What Can Go Wrong Pouring a Concrete Walkway?

Leveling

• Not all concrete walkways are going to be on completely level, flat ground, but the preparation of the site still is critical. If you don't level the concrete to the top of the form boards before the stuff hard-sets, you can end up with a lumpy, wavy walkway that is difficult to walk on. Lack of proper leveling technique after the pour is one thing that can go wrong with a walkway project.

Workers

• Another area that can cause trouble to rear its ugly head during a concrete pour is to have too few workers on hand. Remember that when concrete is ready, it's ready. The process of pouring, raking, shaping and leveling has to be done quickly as the concrete flows, or expect a disaster in the finished product. Two little manpower can result in concrete beginning to harden before it has been properly spread, which can cause cracks or weakness in the walkway.

Temperatures

• If it's a hot summer day, the temptation might arise to add water to the concrete mixture to keep it elastic. This is not a good idea. This corrupts the original recipe and causes the concrete to never reach its full strength after setting. Cold temperatures, below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, also can prevent the chemical process from occurring that gives concrete strength. In either event, you might end up with a walkway that cracks, crumbles or falls apart in chunks.

Blowout

• Before a concrete pour, a perimeter of boards, called forms, is laid in place to define the outer edges of where the final walkway will be. If these boards are not of adequate strength and heft to stand up to the incredible weight of wet concrete being added, one or more might splinter or collapse, allowing concrete to run out into the yard or elsewhere. You have to stop the pour to repair the form, which could force the whole project to stop for the day. Make sure your form boards are heavily reinforced with stakes driven deep into the ground.