Step by Step to a Concrete Patio

A concrete patio makes a nice addition to your back yard.  A lot of new constructions have patios behind the back door of their home. The concrete patio offers many possibilities, including a spot for grilling, a nice gathering location, and a good foundation for a small covering.

What you will need:

Tools: stakes, sledgehammer, rake, wheelbarrow, level, carpenter square, power saw or handsaw, measuring rule, cement mixer, garden hose, 2x4 at least six feet in length, wood float, push broom, steel trowel, hammer

Material: gravel, eight-penny nails, two-inch masking tape, gravel, concrete mix, sane, plastic sheet, 2x4, 1x3, film

Building the patio:

1. Pick a spot that is well-drained and slopes slightly away from the house.


2. Sketch out the patio design as a series of three-foot squares


3. Make an outline of the proposed patio site with stakes and string. This will give you a picture of what the patio will look like when it is finished.


4. Frame the patio by creating a grid of 2x4s. Use treated wood to prevent rot. Start by building the outside of the frame, making sure that the corners come together in edges.


5. Put dividers into the frame, forming three-foot grids. Make sure that the tops of the grids are flush.


6. Nail the 2x4s down and check the joints with a carpenters square.


7. Drive down twelve-inch frames around the perimeter of the frame to keep it in place.


8. Once the frame is assembled, measure the pitch to make sure it slopes away from the house evenly.

Pouring the concrete:

1. Mix the concrete together. 4 1/2 sacks of concrete mix makes up one three foot section of the patio, or one mixer load.


2. Pour the concrete patio section, making sure to keep the concrete from drying too quickly.


3. Spread the concrete across the frame with a shovel, making sure that there are no air holes. Smooth the surface of the concrete.


4. Level the concrete surface, using a 2x4 at least six feet in length. This will remove excess concrete and make the concrete surface level.


5. Use a wood flat to smooth the concrete surface once it's leveled.


6. Let the concrete dry once the surface has been smoothed-out. 


7. Using a steel trowel, smooth the surface of the concrete.


8. Cover the surface with plastic film, weighing it down on the edges. 


9. Give the concrete at least a week to cure.