Concrete paving is often used to enhance the look of your backyard or garden, and it is available for purchase in various shapes and sizes. They are durable if the right tools and processes are followed. Concrete paving in Maryland, as well as other cities, is fairly easy to build although they are quite expensive.
The equipment you need to build concrete paving in order to enhance the beauty of your garden or backyard include basic items such as water, mold release spray or vegetable oil, molds, something to dig with, concrete, sand, gravel concrete powder (if you want), a hand trowel and of course, concrete amongst others.
The mold to be used is usually available in major hardware stores, however, you can create your own molds from plywood. It should be a minimum of two inches thick.
- Prepare the mold
Before you can make your concrete paving in Maryland, you need to first dig holes in the ground with sizes that are a little bigger than your molds. Make sure the bottom of the hole is flat, then fill it with about one inch of water.
Insert the molds into the holes and apply a thin coat of vegetable oil or mold release spray in the interior of the molds. Avoid using motor oils, because they tend to seep into the ground and damage the environment.
- Mix the concrete
If you are going to be using a ready-made concrete mix, then all you have to do is follow the instructions that come with it, however, if you are going to mix the concrete yourself, you have to estimate the amount that is required to fill the mold and make little more than your estimate, in case you spill any. The mixture should be composed of one-part cement, two parts sand and three parts gravel. If you will be using colorant powder, you are advised to add it prior to pouring into the water. The perfect mix for concrete paving in Maryland should not be too dry, it should, however, be significantly hard.
- File the Molds
Fill the molds with the concrete mix and shake the mold, so that the air pockets would be released. You can then smoothen the top with a trowel. If you would prefer a concrete paver with a decorative top, you add it at this point.
- Allow the Concrete to Set
Finally, cover the top of the mold with plastic and leave it for 48 hours to harden, after which you are allowed to remove the concrete paving from the mold, wrap them in plastic and allow to cure for two weeks.