How to Pour and Finish a Concrete Slab - DIY || Expanding Our Pool Deck

[@ambastha09]

one of the best videos on DIY concrete work..thank you for posting

[@hanoveroak]

Thank you!

[@supayota7265]

Best concrete tutorial on KZbin! You took the time and didn't cut out anything to make you question your next steps. Definitely going to save your video for future reference and built up my confidence! Thank you.

[@hanoveroak]

Thank you - that was my goal with this video!

[@janicehernandez6882]

Thanks for the detailed explanation on both video's posted so far. I have viewed several DIY videos on concrete slab pouring. This one is by far the best! Clear discription of the process, honest about your mistakes and lessons learned and great tips and tricks along the way. Looking forward to your future projects. I'm going to start planning this one for my house. Warm greetings from the island of Curaçao (Caribbean)!

[@hanoveroak]

Thanks for the kind words! Good luck on your project!

[@dovobis]

I really appreciate you making this video. For a modest concrete guy who doesn't do it for a living, you really do great work. I hope to do something similar soon. Thanks for your help and inspiration.

[@hanoveroak]

Thanks for the kind words - I really do appreciate it! Keeps me motivated to do more. Good luck with your future projects and feel free to contact me with any questions.

[@jacobsoltanpour1274]

The result looks really professional man. Keep the good job and thanks for sharing.

[@hanoveroak]

Thanks!

[@mastertech5036]

Love that brushed center & smooth/clean edge look! I'm planning to duplicate this on my project this weekend!

[@hanoveroak]

Thank you! Good luck with your project!

[@J_Cache]

Great video. We're planning on doing similar slabs but at 5'x7' and 22 of them (turf in between). I like your technique when you brushed the cement and then went back with your edger to make it smooth. I'll have to incorporate that.

[@hanoveroak]

Thank you! Good luck with your project!

[@tylynnstewart2772]

Absolutely AMAZING!👍🏼 great video!

[@tylynnstewart2772]

Thank you!

[@hanoveroak]

Thank you!

[@roysinoz]

You are inspiring me to do my own backyard now. The contractor quoted $9000 for my tiny backyard.

[@hanoveroak]

Thats crazy! You can do it yourself for way less and it will be done right! Go for it :)

[@gsmoneygsmoney1479]

Nice man. Learned lots

[@queenvsev4800]

Great tutorial with professional looking results

[@hanoveroak]

Thank you!

[@stephaniemoreno4145]

I didn’t even have to hear you say you were from Florida. When I saw you mixing Concrete in sandals, I said, that’s a Florida boy right there! 😂

[@hanoveroak]

Haha too funny! 🤣

[@joniboulware1436]

After seeing this I would definitely order the needed quantity premixed and make enough forms for every section so the can all be poured at once.

[@danielortiz3180]

Saludos desde Argentina

[@RathaSochenda]

The best instructional video on how to pour a 4x3 slab with very professional looking results. Thanks man! This video helps give me the confidence to pour my own slab. Appreciate you making a detail video on this. Also is there a reason you went with Sakrete over Quikrete for concrete?

[@hanoveroak]

Thank you very much! Sakrete and Quikrete are both just name brands. Home Depot sells Sakrete so thats what I decided to go with. I have heard that Sakrete is best for flat surfaces while Quikrete is better for curbs and stairs. Good luck with your future projects!

[@RathaSochenda]

@@hanoveroak thanks for replying back so fast! Thanks for the info. Going to run to HD and pick up some Sakrete today!🤙🏾

[@helenannleeshung9028]

This is a fantastic DIY concrete tutorial ⭐️👏🏾👏🏾💯 Is it possible to make these slabs tough enough for parking lot use ? Maybe use 3/8 steel for re - inforcement

[@hanoveroak]

Thank you! Yes you could absolutely park on these. I would suggest making them 5-6” thick and using rebar instead of the wire mesh.

[@ewenwilson6568]

Great video. Absolutely wild to wear flip flops the whole time

[@hanoveroak]

Hah thanks!

[@simonelaroc]

This looks so good. WOW!

[@hanoveroak]

Thank you!

[@mimigee5631]

Awesome job 👏🏾 Thanks for the instructions 😀

[@hanoveroak]

No problem - glad to help! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions on the process. Thanks!

[@gsmoneygsmoney1479]

Looks awesome

[@Ruslan7777S]

Добрый день, не подскажите, в какой пропорции вы замешивали раствор?

[@valeriafmunoz]

Great work! Do you think this could be used as a drive way?

[@hanoveroak]

Thanks! Yes you absolutely could but I would probably do 5” thick slabs to support that much weight.

[@leslieayala863]

So how much did you had to excavate for the area? Trying to start my project but dont know how much i have to excavate to then start my base of weed barrier and so on. Thank you im advance

[@hanoveroak]

If you are pouring a 3.5" thick slab, you would have to excavate the 3.5" plus another 3" for compacted base. So if you are butting up against another surface like we did with our pool deck, you would have to excavate 6.5" - 7" of dirt below the surface of the pool deck before you begin your project. Hope this makes sense!

[@garglemysprite9753]

did u reuse the forms for the other slabs?? or did u create new forms for each individual slabs???

[@hanoveroak]

Yes, I actually made two forms and reused each form 4 times.

[@bstephenson5684]

Did you think about buying slabs in this size like slate or porcelain or did u want the mid century look?

[@hanoveroak]

My first plan was to use large porcelain pavers but they were just too thin and they ended up shifting. I decided that I wanted to have solid concrete slabs that wouldn’t shift or crack down the road. This was the best way I could think of to make that happen.

[@melynnmack3806]

did you also do the astro turf around concrete

[@hanoveroak]

Yes! Check out our channel for the turf installation video!

[@renec7289]

I read through all the comments and descriptions but I'm still wondering did you use paver base and leveling sand? They are different? What sand would you recommend? Thanks in advance!

[@hanoveroak]

You only need paver base! I had some leveling sand there because I was going to use pavers but changed my mind and went with concrete slabs. Even a base of small pea gravel would be fine for the slabs. You need a solid base about 4 inches thick so that the concrete doesn’t settle and shift.

[@ehjh263]

Would just general fill gravel work or is there a reason you used paver base?

[@hanoveroak]

It’s just what I happened to have on hand. Any small gravel/rock that can be compacted will work just fine as a base!

[@doctornamelisted4280]

Looks great

[@hanoveroak]

Thank you!

[@1010chris]

Could this work for a driveway? I want to do this for my driveway but with triangles instead of rectangles. Probly 6" instead of 4"

[@hanoveroak]

You could absolutely do a driveway yourself. Probably would be more efficient to rent a small concrete mixer. I would say 5”-6” would be a good idea.

[@GRUBB-MUDD]

Good video, we should do a concrete colab video on youtube.

[@hanoveroak]

Thanks! Yes, that would be a fun. Just checked out your channel - you do great work!

[@GRUBB-MUDD]

@@hanoveroak thank u, i gave u a sub. where r u located?

[@hanoveroak]

@@GRUBB-MUDD Thanks - subscribed to your channel as well. We are in Orlando FL area.

[@ana-mariamadero849]

How much money would you say you spent total? Great video!

[@hanoveroak]

Each 3' x 4' slab cost about $60. Thanks!

[@JJ-fg4wp]

What was the size of your area? Was it cheaper to do cement pavers than make a concrete pad? My project looks similar in size.

[@hanoveroak]

The area was about 18’ x 7’. It was definitely cheaper for me to pour individual concrete slabs. If I had poured the whole area I would have had to order a cement truck to deliver it all at once. This way I was able to work on it little by little and do it all myself.

[@royspeakman1157]

Brilliant !

[@hanoveroak]

Thank you!

[@juniorclassicvwbugs924]

Nice work

[@hanoveroak]

Thanks!

[@vincegarza3701]

When you edge concrete you should always scrape the concrete off the top of the form

[@hanoveroak]

Thanks for the tip!

[@tommikehappy]

Good Job!

[@hanoveroak]

Thanks!

[@bstephenson5684]

Did u ever think about a dry pour for these slabs?

[@hanoveroak]

I didn’t. I have seen videos of that method, but it wasn’t a big deal for me to mix up 7-8 bags for each slab.

[@Cali_Oasis_Garden]

Why you do the edging so easy, when I do it it will show the rocks inside

[@hanoveroak]

You might be doing it too early - make sure you wait until all the water has disappeared. This can take 20 minutes or 4 hours depending on the weather where you live. Also, sometimes you have to move the edging tool back and forth a few times to get the "cream" to come to the surface and the rocks to sink in. Hope this helps!

[@johnjkizer6399]

Thank u

[@hanoveroak]

No problem!

[@andrewdouds4789]

Any reason you used 2x4s instead of 2x3s? Seems like you could save a lot of concrete. But I’d love to know your thought process

[@hanoveroak]

Well, 2x4s are actually only 3.5" wide. Sidewalks are 4" thick, so I figured for this project that 3.5" thick would be enough to avoid any potential cracking in the future. Thanks!

[@andrewdouds4789]

@@hanoveroak thanks for the reply. That makes a lot of sense. Thinking about using your method and 2x3s saves quite a bit of concrete, but thicker sounds safer.

[@cameronstevenson5894]

Why is it that you learn more from a diyer than you do by a pro

[@hanoveroak]

Thanks Cameron!