How to Make My Own Concrete Pavers
Whether you are going to make a patio for the back of your home or a walkway back the woods behind the house you can use concrete pavers. They are both economical and easy to work with. But what if you want yours to be different than the rest? It is not that hard to make them and it is a whole lot cheaper!
You will need the following:
- The molds for the shape of the pavers.
- Some type of mold release. (For easing the pavers out of the mold)
- A mixing area such as a tub or a wheel barrow
- Concrete
- Sand
- Hose and water supply
- Trowel
- Begin by either purchasing or making your molds. There are many molds sold commercially. They can be found at most home improvement locations. Overall. they are relatively durable and inexpensive. Making your own design is not complicated and you can have some serious versatility by going that route.
- Make certain that the molds are sitting level. Prior to pouring in the concrete make sure you coat the inside surface with a mold release of some type. What this does is makes the inside surface of the molds slick so the mold will fall out when you are done. It helps the mold itself last a lot longer and the work go much faster. If you are going to be doing a lot of pavers, either buy or make more than one mold to speed up the entire process.
- Mix the concrete. Since you are making your own pavers many DIYers like to use a 1-2-3 mix. It is 1 part cement, 2 parts of sand and 3 parts of ½” aggregate. (An aggregate consists of basic construction material like- but not limited to- gravel; crushed stone recycled crushed variations, etc.)
- Use a scoop of some type to put your mix into the molds. Make certain your mix gets into all cracks and crevices in the mold. Use a trowel to make the bottom of the paver smooth. Shake the mold to try and get any bubbles out.
- Let the pavers dry for at least two days (48 hours). Once they have hardened they should pop right out of your molds and be ready to placement.