Why would anyone thumbs-down my video? I'm just an average guy with a GoPro and basic laptop trying to help people. Disappointed there were no hot girls or car crashes in my video?
Because a small minority of tradesman have a bash everything / blame others mentality. BTW, thanks a million for posting this Brad, I just found the vid you were referencing and have decided to do this at our home.
If you added more water to the mix, or even better, tamped down the mixture more, quickrete can produce a nice finish. However, sakrete is easier to work with and my choice for bagged mixes. I like to add a shovel full of portland to both quickrete and sakrete to add to the strength and help with finishing. -Cement Contractor
Hey, that was a big task, next time add more water, tamp it in the form to sink the aggregate, and bring the cream to the top, float with wood trowel, edge, then wait for bleed water to dissipate. cut in expantion joints then texture to your preference. You did Ok! Next time do a trial run, and follow those steps, remember, wetter mix weaker concrete, (shrinkage), but better workability. this isn't structural so it would be ok. Practice making some stepping stones, You'll get the feel, don't rush, plenty of time, you'll be waiting 30-40 min just for the bleed water to leave. Cheers.
You can top dress the curb with a mix of portland and sand to a whipped cream consistency using a brush. Wet the concrete first so the dry concrete doesn't suck the water out of the mix. You can also buy a top dressing mix used for driveways and walks. I think you did a great job for a first try. Call it rustic and that you did it that way on purpose.
Hey brother, I'm a concrete finisher of 35 years plus. For your 1st time ever working with concrete I think you did a good job. On future projects you can still use QuikCrete, you just need to richen up the mix with additional Portland cement. Add about 4 cups per bag of pure Portland cement. Make sure you use the same amount each bag or else you will get variation in color throughout the pour. Mix it dry at first and then add your water. The extra cement will make it creamier, stronger and easier to work. You will also get a much better finish. Cheers!
Aw man - WHY didn't they mention this *important* step in the Quikrete video??? As in "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootise Roll Tootsie Pop?" - CRUNCH - the world may never know. LOL
Thank you! I've watched 20 concrete videos this week including the Quikcrete one and this is one of the most helpful, because it's coming from a beginner just like me. I'll be attempting this myself soon!
I think you did a marvellous job. It doesn’t have to be smooth on the top and sides, it looks better as it is as it gives it character to me looks more real. Very inspiring and well done👍👍👍
I agree! Brad did a good job, especially considering no experience in it. I think some roughness on the concrete edging gives more character to it. It’s more natural look, like the nature. Brad, tks for sharing your work!
Exactly what I wanted to see...the good, the bad and the ugly. Love the video, straight to the point and you doing the numbers at the end was a nice touch.
You did a great job, don't worry about the haters. You could literally make a video about how you cured cancer and there would be thumbs down. Just is what it is. good work, bro.
One other thing to remember, tight radius curves can make mowing the grass difficult. As you set the forms, get out your mower to make sure you will be able to mow up to the edging.
@@BradThePitts One change would help that mower problem. Rather than a high curb, sink it almost down to ground level. Example; 2" raised on the inside, and 1" raised on the outside. Would allow you to get part of the mower over the concrete.
It takes a lot of time and extra work to put together a video WHILE working on a project. I have tried to do a video documenting various projects, but I just can't seem to pull it off. The project is usually all I can think about, let alone documenting it. Thanks Brad for paying it forward! It's videos like this that are honest that make RU-vid a great resource.
Hello Friend, this project & video was relatively easy. I agree that if it were a complicated project, I'd never be able to do the project and video at the same time. I heard that famous RU-vid guy Chris Fix spends 100 hours on his videos!
Thanks a LOT. You showed the good, the bad, and the ugly of curbing. It looks great, especially in the front yard where your lawn slopes. Lots of very useful information in your video.
Thanks mate, the GOOD is it's incredibly strong, permanent, cheap, and won't have weeds growing through like if I used pavers. The BAD is it's back-breaking IF you don't use a cement mixer and/or if you are not 20 years old (LOL.) The UGLY is all the rocks in the Quickrete - IF you don't want that look. I've grown to like it - and by now the river rock area is filled with native drought-tolerant plants that blend in well with the landscape.
Great and honest video of your DIY experience. We’re all in this together and we all make mistakes along the way. Sure, a pro could do it better...but you pay a lot more for that, and sometimes the “pro” isn’t all that great anyway. Thanks for sharing your project with us. I think it turned out great, despite the issues you mentioned.
Mate, if only I could add an epilog to my video. The native "river" plants have grown in and it all looks like a real riverbed! How our friends from Quikrete got that perfectly smooth finish with the stuff in the yellow bag will forever be a mystery.
Thanks, very much for sharing your journey. Some very useful lessons learned that I'll definitely keep in mind as I plan my own very similar project. Thanks, again!
Great video. Love the actual do it yourselfers before and after pictures. You show the real struggles and things we will all face when we don't specialize in specific areas. Looks great and defines the landscape well.
Thanks Mate, I only wish there were a way to "add" to a RU-vid video - the REAL "after" has desert flowers along the curb, and it looks like a riverbed. I no longer mind all the rocks in the concrete.
Thanks mate, often times TRUTH is good - even if it hurts! Fortunately, in time I've grown to like the rocky curb - the native plants have grown in and it looks like a real river bed.
It was good to hear what went well and where you could have improved your project. I am thinking of doing a borderas well so you have shown what I should consider and look out for. Thanks for sharing your experience.
That was the goal - just good info to give back to the RU-vid community. The yard looks even better now - it's been a year and the curb is lined with native plants that attract butterflies.
Great video and thanks for running through the numbers at the end, that was very helpful. I want to do this to my yard and you gave a lot of good tips.
Thanks mate, #1 thing - do NOT use concrete with rocks in it. Unless, of course, you want it to look rough like mine. Overall, I'm very happy with my continuous weed-wacking curb.
Enjoyed your video! You were honest to point out the error(s) along the way and that DOES help people who haven't done this before, but are thinking about doing it. Cheers, Brad the Pitts!
Thanks mate - you can do it but unless you are '20 years old and bench-press 350" DO NOT attempt to mix the cement by hand! Get a cheap mixer like I did. But of course, anything under say 50 linear will doable.
I am glad you like the end result! I only wish there was a way to add to the video, the native plants have now grown in and it looks like a real riverbed.
Time has gone by and I've grown to fancy the "rocky" look. Native LaLa Land plants have grown in, and it looks like a real riverbed. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Thanks mate - the CURB is "raw and real" too! It's been a year, and the concrete has weathered well. Most important thing is don't use cement that has rocks. Of course, if you want that textured look, then by all means use the Quikrete! Cheers,
I plan on doing this same project on my own property this year. Thanks for the info. I have used that type of concrete to patch flat work and do small pads with pretty good success, tapping on the sides of the forms and mag floating the top is key in getting the rocks to settle and bring up some cream to work with. The next time you do this you will be a pro. I just started my own channel for some of the same reasons as you. Keep it up.
Nice video. I like how you just went with it when you bought the stuff and started (even if it wasn't exactly the ideal stuff). Completely relatable. All things considered, it turned out well, and probably no one will notice any flaws but you.
Thanks mate - my DREAM is our friends from Quikrete would chime in and explain all the rocks to me! Now that the plants have grown in along my "riverbed" the whole thing looks ingrained and dapper, but I'll always wonder what happened to my yellow bags.....
I was considering using the concrete guy who did our yard. But it's just a small area that we need to have a curb style border. Thanks for showing your process. I am generally a DIY person but this....after seeing your video....gives me confidence. I don't even think your work looks shabby. Bets believe that it still adds 'curb' appeal. Pun intended. Thanks for sharing. It looks great!!
Glad I could help, most important thing is use Portland Cement and SAND if you want a smooth finish! I've gotten use to my "rocky" look - by now they compliment the river rocks and native "riverbed" plants that have grown in.
I rarely comment, but wanted to say thanks. You have certainly helped me and I appreciate you sharing your experience, it takes courage. Shame on all those thumbs downers...completely ridiculous.
Thanks mate - I wanted to tell the good, the bad, and the ugly. Overall I'm happy with the project and I would recommend it IF and only IF one is in good enough shape! Personally, I'm borderline - LOL
Pour it wet, add about 25% more water, pound it down in layers with a piece of 2x4 and tap the mold with that 2x4 as you work it to release air, overfill the forms and take that 2x4; lay it across the molds on the skinny side and work it back and forth "screed" all the way down. Just finished my yard these are tricks I learned.
Thanks for the great compliment - it's really swell how this time of year the view-count jumps and the comments come in... don't they promote outdoor projects "down under" when we have winter - LOL
@@BradThePitts LOL 😂 come to think of it, up here, all the major DIY centers become major expos for fall/winter Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas decorations and Christmas trees and some emergency and must have winter supplies
I would highly recommend it, just be sure to use the best cement (not Quikrete yellow bag) and be sure you have lots of MUSCLE for the heavy bags! (I hired help.)
It is early summer here in LaLa Land California where I made the video, it is very interesting how the comments for the video come up this time of year. In the winter, there are no comments and no views - LOL.
Looks good! I'm getting ready to do this. I've been watching videos and reading a lot about it. Think I'll go with the Portland cement and sand mix. Bad thing is.. I just sold my cement mixer that I've never used and some how acquired over the years. Guess I'll mix the old way in a wheelbarrow. Thanks for the video, good information! 👍👍
I am glad you liked my video - I only wish that at the time I knew how to use the stabilization in the GoPro Camera. It's been a few years now and the native river-bed plants have grown in. It looks like a real river bed. I like the look of the curb now!
Glad you liked the video, it was my attempt to give back to the DIY community. If only our friends from Quikrete would chime in and let me know how their curb is smooth and mine is rocky!
Looks very good the prep of ground & frames is slots work. Yes the quikcrete has a lot of rocks and not all of them are same. Moving them down on the mix to get a smooth top is very frustrating! Thanks for posting
Thanks for the video, I'm doing a similar project at the moment. Your mistake with the finish has helped me be more vigilant to ensure I make a good consistency for the concrete and to use a wooden float to float the cement to the top. I learned a lot from your video. Cheers mate
Cheers to you as well! I made this video to specifically help the RU-vid community - I'm Just your average schmuck off the street and I wanted to show the good, the bad, and the ugly. I bet your project will come out better than mine!
Glad you like it - a few years have gone by and the concrete has "weathered". Native riverbed plants have grown in and it really looks like a riverbed! I wish there was a way to add an "epilogue" to the end of the video to have a 4 year update.
That's good 'ol fashioned New York sarcasm - although this house is clearly not in New York! I only wish I knew how to add an UPDATE to a RU-vid video, the native riverbed plants have grown in and it looks like a real river bed.
Really liked this video. Have not come across a lot of videos where you can see the cost break down in details as this one. For me this is very helpful.
I'm glad that you liked my "high tech studio!" - lol. I learned that the concrete curb does not need to be 8" tall - even one 6" height will be very strong and you'd be able to walk on it.
I think the final product looks good. The rough top looked bad at first to me but once you were done landscaping it doesn't look bad and the rough look gives it a natural old look. If you wanted it smooth at the top should have been screeded with a board to force the concrete cream to the top and drive the rocks lower. I also would have put a half inch rebar down the middle but besides that it looks good.
Thanks mate - now that the native plants have grown in, the whole thing looks like a dry riverbed and it looks OK. You must be correct about pushing the rocks lower. Seems an important step - the mystery is why didn’t they say this in the Quikrete instruction video?
I thiink you are your toughest critic. Despite the learning process, it looks great. Bet you added a lot of value to your home. Now i really want to try this but i want to borrow my dads mixer to save on costs. Nice work!
I don’t know why anyone would thumbs down this video. Exactly what I was looking for. I saw the quickCrete video and wondered if it was truly that easy. I’ll take any information I can get before I take on my project! Thanks for taking the time to do this! Oh have you looked at Michael builds videos? There might be a product that you can smooth out your border with on there. Check him out.
The answer is YES - it really is this easy, the only hard part is the "muscle" needed to carry the heavy cement bags, although I can't imagine anyone doing say more than say 12' of curb if mixing by hand. Just watch out for them rocks - find a better concrete than I did. I will check out *Michael Builds* videos!
It's been several years and the native plants have grown in. It looks like a real riverbed, and I've grown accustomed to the rocky finish! Cheers from LaLa Land, California
Thanks, mate - and as life would teach us, time has gone by and I've grown to like the "rocky look." The native plants have grown in and the whole thing looks like a real riverbed.
Thanks Mate - I'm just your average schlep with a GoPro that I got for Christmas. I wanted to tell The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, and I hope it helps other people!
Thank you for sharing your experience, you definitely helped many in multiple areas! I think it looks nice, you should look into some concrete stain and see if you can do anything to smooth out the surface, you may be one more weekend from having what you pictured in your head, or maybe even better.
Awesome video!! Really appreciate the honesty. Most videos out there it feel like it’s done by a sales person and clearly you are not which makes you normal like most ppl. I guess what I’m trying to say I can relate to fact that most diy videos out there when you follow it to the T you can quickly realize what they show on video was not the whole story. Hope you keep making those honest videos. Cheers bud
Thanks mate, I am happy with the "job that I did" - just not happy with the raw materials. But actually, now that the plants have grown in the rough curb really looks like a riverbed. 👍👍
Good job man. Most wouldn't tackle a project like that without any experience. Id say mix some portland cement into a paste and fill in the holes/make it smooth. Mike Haduck here on RU-vid has many videos about it. Wet it first with a spray bottle then lay on the paste. Can always use a wire brush to knock off what you don't like before it completely dries.
