Do you cringe when the garbage truck ends up on your driveway? Are you holding your breath when you have two cars parked on it? Are you worried that your patio will crack when you bring home that brand new and very large barbeque you’ve been dreaming about? Is your concrete strong enough to cut it?

Concrete can be a mystery to homeowners. Chances are, you bought your house with the concrete already installed. What’s inside it? How thick is it? What’s in there?

Let’s clear up some of that mystery.

How is concrete poured?

To get an idea of how strong your concrete is, it’s a good idea to take a look at how concrete is installed in the first place. 

1. Dig! – Usually, your licensed concrete contractor will dig a hole the size and shape of the concrete they’re going to pour – a rectangular slab, a rounded patio, etc. They dig down about an inch farther than the thickness of the concrete. So, if your concrete is going to be four inches thick, the hole is five inches deep. If you’re installing six-inch deep concrete, the hole will be seven inches deep.

2. Road Base – The contractor will spread and compact gravel or crushed concrete to provide a base for your concrete. 

3. Hose it down! – After the road base is compacted, the licensed concrete contractor will soak the entire ground. Why? That soil is thirsty. You don’t want the soil to suck all the moisture out of the concrete. That will make the concrete crack almost immediately. That’s why it’s critical to soak that road base before moving on to step…

4. Reinforcement – It’s time to encourage that concrete to be the strongest it can be. Kidding. After the road base is soaked, rebar or mesh will be installed. This is to reinforce the concrete and make it even stronger than it naturally is. Reinforcement also allows the concrete to shift over time without cracking. 

5. Pouring time! – Finally, the concrete is poured. This is the time to add any fancy finishes, like stamping and staining, or just a plain broom finish. 

6. Curing time – But wait! There’s more. After your concrete is poured, you want to make sure it cures correctly. If we’re in the middle of one of our summer heat waves, you want to water your concrete everyday for two to three days, to ensure it doesn’t dry too fast and, you guessed it, crack. 

If you’re looking into pouring concrete at your home, it’s a good rule of thumb to hire a licensed concrete contractor. Licensed concrete contractors have studied concrete and have an excellent understanding of how to correctly install concrete under every condition you can think of. 

How thick does my concrete patio or driveway need to be in Los Angeles?

There are many factors to discuss with your licensed concrete contractor when you’re deciding how thick your concrete should be. Basically, it comes down to use. What are you using your concrete surface for? The more traffic or the heavier the thing you’re placing on your concrete, the more likely it is that you should pour a thicker layer of concrete. 

In general, for your patio, you can pour 4 inches of concrete and you’ll be fine. For a driveway, you can get away with 4 inches of concrete. That’s if you have regular cars and trucks parked on the driveway. 

Of course, with your patio and your driveway, you want to make sure that rebar and mesh is installed with your concrete to better reinforce it. Remember, concrete expands in the heat and contracts when it’s cold. You want that concrete reinforcement to make sure the concrete stays in place when it’s expanding. You don’t want to end up with cracks in your concrete.

But what if you’re parking an RV on that concrete? What about commercial trucks? If you are planning on parking an RV or a commercial truck on your driveway, you are most definitely going to need more reinforcement. 

First of all, you want to install as much rebar as you can. You also want to pour six inches of concrete. The thicker concrete has more compressive strength, allowing it to accommodate a heavier weight load. Remember, commercial trucks are the destroyers of concrete driveways. They will completely crush unreinforced concrete. You don’t want that. Go for the thicker, reinforced concrete for commercial vehicles and RVs. 

Now, I know what you must be thinking. How long does it take for six inches of concrete to dry? Will it be a year before I can park my RV on it? Not to worry. It takes about the same amount of time to dry six inches of concrete as it does four inches – two to three days. 

How much does it cost for a concrete patio or driveway?

When working with a licensed concrete contractor, you can expect to pay about $10 to $14 per square foot for any slab that is four inches deep. Need that thicker, more reinforced concrete slab? You’re looking at $14 to $17 per square foot. 

Those prices are for your basic gray slab. Try out different finishes to turn that basic slab into something more special. 

Looking for something that looks more luxe? You may want to consider stamped and stained concrete. Concrete is one of the most versatile building materials. So versatile, in fact, that you can make it look and feel like almost any other building material – from stone slate to wood or even brick. The good news is, you can stamp and stain concrete even when it’s six inches thick! If you’re thinking of going this route, it’s going to cost about $15 to $20 per square foot. 

Ready to pour some concrete? Give us a call today for a free quote.