A patio is a great add-on to your home, as long as it’s done right. When you want to create the perfect backyard oasis, there are many different options. The best way to get started is by building a concrete patio using concrete squares. A patio uses concrete blocks and bricks for its foundation, which can be made from natural stone or concrete. By choosing the appropriate materials and following these instructions, it’s easy to build any size slab for your new patio. Step 1: Lay gravel in the perimeter to guide the formwork sand. It also absorbs run-off water from the concrete, making it better for your yard. The gravel is not structural, so use as little or as much as you need. When using this method we recommend using at least 1/4″ if possible to keep the formwork level.
Building a patio can be a fun and rewarding way to make the most of your backyard, but it’s important to make sure you’re prepared before you begin. Whether you’re installing brick or concrete squares, this guide will help you get the job done right.
Materials
Materials:
- Concrete squares
- Gravel
- Sand
- Water (optional)
Construction Steps
- Concrete squares are easy to install.
- You can build a patio with concrete squares.
- Concrete squares are easy to cut, lift and level.
- Concrete squares are easy to compact and simple enough that you don’t need any special tools or equipment.
Digging a Hole for the Concrete Squares
Digging a hole is the first step in building a patio with concrete squares. You need to dig the hole deep enough and wide enough to accommodate your concrete squares. You also need to consider the weight of your patio materials when deciding how deep and wide you should dig your holes for mounting them.
Tamping the Gravel Base
If you followed the previous steps, you should now have a gravel base with a depth of at least three to four inches. To finish off your patio foundation, use a tamper to tamp down the gravel so that it is level and compacted.
As long as your formwork has been built well, this process should be relatively easy. Just make sure that your tamper is set to 4 inches (100 mm) by moving it across in short strokes while applying pressure downward. It’s important that all areas around any obstructions (like pipes) are packed tightly; otherwise there may be runoff problems later on.
Once you are finished tamping down the entire area, remove any lines from string or tape that were used for leveling purposes and fill in any holes along edges where material was removed for digging out trenches for drainage pipe placement earlier on in this process step-by-step guide
Leveling the Base
Once you have filled in your hole with concrete and it has cured for 24 hours, it is time to level the base. Use a spirit level to make sure that your patio is perfectly flat and even. If you don’t want to spend money on a spirit level you can use other tools such as a laser level or water level (both of which will give you an exact reading). Dig out any bumps with your spade so that the concrete base is exactly one inch below ground level. This will allow for proper compaction later on when we lay down the stones.
Now that we have leveled our patio floor we need to compact it before adding anything else onto it. To do this simply place plywood sheets over top of where you just dug up and drive stakes into each corner until they reach roughly half way down into the dirt underneath them (about 3-4 inches). Then take some scrap 2×4 pieces and nail them across each stake creating a grid like pattern over top of everything else
Laying the Bricks
In this step, you will set a brick on top of a square and use mortar to fill in any gaps between the squares.
- Using a level, make sure that the bricks are level with each other. Lay one brick on top of each square until you have all of your bricks laid out.
- Use a trowel to spread mortar on all sides of each brick (including the bottom). This is called “floating” because we want this layer of mortar to float on top and not stick to anything else yet – if we don’t do this then it can pull some bricks out when they’re dry.
Laying the Square Concrete Pieces
Lay the square concrete pieces. The first step is to lay the concrete squares with a level surface, keeping in mind that you will want them to be level with each other and even with the ground around it. Use a garden hose or water hose to place water on top of the area where you are laying your patio so it is wetter than normal before starting. This will help keep the square pieces from drying out and cracking when laid down on top of each other if they do not sit flush together at all times during construction process – especially important if working in hot weather conditions.
When placing these rectangles into position along with any additional accessories like square stones or pavers along walkways leading up toward house entry doors where people enter using wheelchairs (or walkers), be sure there aren’t any gaps between each piece since this could cause uneven surfaces which would look sloppy once completed completely because everything doesn’t line up well enough without being connected together properly.
Compacting the Concrete Patio
Once the concrete has been laid, you should compact it. This is important because it helps to ensure that the patio will be strong and durable. There are several ways to do this, including:
- A tamper
- A tamping tool
- A plate compactor
- Jackhammer (don’t use a jackhammer!)
- Concrete vibrator
Filling Gaps Between the Squares
Filling Gaps
Once your concrete squares are set, use a trowel to fill in any gaps between them. If there are large areas where you didn’t get the concrete to adhere to the form board, use a squeegee and pressure washer to remove excess water from your patio surface. This will make it easier for you to level out your patio with a straightedge later on.
Leveling Concrete Squares
To level out the tops of your concrete squares while they’re still wet, place a straightedge along one side at an angle (like in the image above). Use that point as a guide when drawing across all sides with a string line or chalk line so that each square is perfectly leveled with every other square. Letting Your Patio Cure Once all of your square have been filled with concrete and leveled off, let them cure for at least three weeks before taking off any masking tape or other protective coverings used while they dried.
Building a patio out of concrete squares is fairly simple, but there are some special things you need to do to get it right.
Building a patio out of concrete squares is fairly simple, but there are some special things you need to do to get it right.
First of all, you need the right tools and materials. You’ll need a hammer drill (for drilling holes) and a level line. You can buy premade concrete squares or make them yourself by pouring concrete into plastic trays. If you’re going to be making your own squares from scratch, then make sure that before pouring any of the mix in the tray, you put down some sort of waterproof barrier like cardboard or tarp so that water doesn’t seep through when it’s drying. It should also be noted that if using premade squares, each one should have drainage holes drilled into its bottom side, otherwise they will crack when installed on sloped ground surfaces like hillsides or mountainsides where there isn’t much flat space available for installing them on top.
Final words
We hope that this guide has been a helpful resource as you embark on your first DIY project. Remember that building a patio can be difficult and time-consuming, so make sure to have plenty of patience. Good luck, and happy building.
