Good job for the most part. Just a couple of quick tips. 1st off you don't have to kill yourself by hand mixing in a wheelbarrow. Use a 1/2 inch drill with a mixing paddle and drill it up in a 5 gallon bucket. Just make sure you put the water in 1st and then the concrete. Secondly you don't have to mix it so dry. If you mix it a little bit wetter it will be much easier to work and you won't have any voids in your forms. Thirdly and most importantly add extra Portland cement. About a cup per batch. The Quick Crete doesn't have enough cement for strength plus you get a better finish and easier workability. But you did a good job anyway and I hope these tips help!
Thanks for the kind words, Those are some great tips... I actually had access to a cement mixer but I opted for the workout! I needed it. As far as the mix goes, quikrete recommends 3/4 of a gallon per bag, but i found that that was way to little water so I added about another half gallon.... I probably could have added another gallon to boot.. Again, thank you for your tips and comments.
My hat is off to you Sir!! To all the comments.."get a mixer.. use a drill etc etc" the next step would be "just hire someone else" and you are obviously not cut from that cloth!! Hard work is not a bad thing! Pride in getting it done with your 2 bare hands is what this world is missing today. This video should be mandatory to watch in every high school in the country. Gods speed my friend , it looks awesome!!
Thank you for your kind words. Apparently, you watched the complete video, a lot of folks don't before they ask a question or make a statement. You get the gist of the video. God bless.
Hubby & I made the same paths in our large gardens, we also included the cobblestone form, 5 years later they still look awesome, no cracks, no weeds growing through, & best part no need for mesh,etc. It isn't as hard or backbreaking as it might seem.Great vid,
I used the same form and the same dye, but I just used a paintbrush to "stain" the concrete before it completely hardens and I only used a single 10oz bottle for the entire project. Saved some money and the color seems to have lasted a few years.
Thank you for your kind words! After doing about 20 of these forms I figured I'd do one that anyone could understand... Again, thanks for your comment... Like and Share and subscribe if you like.
I did a hundred of these about 10 years ago. Bought a mixer from Harbor freight. Used a bag a square as I wanted it thicker to park my car on besides a walkway. Had to buy 2 forms and cut one to make curves and smaller spaces.
This is by far the best video I have seen on laying Quikrete forms, that is not directly supported by the company. I had the same problem with the same concrete mix being too dry, of course we are under severe drought and it was over 100 degrees when I was pouring. I used the yellow bags shown and came to exactly the same conclusion, a gallon plus a pint of liquid. I decided to put a concrete foundation under my forms, essentially a sidewalk under the forms. Now I am using the Quikrete Pro Finish which has more Portland cement in it, for the forms. I also put down a layer of concrete adhesive to bond the forms to the concrete foundation. So far so good.
Ha Ha, Maybe I should have explained that it was near 100 Degrees when I was doing that project. I opted to place them directly on the ground since it was only going to be used as a walkway.
@@JackTemple the area where I decided to put the pavers grows nothing but weeds and sits in the shade most of the day. We get some really intense rainstorms that cause both locally heavy flooding and a standing water problem in the area where I am installing the walkway, when we are not suffering a severe drought like the one right now. I put a solid foundation in, so in a year the pavers wouldn't be cracking and floating around in the red dirt allowing fire ants to propagate and weeds wouldn't be popping up in the cracks. It also adds stability to the foundation of my house by re-directing the flow of water into the backyard. I didn't really have a set schedule when I poured. I poured the concrete that the walkway forms sit on in three sections. I chose the hottest day of the year (107) to do the largest section, using 24 of the 80 pound bags of the stuff you use in your video. I was told by one of the resident experts at the big box store, to get a better finish with that particular concrete, I could add a shovel full of portland cement to each bag as I mixed it. This is my first concrete project ever, so I upgraded to the Pro-Finish with the fiber in it which is a little more expensive per 80 pound sac. It seems to be easier to work with and leaves a better finish. I am going to do a patio in my front yard next, I will probably used a similar process to the one I am using now: a couple inches of aggregate and 21 pound mesh, with the more expensive Pro-Finish concrete. Something else for your viewers. That Quikrete red dye clumps up in the bottle. To get all the dye out of the first bottle I used rubber gloves and cut the bottle open and soaked it in the water I used for the concrete. The rest of the bottles I have sitting upside down, to get the product to where it will come out instead of clumping inside the bottle.
@@lizpeters5501 it really depends on the temperature and how recently it has rained. We are in a drought conditions again, and I am putting a narrow concrete strip across the back under the fence to keep the larger poisonous snakes out of my backyard. We have seen triple digit temperatures this year in Abilene again with even more severe drought conditions, so definitely I will be using the gallon and a pint. I don't use a machine, I mix it all by hand in a tray you can buy in the section where you buy the concrete at the big box stores. , The additional water makes this process easier, but it also reduces the strength of the concrete. Since this is residential project and I am not driving over it or putting large amounts of weight on it, the gallon and a pint mixture seems to hold up well. If you are in a more humid climate, you might have to give it a little extra time to cure as well. For my project I mix it, pour it and then spray it with the sealant recommended by the company, in 24 hours it is solid enough for what I am doing.
My wife and I just bought a house.. Because of this video we have decided to make a few weekends out of this project in our backyard. This video is awesome! I’m excited for the workout and to make a patio! Thanks!
I love the way this guy says cement as in cment or seement. Watching from Australia. Hope we have something like this here. 😊Thanks for sharing this with us. 😊
Thank you Jack, that was really helpful. My mould arrived yesterday and I've ordered 4 bags of concrete for delivery. Like many countries we are in lockdown in New Zealand which means I dont have to pick them up. Any questions I had have already been asked in the comments which is even better. All I need now is a sunny day to get started. :)
Thank you for this. I will be doing my own this summer and there are a lot of details in this video I haven't found in the others (exactly how much water to add, etc) also you probably just saved me several hours because I had no idea you could remove the form template before letting it cure for a few hours, which will result in hours saved and less waste. Your results are fantastic, BTW. It looks great.
Thank you for your kind words… one of the reasons why I made the video is because I couldn’t find what I was looking for in other videos. Again, Thank you very much…
I was going to do this (no husband around to help)--but after seeing the amount of cement each one requires--it would probably put me in the hospital. I'm glad that I watched your video before I purchased anything. You did a very nice job on this project & your walkway looks great.
In German-speaking countries they dig 3 inches down, compact the earth, fill the whole with split stone/gravel and then put the concrete on top of the whole thing. Is because of the frost I believe. Wondering how the whole thing stays on the ground after a while without such precautions. Wish it was as easy where I live :-D . Looks really nice! Keep up the good work.
The same is done here all over Spanish, Asian, Arabian even the Roman's did the same method only difference here is the weight capacity intended for & how deep are your pockets....
@@albertoplata9964 I’m in the uk and want to do this on my grass. Would you think I would need to dig down,compact the earth fill with gravel/sand/landscape fabric or do you think I could get away with this video method ? X
@@helenclayton8259 you'd be better off using type 1 and kango packing it flat with a membrane underneath the type 1 before applying these forms, type 1 is very cheap, and it's well worth taking the precaution
Thanks i didnt know i could pull the mold away while still wet. I thought i had to wait for each one to dry and i was trying to find a different way to pave but now you just made my project easier and faster for me woohoo great day!
@@JackTemple I'll be doing it tomorrow morning. !!!! Thank you again. This will save me a lot of money and time. And I can just recreate your steps. Omg I'm so happy I found your video you have no idea!!! And what an honor to get a direct reply. 😍👍😌🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
@@burberry_venom Thank you so much for your kind words! The reason that I did the instructional video is because there’s so many online really didn’t explain the steps that you have to take in order to get a good job. Be patient, the first you will be a challenge but then after that, you will do just fine!
I can watch you again and again ( you were patient and very calming on how you explained every detail on how to do this project pathway ( cant wait to make our own ( lets hope it comes out as nice as yours ( hope to see more projects of yours ... thankyou so much ( its people like you that make it all worth watching thankyou .....
Patty J Thank you for your kind words! I decided to do this video after watching several others that I didn’t feel were complete. So after doing about 20 of these I got the feel of how it should be done so I thought it would be best to try and explain in the simplest ways. And of course with video it comes across Fairly simply. After the first few, you will get the hang of it and I’m sure that your walkway will turn out great!
I ordered a concrete mixer earlier today before watching this video ! So glad I bought one holy cow I hate mixing concrete by hand done it plenty of times .
Thank you for this video you did a very good and informative one to boot enough for me to realize that my back and knees would be killing me to the point of not be able to walk for the next several days,so I will be paying someone to do it for me.
Great video. Just a quickie I learned from my father-in-law. He was a brick mason for about 45 years and I used to enjoy watching him. He would knock a couple of holes in his hoe, around 1-1/2" or 2" and it helped no end in mixing the mud.
I just want to thank you for the video it was very detailed. I didn't even think about adding color to the mix just kind of wanted to know the correct way to do it.I thought you had to wait for the concrete to fully cure before removing the form. In addition, the fact that you can make extra bricks from it as well is a bonus just in case you need to address a smaller area than the form itself. Thanks once again as your video did what it was intended to do, EDUCATE!
Thank you very much for your kind words. I did the same thing before I started my project. I found the other how-to videos lacking in some areas and I decided to do a more detailed video without being to redundant. I'm glad you got something out of it.
Thank you for the measurements. It's always hard determine how much water to add when using a garden hose. Ha ha ha great video can't wait to start my walkway
For anyone who wants to do this, I would recommend digging out 3-6 inches under and around where you want to pour your concrete. Tamper down the bare earth. Then fill back to the "normal" level with gravel, tamp that down too. This will help prevent settling in the coming years.
@@JackTemple that's good news. I wish I was as lucky for my sidewalk 😂 but honestly you can do everything the "right" way and still get settlement issues so I can't be too sad. Your sidewalk looks beautiful, good work. I might copy some of this if I replace ours one day
Great job! You also do a great job at demonstrating , and you make it look so easy ,,, Thanks! and I'm glad I came across your video,,, You got me inspired !
Thank you for you kind words. on another note, I ordered 3 of these.... I only used ONE.... you remove the mold as soon as your'er finished so no need to buy more than you need.
This is great. I am going to give this a dirty whirl and see if it will work for me. I'm getting to stepping stone firm rather than the one you have. I saw a really nice combination of the two forms. Thanks for the info.
great video...........calm and fluent, quiet explainin.....no noise ,crazy music........appreciate that.How many bags 50/80 pounder did u use for the 20 molds ?? Thank you again !!
Thank you for your kind words. I used one 80 pound bag per mold. I had a little left over after I finished each mold so I made some extra bricks by filling some of the compartments in the mold, I let them set up... then I used them in areas that didn't need a full mold. good luck on your project
Hello from Lower Hudson Valley NY! Nice job great video. 3 questions: 1. Noticed you didn’t put a compacted base or use gravel for drainage. That a choice or could it be used if need be? 2. If the form creates a solid joint at the bottom, how do you make and separate the single bricks (spares) 3. If you remember What temperature(s) What season do you d the work? (Temperature) Thanks again Gonna try it this spring. God bless
Thank you for your kind words. 1. The ground around my home is mostly clay-based so there was no need for a drainage base. 2. With the leftover concrete, I would fill the ones I wanted to make an extra brick from, thus creating a single brick. Generally, I had enough left out of an 80 lb. bag to fill one or two bricks. I would place the form on bare dirt and leave them till they hardened. 3. The temperature was in the high 90s when I did this. June of 2019 Good luck with your project. God bless...
Took me awhile to find this particular mold. There are tons of other molds available but they don't allow the cement to form a base at the bottom. With the other molds you are basically pouring individual stones, just 5 or 6 at a time.
This is the best tutorial using these forms that I’ve seen yet. I will need to make my pathway 36” wide, so will need two forms for width. Would it be better or easier to do the whole length with only 1 form, and go back to the beginning to make it 2 forms wide once the cement dries? Thanks for taking the time to make this video.
Thank you for your kind words! The way I would do that is to stager them. In other words, do 2 or three in a row, then go back and start at the beginning again. The forms set up fairly quickly if you don't mix the cement to wet. Good luck on l your walkway project.
Thank you for the kind words... all you need do, it smooth it out with a metal finishing trowel. It's not glass smooth, it's concrete smooth... Good luck on your project!
So, I assume you can pick up the individual bricks after you make them. i.e.. they don't stick to the dirt? Sorry, this will be my first attempt at this. Do you then go back when done and fill with sand in crevices? This is perfect solution under a pine tree where I have to leafhog the pine needles. Versus roadbase and pavers like I was thinking. Thanks!
Actually, no... they are not individual bricks They are interconnected. The creases are just that, creases about a 1/4 inch deep. There is no need to fill them in with sand. The forms wont stick to the dirt. You can actually move the cured cement if you needed to, but I don't know why anyone would. I did make extra individual bricks with the left over cement from each form. If you watch the complete video, I explain that.
I find it easier to work with smaller batches at a time. Less to deal with also you're not constantly having to worry about your wet concrete drying up.
End result looks good but that seems like a lot of work doing individual pavers. Seems to me you could pour a normal sidewalk and stamp the sections as it sets up.
