7 DIY Concrete Patio Implementation with Custom Designs

Concrete remains an unmatched choice to build patios within your specs. And the material lets you depict the exact design you have in mind.

Likewise, the ask isn’t for everybody as it requires sufficient skills on concrete placement.

And skillful enthusiasts developed the strategy to simplify the entire process. You ought to check the ideas on DIY concrete patios with interest.

Why You Should Try DIY Concrete Patio?

• Professional patio service will cost you an enormous amount. And the tag should reach a higher count with the design specialty.
• You can deal with local rules and regulations regarding the job. It’s possible for the services to miss something on placement.

However, you shouldn’t consider the options without proper concreting knowledge. Many things can go wrong on apprentice projects to waste the investment.

 

Necessary Hardware/Tools

The list is actually long enough to give headaches at the initial stages. You can only skip a few optional items to accomplish the design.

• Carpenter Level
• Concrete Edger
• Concrete Groover
• Concrete Mixer
• Darby
• Drill & Screwdriver Bit
• Hammer
• Line Level
• Mason’s Lines
• Mason’s Trowel
• Measuring Tape
• Mid-Bristle Push Broom
• +Plate compactor
• Shovel
• Steel Rake
• Straight 2x4 Board
• Wheelbarrow
• Wood Float
• Wood Saw

Essential Materials for Project

• 5” x 3.5” Joint Strips
• 2x4 Wood Piece
• 0” Deck Screws
• 5” Screws
• Compactible Gravel
• Concrete Nails or Spray Adhesive
• Plastic or Jute Sheet
• Ready-Mix Concrete
• Stakes
• Vegetable Oil

Making the patio all by yourself makes sense for small-scale projects only. However, you’ll definitely have a frenzy in the hands of large projects.

Steps to Install Concrete Patio

Performing concrete patio establishment is definitely challenging work. And it involves many crucial steps to secure the ultimate design.

1. Introducing Guide Strings

Start setting the necessary guide strings to define the patio edges. Keep the strings at least 6” high from the ground. Drive sufficient stakes in an orderly manner to create either square or rectangular layout.

2. Squaring the Whole Layout

Measure the diagonal distance between opposite corners with tape. Equal measures represent the exact squaring of the layout. Change the current stake positions to readjust the distance within intersects.

3. Sloping the Layout Strings

It’s essential to maintain a gradual declination of the designed patio. Check the strings to secure ⅛ inch per foot sloping from the house. For example – an 8’ long patio should feature a 1” downward slope.

4. Excavating the Patio Area

Pay attention to the patio area after fixing the size, slop & squares. Remove all kinds of obstruction to enable a completely flat surface. The area mustn’t have any vegetation, visible objects, or materials.

Extend the edges by 56” beyond the fixed strings to accommodate forming space. Now excavate the soil about 8” deep from its surface. Digging from the outer edge to the inner section should feel easy.

5. Compacting Leveled Soil

Use a sufficiently long & acceptably straight 2 x 4 to level the surface. Perform the action from one to another, securing the slope. Tamp the approximately leveled soil using a heavy plate compactor.

6. Installing the Gravel Base

Apply 4” of gravel base in two different layers on the compact soil. Use 2” of almost gap-filling gravel to rake the first layer. Continue the process for the 2^nd layer to make sure sidewise & endwise leveling.

7. Setting the Concrete Form

Set a concrete form with 2 x 4 pieces using 3.5” sized holding screws. It’s a must to match the inner dimensions with the final slab size. Measure all the diagonal distance to confirm the square layout.

8. Securing Installed Forms

Drive multiple wood stakes to hold the measured concrete form. Maintain sufficient space between the stakes to ensure enough working room. You may prefer additional guide stings to establish the stakes.

9. Pouring the Concrete Mix

Coat the entire interior surface with vegetable oil to skip concrete attachment. Check for sufficient reinforcement as per the regulation. You may need to install steel bars to support large patios.

Rent a concrete mixer or dealer to have the concrete ready. Skip preparing the concrete or its placement without skills. Keep yourself present on the site to inspect the entire project by yourself.

However, you can save on the labor cost by performing the job. You need to start from one corner to end at its opposite corner. Fill the gaps properly using shovels, wearing protective gloves & boots.

10. Screeding Placed Concrete

Use the same or another 2 x 4 board to screed the concrete top surface. Initiate a forward-backward motion to level the top. You may check a shovel as well as a trowel to remove the excess concrete.

Always cut control joints whenever any slab dimension exceeds 8’ within. Gently slice the slab from the concrete to gravel using a trowel. Install a board inside the gap to get the joint for control cracks.

11. Finishing the Solid Surface

Allow the concrete to settle to address the post-screed bleeding or moisture surfacing. Utilize a darby to smooth the dried surface. Allow another bleeding session to apply the same step for smoothing.

For the control joints, treat the entire edge with a groover tool. Stick with the 2 x 4 to maintain straight lines across the ends. Round the edges with an edger tool while smooth any blemish with a wood float.

12. Adding a Broomed Finish

You may consider brooming the surface to secure a slip-resistant finish. Keep dragging backward push brooms on surfaces in straight & parallel lines. Again, smooth the edges & control joints for finishing.

13. Curing the Entire Patio Slab

Cover the entire slab with plastic or jute sheets to prevent any distortion. Keep the surface moist/wet with water (either submerged or sprayed). Continue the curing process for one to weeks at least.

14. Opening the Patio for Use

Remove the cover from the slab surface alongside the concrete form. Apply a gentle cement coat to fix any unevenness across the edges. Fill the end section with sufficient soil or other suitable materials.

YouTube is a great source to learn the overall process from separate videos. Anyone to understands the fundamentals of concrete mix may cover the task precisely.

Important Facts to Remember

• Laying the patio all by yourself can save up to 50% cost of pro services. But the percentage gets reduced with heavy/large-scale projects.
• However, you can secure a great share of initial investment from the concrete mix. Checking readymade concrete will add significant cost.
• Excellent durability without infesting-favored gaps makes concrete a great option. Skimping the quality should deteriorate the advantages.
• At least 4” is a must for any concrete patio, regardless of other factors. But a supporting slab should feature around 6” – 8” thickness.
• Survey the area closely before implementing the actual fieldwork. Exploring the ground may provide significant details to fix the specs.
• Try to figure out a subtle design to match the outdoor & house details. Customize your idea using online designs to decide on patterns.

Custom Ideas to Implement

Are you a beginner having a headache on the possible patio design? Well, there are many custom ideas online for you to consider.

1. Beginner-Level Design Ideas

It contains 12 different designs to suit beginner-level expertise. The ideas are visibly simple yet highly decorated to fit the details.

DIY: Check the Tutorial

2. DIY Concrete Patio Cover-Ups

Using coverups instead of direct surface design suffices the article. And you’ll have several enthusiastic designs within simplicity.

DIY: Check the Tutorial

3. Simple DIY Concrete Patios

Elaborate details of four exclusive patio finishing set the content. However, the lack of any depicting pic keeps the idea quite opaque.

DIY: Check the Tutorial

4. Creative Concrete Patio Ideas

Another article covers several makeover designs for excellent outlook. You can check either of the nine ideas for your project.

DIY: Check the Tutorial

5. Beautiful Concrete Patio Designs

Total 15 designs come with depicting pictures to enlighten your thoughts. You just need to establish the layout properly.

DIY: Check the Tutorial

6. Stamped Concrete Patio Ideas

An enormous collection for everyone interested in concrete patios. You can definitely sharpen your design skill with its 25 ideas.

DIY: Check the Tutorial

7. Best Backyard Patio Designs

It’s more like a slight extension of the immediate content right above. There are many custom designs with additional topics.

DIY: Check the Tutorial

Problems with DIY Concrete Mix

1. Absolutely erroneous proportion of elements to damage the quality. And the entire investment will come into no use.
2. Improper mixing of the ingredients also makes the batch worthless. There’s no way to expect anything good in the end.
3. No idea to understand the necessary concrete type for the project. It’s a must to catch the exact type for the best outcome.
4. Failing to take precautions, weather & extent of work into account. It simply keeps reducing the concrete quality.

Preparing the concrete is extremely elaborate to requires precise skills. You shouldn’t even consider the process to save the project’s budget.

Final Words

Custom concrete patio designs are readily available online to enlighten your possible ideas. And the process requires a significant initial investment, skillful implementation & sufficient care. All the words in the article should help you in checking the factors closely.