1mo ago

Concrete project, feasible or not?

Hi Lemmy,

I want to do a project that involves concrete. Basically I am making steps, giving them texture and stamping them so it looks somewhat like stones.

I have watched a million videos and I feel I can tackle this, plus I have a lot of areas to practice that won't be too visible so if the steps look a bit amateur it's fine.

My biggest question is about the effort of mixing concrete. I have a corded drill with a mixing paddle and most steps won't require much. However a few are larger and I would have to mix 10 bags or so. The drying time allows me to work one at a time and then do my stamping but I was wondering if this is feasible from an effort perspective.

I am an experienced DIYer but have not worked much with concrete, I made a coffee table, post bases, etc but never something that requires so many bags... am I setting myself up for failure / a broken back? hehehe

10 comments

Definitely rent a concrete mixer for this project, your wrists will thank you! I did a similar patio project last summer and tried the drill method for the first batch - big mistake lol. Concrete is deceptively heavy and 10 bags would be brutal on your body. A small mixer rental is like $50/day and makes the job 10x easier, plus gives you more consistent results for your stamps.
- Thanks for your feedback!
  The issue with the rental is logistics but i can buy a mixer for this project anyway and recoup a bit reselling it after (or keep it, don't tell my wife)
  I already have the drill and will trysit on a small step for my shed, 4 bags or so, plannig to do 2 at a time to test so I'll have a real life try to gauge
from my experience of mixing 4-5 bags a day for several weeks, the drill option is cheap, but the lateral drag got quickly heavy on the wrists. You can rent a concrete mixer for probably not too much money at a hardware store, or use a cheap dedicated device https://www.amazon.com/s?k=handheld+cement+mixer
we use the concrete mixer when mixing cement and shoveling sand to make big quantities to pour slabs, and the handheld to mix quickcrete bags in a bassin for laying bricks and other smaller tasks
- Thanks for your reply!
  I will likely make 1 step per month or so (I'd like one step to be fully dry before moving on to the next). The initial steps I will practice with are single steps to the shed and side door (back of the house) which are not very visible. If I dare, I would do some steps in the front of the house, these are larger but only 4 of them so I have the luxury to dismantle and pour one at a time a allow them to dry fully before moving on to the next.
  Those mixers seem cheap, if they are better than my drill I would not mind getting one.
  Finally, I can buy a concrete mixer (something not fully pro but I believe enough for this project) and then sell it after the project to recover some of the money as I can't imagine I would to tons of concrete work after this. (wife already approved that idea since contracting to do these steps is SUPER expensive)
  
  You will save a lot of money doing it yourself, artisans are pricy, and usually you also need to understand their job to be able to check if it was done right.
  We bought all the equipment because we do stuff for a couple of hours early in the morning or after work, so renting wouldn't be worth the trouble. everything's going back on craigslist when we're done.
  Even if there are small imperfections, the satisfaction of doing something with your own hands gives so much pride and confidence, it's worth it.
  Every time we finish something, that's pretty much the point where we acquired enough experience, that doing it again would feel comfortable/easy, and then we never do xD
How strong of a drill are we talking here? I can’t imagine any cordless model can mix much concrete, but I also haven’t done anything with concrete before
- This is what I have.. it's corded, not cordless
  https://www.rona.ca/en/product/bosch-5-8-in-360-rotatable-d-handle-corded-drill-mixer-700-rpm-90-a-motor-gbm9-16bn-19836315
  To mix 1 bag it's not a problem... I would probably stick to a bag at a time
It's definitely feasible, go for it :)
I would only recommend against dry pour, as it takes more experience to get it done properly, otherwise you run the risks of having a brittle concrete that will look terrible in a few years, specially on steps, which have constant friction
See Pouring a DRY vs WET Concrete Slab:
https://yewtu.be/watch?v=3D11YX_DhZA
https://youtu.be/3D11YX_DhZA
- thanks so much for your comment and encouragement

10 comments