Concrete provides a supportive surface for a concrete flagstone patio.
Building a patio elsewhere of concrete flagstones offers the durability of concrete and the rustic, general style of flagstones. Laying concrete flagstones is a comparable evolution to laying corporeal flagstones, requiring a beefy foundation and a sloped surface for drainage. Installing artificial flagstones over concrete is a challenging do-it-yourself project. Catch discomposure to distance the stones true how you fancy them and rub off excess concrete as you get-up-and-go.
Instructions
1. Degree the immensity of your interpretation mark and trail an outline of the patio with countryside emulsion. Add 4 inches of broadness on Everyone side to anecdote for the wooden forms.
2. Custom a square-tipped spade to chop pleasant lines wound up the ground along the outline and endure removing earth until the mark is 8 inches below ground. Dig 1 inch deeper every 4 feet to slope the surface gone from the local so you don't grow a drainage examination. Pace a vibrating compactor computer over earth to stabilize the ground.
3. Corner 2-by-4s along the inner wrinkle of the patio and screw them calm aim to head. Apply a sledge hammer to impel 10-inch Spike spikes over the wooden boards to secure them to the ground.
4. Add 2 inches of gravel over the compacted surface and spread it with a 2-by-4, maintaining the slight drainage slope. Flow the compactor engine over the gravel to prevent the stones from shifting once the concrete is poured.
5. Pour cement powder in a wheelbarrow and alloy it with the immensity of inundate specified on the package directions. Scoop the concrete with a trowel and dump small piles of cement over the compacted gravel. Spread the concrete evenly with a shovel and trowel, and continue adding more until the surface is 3 inches thick.
6. Drag a 2-by-4 over the surface until it is smooth and even.
7. Mix 4 parts sand with1 part cement and enough water to make a brownie-like consistency. Spread a 1/2-inch layer of mortar over a small section of the concrete base, and a 1/2-inch layer of mortar over the bottom of a concrete flagstone. Press the firs flagstone in place, beginning at an inner corner of the patio so you can work your Exit.
8. Continue setting the flagstones based on your chosen design, using plastic spacers to make the joints consistent. Set a level over each section of flagstones and tap them with a rubber mallet until the surface is level. Wait another day for the sand mortar to dry.
9. Remove the plastic spacers and make grout using 1 part fine-grained sand, 1 part cement and enough water for a stiff batch. Water the patio twice a day to increase the color and strength of the grout.
Pack the grout between the concrete flagstones with the end of the trowel and remove any splatters or excess with a moist cloth. Smooth the joints as you go by running a concave jointing tool over the grout.10. Cover the patio surface with plastic for one week to prevent pets, foot traffic and weather from damaging the surface as it cures.
