Landscaping 101: Tips On Using Ready Mix Concrete

by TRP Ready Mix on August 12, 2016

Updating your home’s landscaping is a great way to not only create an inviting space for your family, but also to boost curb appeal and send your property value skyrocketing. Whether you plan to add a new walkway leading to the front door, a backyard patio for grilling or even a new basketball court for the kids, ready mix concrete is a great product to go to.

Ready mix is versatile, cost effective and fairly forgiving; it’s a product that both experienced contractors and weekend handymen can use with relative ease. However user-friendly it may be though, using ready mix still requires a bit of know- how to get it just right.

Here are a few tips on using ready mix concrete for virtually any outdoor project:

Order more than you need. Imagine this: it’s a sunny Saturday afternoon and you’re moving steadily through your project of the day, which is to construct a new patio for the backyard. You’ve built the frame, cleared the ground and started pouring the ready mix concrete – but then you realize you don’t have enough. In fact, you aren’t even close. Now, you’re stuck with two options: you either shovel the ready mix back out, or you live with a half-done patio – because once that stuff cures, there’s no going back.

No one wants to have to deal with the issue of not having enough product to get the job done, so do yourself a favour and just order more than you think you’ll need. A good rule is to order five to 10 per cent more than you’ve calculated for the project.

Check the forecast. Ready mix concrete is not in itself very finicky to use, but it does do its best work when the weather is just right. When pouring ready mix, you want a nice, sunny day that isn’t too humid. While the product needs a bit of moisture to cure, you don’t want it saturated with water either, so if there’s rain in the forecast for the next seven days be sure to purchase a tarp.

Welcome extra help. Ready mix concrete is fairly simple to use, but you do have to be quick, and so extra help is always welcome. Once the ready mix is poured, you’ll have to do several things, like floating and brushing, in quick succession, and that can be hard to do alone. Don’t be afraid to hire (or bribe) your friends into helping you out in exchange for a nice barbeque dinner, and be sure to help them out they next time they ask you.