If you live in a private house, then concreting the site for you will become a priority after the construction of the dwelling. Concreting the yard with your own hands must be done, following a certain technology. The work will require the implementation of several stages.
The need to fill the yard
If the yard is concreted, then it will be easier to look after the territory, dirt will not accumulate on the surface, in addition, you will not have to periodically cope with weeds. In winter, this area will be quite simple to clear of snow. You should also pay attention to the fact that on a flat, but not concreted surface from the influence of the wheels of the machine, bumps, troughs are formed in which water can accumulate. This is especially true if not only cars, but also trucks will drop into the yard. Do-it-yourself concreting of the courtyard will be very simple, this will allow to ennoble the territory, and set benches nearby, plant flower beds, as well as arrange other decorative elements. It is important to comply with all stages of work and follow the recommendations of specialists to ensure the strength and evenness of the future site.
Preparatory work
Initially, it will be necessary to carefully level the site, but first get rid of the topsoil, eliminating the roots of the grass. After that, preparation from crushed stone is laid on the rammed bottom, which will also need to be compacted as much as possible, a small layer of sand is poured on top. The thickness of the crushed stone layer should be approximately 20 cm, but not less. Most often, this layer is made even more massive, using, in addition to crushed stone, a brick fight, construction debris, the remains of concrete pavement, etc.
If concreting the yard with your own hands will be carried out on soil that is sufficiently high hardness, as well as the absence of grass, you can exclude the use of crushed stone. But if it is used, a plastic film can be laid on top, which will serve as a layer that excludes the interaction of concrete and water. Among other things, such preparation will eliminate the germination of grass. At the edges of the prepared site, you need to install the formwork using steel strips or concrete borders, if you have the latter available. If it is planned to establish zones for flower beds inside the concrete site, then formwork should also be installed in those zones.
Lighthouse
Do-it-yourself concreting of the courtyard will not be possible with high quality unless lighthouses are installed. This is done at the stage of laying crushed stone in the pillow. It is recommended to apply a horizontal level in order to level the site. After all the area you need to install lighthouses, which will act as a guide when filling the yard. For this, it is preferable to use plaster beacons made of a thin profile, between which a thin rope is stretched. Between the beacons must be laid fittings. It is better to use a special mesh, based on a thick wire. The sharp edges of the reinforcement must be folded down. Reinforcement will be the main way to ensure the integrity of the coating, this will eliminate or minimize the formation of cracks.
Mixing solution
If you are concreting the yard with your own hands, the steps and nuances need to be studied in advance. Thus, the master needs to know that the preparation of the solution acts as the most critical stage. You should not save on raw materials, use low-quality cement, kneading it in insufficient quantities. This will cause two years later the condition of the yard will be deteriorated and repairs will be required. For work, it is recommended to use concrete grade M300, sand and gravel should be used in proportions of 1 to 2. It is necessary to mix concrete thoroughly until it is possible to obtain a mass that is uniform throughout the volume.
Pouring concrete
If you are concreting the yard with your own hands at sub-zero temperatures, then you need to add plasticizers to the solution, which will provide not so quick hardening of the mixture. Concrete should be laid with a shovel between two adjacent beacons located nearby, and concrete should hide them by a few millimeters. Then, using a spatula, which has a suitable width, you need to get rid of excess concrete. Why the rail is installed perpendicular to two beacons and moves along them like on rails.
Final processing
If you want, then on top of concrete you can apply a coating that consists of polymer cement, this will strengthen the composition. Such treatment is especially important for areas that will be most heavily subjected to stress, this applies to corners and edges.
Processing can be done in two ways. The first involves the need to pour out the finished mixture after leveling concrete. The mixture must be soaked in wet weight. The second application technology involves the need to remove small strips of concrete surface, the depth of which is equal to 1 centimeter. It is necessary to fill in the same mixture in the obtained depression as in the first case, however, it must first be diluted with water. After the final hardening, which will happen in a day, the surface will need to be cleaned from traces of a spatula.
Concrete recommendations for the yard
Do-it-yourself concreting of the yard, the photo of which is presented in the article, should be made taking into account the use of exclusively high-quality ingredients. Thus, the quality of sand affects the final physical and mechanical characteristics of concrete. It is recommended to use coarse sand, which contains a minimum amount of clay impurities. In order to analyze the quality of the filler, you need to place it in a plastic bottle pre-filled with clean water, then everything should be mixed and left for a while. If the water became muddy and the mud did not settle, this indicates that there are a lot of silty sediments and clay in the sand.
If you are concreting the yard of a private house with your own hands, then it is necessary to further strengthen the structure by ironing. Why on concrete, which began to harden, you need to pour out clean cement in a small amount, and then grind it on the surface using a spatula or trowel. In order to maintain the humidity level of concrete, a coating containing hygroscopic salts that can absorb moisture from the environment can be used. But it is worth remembering that at low air humidity, these salts will absorb moisture from concrete. As a protective measure, the concrete surface will become white. This will eliminate the excessive heating of concrete under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. Due to the fact that cracks in concrete are most often formed at the junction of areas that were filled and hardened at different times, concrete should be laid as soon as possible. If the concreting of the courtyard of a private house was carried out using reinforcing mixtures, then pouring water into these places after the concrete has hardened should not be. This may cause the topping to peel off.
Drainage
If you yourself concreting the yard of a private house, the formation of drains must be ensured. To do this, at the preparation stage, it is necessary to provide for a slight slope of the surface, as well as install grooves at the edges. Despite the fact that concrete loves water, the presence of a drain should not be ruled out so that moisture does not constantly stand on the surface. In order to make grooves, you need to lay the pipes on the hardening concrete and crush them with heavy objects. After the concrete has hardened, the pipes are removed, and depressions remain in their place.
Temperature seams
If you are concreting the yard with your own hands, temperature joints on the surface should be formed. They should be clean and straight. Such manipulations are necessary only after the concrete begins to gain strength, which will eliminate the damage to the surface, otherwise arbitrary cracks may form. Cutting, as a rule, is carried out by a tool for the formation of seams. This must be done no earlier than one day and no later than 72 hours after completion of the surface finish. Wet cutting can also be carried out, which is true for soft concrete, such conditions occur 4-12 hours after finishing. Do not neglect the rules.