Patios are a great addition to make to your home; they can offer a lot of fun times for your family and friends. When pouring concrete, there are a lot of steps and precautions taken to ensure the process goes flawlessly. Pouring a concrete patio requires lots of knowledge and tools to accomplish properly. If done incorrectly, a ton of complications could arise and be dangerous.  

Steps in Pouring Concrete Patios

Concrete installation is a very tedious process, and you want to make sure you have everything laid out before you start. You want to make sure everything is seamless to have the perfect concrete foundation from concrete leveling to concrete pouring.

1. Clear area – This includes clearing the area of any objects that will interfere with pouring the concrete. Zone off the area that you want to use for your new patio.
   
2. Prepare your Sub-base – This is the material that concrete rests on; it’s typically some granular fill.  

• The soil under the sub-base is called the sub-grade. Your concrete will only be as strong as your sub-grade.  
• Your sub-base should be 4-8 inches thick and compact with a hand tamper or place compactor.

3. Prepare a form – A form is typically a wooden outline of where the concrete is going to go. The form is held together by nails or screws that connect the pieces of wood. The better your form is, the better the finish is of the concrete.  
   
4. Add more support – Rebar is the most common form of support, but other options include wire mesh. This reinforces the concrete and allows it to hold more weight. The greater the structural integrity, the longer the slab will last.
   
5. Mix your concrete – This process is started by mixing cement, sand and gravel together in a ratio of 1:2:4. Then water is added to the mixture to bind all the material together.  

• Use a bull float to make the gravel free concrete rise to the surface.  
• Next, use a magnesium hand float to sweep some of the water that rises to the surface.

6. Pour concrete – The concrete should do into the mold you formed. Make sure while somebody is pouring, have somebody else form the slab until the form is filled.  
   
7. Screed the top – This is typically done at the uphill point of the slab if there is one. Using a screed, it flattens the top of the concrete giving it a nice flat finish.

• Use a bull float to make the gravel free concrete rise to the surface.  
• Next, use a magnesium hand float to sweep some of the water that rises to the surface.

9. Create control joints – This is done every 5-6 feet by making a groove. Doing so allows for the concrete to withstand cracking.  
   
10. Create Traction – broom is the perfect tool to use to create traction. You can sweep the Brussels across the surface to allow traction, so it isn’t as slippers once wet.
    
11. Cure and seal concrete – The curing process should take 28 days. Once the concrete is poured, seal the concrete, preventing cracks and discoloration.

Tools Required to Pour a Concrete Patio

There are a lot of tools that are used to make sure concrete is poured correctly, and if you don’t know how to use them, then they could do more harm than good. Make sure you have the following tools before starting your project.

Tools for Your Form(s):

• Drill
• Sledgehammer
• Laser level
• Grade stick
• String line
• Tape measurer
• Pencil
• Forming Stakes

Tools for Concrete Slab:

• Screed
• Bull float
• Magnesium hand float
• Concrete boots
• Gloves
• Laser Level and Tripod

After Concrete Installation

A human can walk on concrete within 24 hours after being poured, but this doesn’t mean that it’s completely weight-bearing. After seven days, the concrete will have about ¾ of its strength, but cars and other heavy objects still shouldn’t go on it. Once you hit the 28-day mark, the concrete will have about 95% if its strength is not more.

KC Concrete

If this process seems tedious and complex to you and you want to leave it to the professionals, we don’t blame you. You can contact us at KC Concrete for a free quote today. Get your new patio process started today so it can be ready for your next backyard BBQ with friends and family. We offer more than just patio installations, so if you are in the Kansas City area with concrete needs, we are the people for you.