one side of the trench to the other. By setting the scrap lumber on the bed of the trench in front of you, you establish a visual reference against the sideboards of the form, which should be uniform, enabling you to spot areas that are too shallow or too deep. Add or subtract dirt to smooth out the trench bed.

Pour gravel into the trench bed and rake it out into a reasonably even four-inch-thick layer throughout the trench bed.

Mix concrete in a wheelbarrow, following the manufacturer's directions. Pour it into the trench bed and have a helper spread the concrete with an iron rake while you mix and haul more concrete. Continue until you fill the mold to no more than an inch above ground level, which should create a sidewalk with four inches of gravel and five inches of concrete.

Smooth out the surface of the concrete with a float. If the concrete bleeds water, skip working with this area until the water is absorbed. You can also round the top, outside edges of the concrete with an edging float by pressing them down slightly.

Carve expansion grooves into the sidewalk. Using your scrap lumber from Step 3 to ensure a straight line, run a groover across the width of the sidewalk every 40 inches. Then cut a control joint by pushing a trowel into the freshly cut groove every two or three inches, creating a deeper depression at the point.

Rough up the surface with a push-broom to improve its traction.

Cover the sidewalk with plastic and allow the concrete to cure for at least a day and preferably a week. After it's cured, remove the plastic, pull the nails and screws and disassemble the form. Fill in any extra space leftover from the form boards and stakes with dirt.