Making your own concrete forms... (1 Viewer)

[Dave Poehlman]

I have an exposed basement on my house. This means I have a pretty wicked slope going from my driveway into my backyard where my patio is going to be. I'm looking to eventually put in some stairs. But.. to have concrete stairs poured is, well, a little boring... and expensive.

Getting something like flagstone would look great, but is not cheap either.

So, the DIY-art-major in me thought perhaps I could just pour concrete slabs to look like slabs of flagstone and use those.

Has anyone seen or used forms like this?

 

[Colton]

Need pixs. Show us what you're talking about.

- Colton

 

[Greg_R]

I have seen 2'x2'x2" textured concrete slabs for sale that were intended for this exact purpose.

It is fairly easy to pour your own concrete and build your own forms. You will need to:

- Build the form and reinforce the outside of the form with stakes (8"+ into the ground). 2x4s work well for the form.
- You will want the pad to be 2"+ thick and reinforced for foot traffic. Make it thicker if heavier weights will be going over the steps.
- Put the rebar in the grid. You can use a wire mesh (looks like thick chicken wire) or rebar. Wire it together at the intersections and elevate it so it will be in the middle of the concrete.
- Mix and pour the concrete (per directions on the bag).
- Once poured, work over the surface with a wide trowell. This will push down the rock (filler) and smooth out the surface. Once smooth, let it dry -slightly- and then add texture to the top (stiff broom, etc.).
- After a few hours (depending on humidity and temp) the conrete should be solid and you can knock off the forms. Let the concrete dry 3-4 days before attempting to move or use the slab!

 

[Dave Poehlman]

Thanks Greg, but I'd like to make the concrete look like stone by texturizing it somehow.

Does HomeDepot carry concrete stamps?

 

[Ted Lee]

looks like you can actually buy them on ebay ... but they look kinda pricey.

my friend did this on her patio. it looks really nice, but one thing she did was tint the concrete. that way it looks more like real stone.