concrete pads?

Question

how do i build a small concrete pad?

Answer 1

First, dig out the area where you are going to pour your slab, being careful to set the grade of your hole at the depth you want the bottom of your concrete. It's very important that you compact ground that you are going to set the slab on or the slab will settle. Depending on the sort of soil, you may want to escevate a little more and put in some road base. Basically a mixture of gravel sand and soil, it compacts very well and doesn't erode away as easily as soil.

Next, set your forms, you'll have dug out your soil a little more than the size of your slab so fit the forms, for example, if your slab is 10' x 10', you'll dig it out to 11' x 11'. build your forms with 2x4's or 2x8's or whatever the depth you are looking for. You can also use a very thin board (bender board) to make a round slab, or a radius if you desire.

Building the forms can be a bit tricky, you want them all at the same elevation, though as mentioned in a previous answer, you may want to slope it some. Primarily if the slab is going to be near a structure, you'll want to slop it away from the structure so that the water run off will flow away from the structure preventing damage.
It doesn't have to slope much, roughly 1" per 10'.

Getting them level can be done fairly easily using a standard level. Setting the forms is easiest if you run a sting ling to make your forms straight (just line them up with the string). You'll need steaks. you can get metal stakes from a concrete supplier or you can use regular wooden stakes to keep your forms in place. make sure they are firmly in the ground and nail the steaks to the forms from the outside so the head of the nail is outside the perimeter of the concrete. make sure everything is solid. Order your concrete or mix it yourself. pour it in to the forms. Tap the forms to help settle the concrete and avoid any air pockets (voids). you can use another 2x4 as a "screed" and run it across the top of the forms dragging the excess off the top to get a nice level slab. you can purchase some pretty cheap finishing tools at the hardware store, an edger to get a nice round edge, and a mag-float to get a nice shine and even a broom to add a non-slip broom finish.

Wait for a couple days, and remove the forms. then backfill the dirt back around to new slab.

Note: Being winter, if the weather in your area gets below freezing, you'll want to cover the fresh concrete with a concrete insulated blanket to prevent it from freezing.

Answer 2

take 2x4's and use them as ur forms.......( the size u want the pad) level the forms, unless u want them to slope away from another area, dig out ur enclosed area, at least 4", order or mix up ur concrete and pout it into ur forms.....take a hammer and tap the side of the forms to remove voids, trowel out the top of the concrete and let set for 48 hrs before use......

lic. gen. contractor

Answer 3

hmmmmm..... try www.diynetwork.com, but how my dad basically did it was first decided the size of it then made a wooden frame (you have to make sure its level to the ground) and slowly poured in the concrete, smoothed it and let it set up