- 1). Plan the location and dimensions of the sidewalk. If the sidewalk needs to accommodate wheelchair traffic, or meet Americans with Disability Guidelines, plan for a five-foot-wide sidewalk. Sidewalks should never be built narrower than two feet. Mark the outline of the planned sidewalk with spray paint on the ground.
- 2). Excavate the sod from the planned sidewalk area. Also remove the soil and sod about six inches on each side of the planned sidewalk to allow room to work. Remove the sod from the work area.
- 3). Place the forms along the edges of the planned sidewalk. Sidewalks are commonly four inches thick, so 2-by-4-inch lumber works well. Drive wood stakes into the ground on the outside of the sidewalk forms about every four feet.
- 4). Level the forms using a four-foot carpenter’s level. Create a slope of about one inch, four feet away from the building to accommodate water drainage. Place the end of the level on the form next to the building and elevate the other end until level. The distance between the form and the end of the level should be one inch. Fasten the forms to the stakes using 8d nails driven through the stakes into the forms.
- 5). Pour the concrete into the forms. Depending on the equipment and situation, the concrete can come directly from the truck or be moved to the site with a wheelbarrow. Use rakes or shovels to roughly level the concrete with the edges of the forms.
- 6). Use a screed, a straight board placed across the top of the forms, to level and smooth the concrete. Move the screed back and forth as you slide it along the form tops.
- 7). Trowel the concrete to further smooth the finish. The trowel action also pushes aggregate down into the concrete mix, producing a stronger material.
- 8). Apply a broom finish, if desired, to provide a less slippery surface. Move a stiff push broom across the surface of the sidewalk.
- 9). Finish the sidewalk using an edge trowel, a specially designed trowel to round the top edge of the concrete, and a groove trowel to place the grooves every four to five feet in the cement.
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