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DIY Guide

How to Build a Concrete Patio DIY

Ready to make the most out of your backyard with a gorgeous concrete patio? Compared to wood decks or porches, concrete is versatile, durable, affordable, and relatively simple. When poured and cured correctly, it’s hard to beat. With a concrete patio, you and your family can enjoy a space for grilling, dining, fire pits, and more.

Concrete is low-maintenance, no need for fancy cleaning materials to ensure its structural integrity. Moreover, it’s nearly impervious to weather and natural elements that can affect not just it’s aesthetic but also its durability. 

Best of all… It’s a construction material that you can easily work as a cost-efficient option, especially if you’re planning to build a patio by yourself.

With that said, here’s a handy guide on how to build a concrete patio (DIY) by yourself, detailing the materials you need as well as the steps you need to follow.

Recommended Tools

These are the prep tools and working tools you will need to build your own concrete patio at home.

  • Hammer
  • Measuring tape
  • Line level
  • Mason’s line
  • Shovel
  • 2×4 board
  • Steel rake
  • Plate compactor
  • Wood saw
  • Drill
  • Concrete mixer
  • Mason’s trowel
  • Concrete groover
  • Wheelbarrow
  • Concrete edger

Materials

Aside from that, here are some of the materials that will also be needed for your DIY patio.

  • Compactible gravel
  • Stakes
  • Bagged concrete or ready mix
  • 2×4 lumber
  • Vegetable oil
  • 3 1/2-inch as well as 2-inch deck screws
  • Plastic sheeting

How to Build a Concrete Patio (DIY): Step by Step Guide

Now that you know what materials you’ll need to build your own concrete patio, here are the steps for DIY concrete patios that you need to follow.

1. Set up the area for the patio

First and foremost, you need to set up the area where you will be building your concrete patio. Using the mason’s lines and stakes, start by driving the stakes at the corners of your patio area, leaving at least a 1-foot allowance from beyond the edges. After doing so, tie the lines between the pairs of stakes, creating the shape of your patio. The lines serve as the edges of your patio.

2. Excavate the patio area.

Start by removing all vegetation such as grass and weeds, up until around 6 inches beyond the approximate edges of your patio. This gives the setting concrete some wiggle room. After doing so, excavate the soil until it reaches 8 inches deep. Use the 2x4 and level to ensure that the area is level.

3. Install the gravel.

After this, you need to fill the area with around 2 inches of gravel, raking it until it is smooth enough and then compacting it with a plate compactor after. Repeat this for the next layer, all while making sure that the layers are level

4. Build and secure the concrete’s form.

Construct the concrete’s form using a 2x4 lumber and the 3 ½-inch screws. Its interior should be more or less equal to the dimensions of the concrete slab. After doing so, set it onto the gravel base, measuring that the form is accurate as you do so. Secure the form with wooden stakes surrounding it, with each being 2 feet apart. The form itself should be 4 inches above the ground, securing it to the stakes with the 2-inch deck screws. Ensure that there is even spacing between the guide strings and the form. After you have secured it, you may remove the guide strings and stakes.

5. Pour the concrete to make your patio.

To ensure that the concrete won’t stick to the form, you can coat it with the vegetable oil and then mix the concrete. If you have ready mix, you can already pour the mixed concrete to a wheelbarrow, dumping the concrete inside the form. Level the concrete with the shovel to evenly distribute it. Repeat until the concrete reaches the top of the form.

6. Flatten the concrete surface.

Use the long 2x4 to screed or flatten the concrete surface, doing so until it’s level. Shovel off any excess concrete in front of the screen to level the surface as well as fill any low spots. Do this until water forms on the concrete’s surface. You may also round the edges of the slab using your edger tool. Level the concrete with the shovel to evenly distribute it. Repeat until the concrete reaches the top of the form.

7. Let the concrete patio slab cure.

After you have done so, you can cover the concrete slab with the plastic sheeting, allowing it to cure. You should keep the concrete moist during the curing process by lifting the sheet and misting the slab with some water every day. The concrete will need to cure for at least 48 hours, after which you can remove the form boards.

Conclusion

Concrete patios are versatile in their use and offer a higher level of durability compared to other construction materials. Moreover, concrete can be easy to work with, allowing you to create your own concrete patio yourself. 

Hopefully, this guide on how to build a concrete patio (DIY) has helped teach you how to create your own concrete patio.

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