Concrete Walkways for my house

[Tiger]

I'm looking at doing concrete sidewalks for my house. It wouldn't be that much work so I know most companies don't want to do it. But I have 5 or 6 nieghbours wanting the same work. Anybody have a company they would recommend?

Also what would you recommend, brushed concrete, exposed aggragate, or stamped?

[You Need a Thneed]

I stamped my walk back in April when I poured it. It looks good. There are quite a few patterns available. You might be able to do it yourself if you want.

Exposed aggregate is a pain to do on cast in place concrete. It's better to use it for precast things. The rules for applying the acid that they use to expose the aggregate make it expensive.

Brushed is ok, and will be the cheapest, but doesn't really have any wow factor.

[Canada 02]

friends have stamped concrete around their pool. Found it to be real slippery when wet. Might be an issue if there is a lot of rain or sleet where you live.

other friends have exposed aggregate; they find it a pain in the arse to shovel the snow

both look great otherwise

[Jimmy Stang]

I'm getting a patio done right now, except I have been out of town so I don't know if they're doing a good job. Weather permitting, I should have it done by this weekend. If all goes well I'll pass along a recommendation.

[Frank MetaMusil]

http://www.a1cement.com/

[MoneyGuy]

I've done all my own walks and driveway in exposed aggregate concrete. My dad used to be in that business and now my brother runs his company, and I've worked with them and know how to do all that stuff. Pouring walks is not that hard. There are some critical things to know and do. I'd be willing to advise but live too far from Calgary for a site visit. If you and your neighbours want to do this yourselves, with any do-it-yourself ability it can be done. If you can handle a shovel and a hammer, and if any of your neighbours has done any concrete work before, it can be managed. Trust me, you can do this if you want to. Exposed aggregate, while very nice, is much more difficult. Get a professional if you want to do that.

[ken0042]

A couple of things as a novice that I have learned:

- Put insulation under the concrete. Makes it less prone to having snow accumulate on it.
- I made patterns in one walkway using forms from Lee Valley (link to one of them) The thing I found was that with the extra lines it makes it just a little harder to shovel without the shovel getting stuck.

[Jimmy Stang]

Not trying to hijack this thread, but this seems as good a place as any:

Is it safe to use a fire "pit" on a concrete patio? Either a Turkish bowl type or one of those ceramic Chimineas? Will the heat crack the patio (it is a plain concrete patio - nothing fancy) or otherwise harm it in the long term?

Also - the patio is getting poured today - how long until I can walk, put furniture on, and have a fire on it? I'll be asking the concrete guy myself, but what are the group's thoughts?

[Madman]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

a Turkish bowl?

Is that similar to a Dutch rudder?

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by Madman

Is that similar to a Dutch rudder?

Had to look it up. And, fortunately, not the same thing!

[Phaneufenstein]

I have a friend that runs a company in Calgary, they can do whatever you like, including the previously mentioned finishes and also acid stain, trowel in colour etc. PM me if you want the contact info.

[zamler]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

Not trying to hijack this thread, but this seems as good a place as any:

Is it safe to use a fire "pit" on a concrete patio? Either a Turkish bowl type or one of those ceramic Chimineas? Will the heat crack the patio (it is a plain concrete patio - nothing fancy) or otherwise harm it in the long term?

The heat will most certainly damage the concrete, especially long term. The concrete will crack and degrade, and will eventually crumble. I have a fire pit in my backyard on the edge of my garden, the base is a concrete pad I poured myself that rests on a gravel bed (which is on dirt). The first one lasted about 15 years, but by that time the concrete was totally shot, severely cracked and crumbling. It was still one piece, but the center especially was showing heat damage.

I poured a new one and expect it to last about the same amount of time. Hope that helps.

[prarieboy]

Concrete Inovations

We had them pour an exposed aggregate patio for us. It looks great.
Not the cheapest quote in town but you get what you pay for.
I'd definately use them again.

[Chingas]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

Not trying to hijack this thread, but this seems as good a place as any:

Is it safe to use a fire "pit" on a concrete patio? Either a Turkish bowl type or one of those ceramic Chimineas? Will the heat crack the patio (it is a plain concrete patio - nothing fancy) or otherwise harm it in the long term?

Also - the patio is getting poured today - how long until I can walk, put furniture on, and have a fire on it? I'll be asking the concrete guy myself, but what are the group's thoughts?

I would suggest that if you are worried about damaging your new concrete you could put either of your suggested fire pits on top of a layer of bricks, Tiles, or metal sheet to aid in protecting your new patio from the heat. However with the style of fire pit that you have chosen I think that the air gap between the source of the heat and the concrete should be enough to prevent a quick deteriation of the concrete.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

So this may be a completely dumb questions but for you DIY people who have poured your own walkways, do you have to get concrete from a supplier (ie a cement truck) or can you use something you mix yourself like Sakcrete?

Or we can all call Theo Fleury for advice I guess...

[ken0042]

The big thing about getting a truck is the cubic footage needed for a sidewalk. (Or lack thereof)

Let's say you are doing a 20 foot long walk, 30 inches wide and 4 inches thick. You only need 17 cubic feet; or around half a cubic metre. I had a hard enough time getting them to deliver 3 cubic metres in the past.

Those 17 cubic feet would be 34 bags of ready mix from Home Depot; add in the mixer rental and you are still under $300. I also looked into a small batch place that you tow, but due to the weight you need a pretty big truck.

A few other DIY tips:

- The over/under for renting a mixer is 10 bags. Over that you are in for a tough day without a mixer.
- Compare bags carefully; Home Depot's are 30kg and most other places are 25kg.
- Prep is key. The more time you spend prepping the easier pouring will go.
- Protect from sunlight. The biggest thing to remember is that concrete does not actually "dry." The water goes through a chemical process to become part of the concrete. So you don't want to have it loose too much excess moisture.

[trubuilt]

Originally Posted by ken0042

The big thing about getting a truck is the cubic footage needed for a sidewalk. (Or lack thereof)

Let's say you are doing a 20 foot long walk, 30 inches wide and 4 inches thick. You only need 17 cubic feet; or around half a cubic metre. I had a hard enough time getting them to deliver 3 cubic metres in the past.

Those 17 cubic feet would be 34 bags of ready mix from Home Depot; add in the mixer rental and you are still under $300. I also looked into a small batch place that you tow, but due to the weight you need a pretty big truck.

A few other DIY tips:

- The over/under for renting a mixer is 10 bags. Over that you are in for a tough day without a mixer.
- Compare bags carefully; Home Depot's are 30kg and most other places are 25kg.
- Prep is key. The more time you spend prepping the easier pouring will go.
- Protect from sunlight. The biggest thing to remember is that concrete does not actually "dry." The water goes through a chemical process to become part of the concrete. So you don't want to have it loose too much excess moisture.

For a Home owner Steve's u cart is the place to go for small loads. He is a good guy and is open on Saturday.
http://u-cart.ca/.
Make sure you get the right mpa for doing flat work 20 type 10 will not cut it on side walks. Long term.
I use Rolling Mix as I have an account with them. I think they have a small load charge for anything under 4 meters.
Small walkways are pretty easy. It gets harder when you do curves, stairs, borders. I do tons of concrete walls (basement, architectural, retaining) some flat work prep but very little pouring. If you need any info feel free to pm me.

[MoneyGuy]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

Not trying to hijack this thread, but this seems as good a place as any:

Is it safe to use a fire "pit" on a concrete patio? Either a Turkish bowl type or one of those ceramic Chimineas? Will the heat crack the patio (it is a plain concrete patio - nothing fancy) or otherwise harm it in the long term?

Also - the patio is getting poured today - how long until I can walk, put furniture on, and have a fire on it? I'll be asking the concrete guy myself, but what are the group's thoughts?

No this is not safe. The heat cannot go anywhere. My brother who is in this business has seen an explosion because of heat build up becdause the firepit is on top of concrete. Create a hole down to the gravel base. Edit: You should give concrete a couple of days before walking on it. Sometimes you can walk on it 24-36 hours later. It depends on temperature also.

[metallicat]

You can walk on it the next day, but I would avoid putting furniture on it for a little while. It's going to be hard the next day, but you can still scratch it pretty easily the next day usually. Not enough to gouge it, but it will still blemish.