The Concrete Slab

Little progress has been made in the back yard.  I wish that was the case for my checkbook -- little spending; however, it is not like that.  Concrete is expensive and with gas prices these days, delivery fees are almost equal to the four (4) yards of concrete.  LOL. 

 

I decided to pour an 10' x 20' concrete slab about 4" thick.  This is a very thin slab and the reason I decided to do this was because I knew I was not going to build a structure over it - just furniture.  

 

The very first step was to level the area.  After you are done leveling, dig about 3" deep all along the edge.  Then, cut a 2x12 to length (or splice it) for one side and nail it to a corner stake. Make sure you level the 2x12 and nail it to the second corner stake.

 

Then came the mesh.  I did not use rebar because there will be no structure over the concrete or anything heavy.  It's just for patio furniture.

 

 

 

{Hustle time} Now comes the hard work...and work as fast as you can.  Make sure you cover your walls because the concrete splatters all over the place.  I didn't cover the walls b/c (a) I was lazy; and (b) my house needs a new paint job anyway.  Here you can see the concrete slab taking shape.  I took these pictures while the guys were running back and forth with the wheel barrow...

 

 

Here's the other side.  It still needed to be leveled with the bull float (the thing against the post). 

 

 

This is what it looks like after it's been bull floated.  Pretty awesome, IMO.

 

 

The slab is semi-smooth.  I wanted somewhat of a rough texture to it because I plan on adding saltillo tile.  By the way, this is the space where my outdoor kitchen will be installed...not anytime soon, but hopefully soon. :)

 

This is the other side and I plan on adding saltillo as well.  I am very happy with the results and cannot wait to add saltillo! 

 

 

Up next?  How about a pergola . . .