Pouring a new patio, sidewalk, or driveway looks simple enough on YouTube. You mix some cement, spread it out, smooth it over, and walk away. But if you live around Kennewick, you already know our local conditions can turn a weekend DIY project into a cracked, crumbling surface because of the Columbia Basin wind.
Here is how to figure out what you can tackle yourself and when you really need to bring in a crew like Mighty Concrete Inc.
Before the Pour: Ground Prep and Planning
Concrete does not care about your feelings, because concrete cares about the ground underneath it. Our Tri-Cities soil can be a real mix of heavy silt and sandy loam that shifts and settles. If you skip proper compaction, your brand-new slab will snap by next winter.
You can definitely handle the demolition of an old sidewalk and haul the chunks to the curb yourself. You can also call 811 to get utilities marked and handle the initial layout staking. But when it comes to grading the sub-base and setting the proper drainage slope away from your foundation, that is where experience pays off. If water pools near your house during a heavy desert downpour, you did it wrong.
During the Pour: The Race Against Time
This is where DIY projects usually go sideways. Concrete sets fast, especially when the dry Kennewick summer heat is baking your forms at 95 degrees. Once that truck chute opens, the clock is ticking.
- Spreading and screeding heavy mud takes serious upper body strength and coordination.
- Finishing edges and joints requires specific tools and muscle memory.
- Adding water to make it easier to work ruins the ultimate strength of the slab.
If you are pouring a small backyard pad for a couple of trash cans, go ahead and rent a mixer. But if you are looking at a full driveway or a large patio where finish quality matters, trying to screed and finish a few yards of concrete by yourself is a recipe for a bad back and a wavy surface.
After the Pour: Curing is Everything
People think once the concrete looks hard, the job is done. Concrete does not dry because concrete cures through a chemical reaction that needs moisture.
In our dry climate, fresh concrete loses water much too fast. You have to keep it wet for several days, or spray a curing compound on it. If you do not, surface dusting and cracking will ruin your work. You can handle the curing process and sawing control joints yourself with a rental saw, but patience is key. Keep foot traffic off it for a few days and vehicles off it for a week.
If you want a flatwork project that stands up to our freezing winters and scorching summers without shifting, call Mighty Concrete Inc. For homes and businesses in Kennewick, Mighty Concrete Inc. provides Concrete Contractor services.