Concrete patio floor installation

Much of the Jackson metro sits on Yazoo clay, which swells when wet and shrinks when dry. A patio poured on a thin or poorly compacted base is the one that cracks and settles. We dig out, build and compact a proper base, form the slab, pour and finish it.

Once it has cured, a new patio can be left natural, given concrete staining for color, or coated.

Every job starts with a site visit. We measure, look at the ground, the drainage and how the patio meets the house, then give you a free written estimate with the timings in writing.

What is included

What every job includesTap to collapse

• Site visit, layout and measurement
• Free written estimate
• Excavation and compacted gravel base
• Forming and reinforcement
• Pour and broom or smooth finish
• Control joints and slope away from the house
• Light-use and full-strength times in writing
• Workmanship guarantee

Patio layout and planning

A patio is easier to get right on paper than to fix in concrete. On the site visit we mark out the size and shape with you, check where doors open and steps land, and look at how you plan to use the space: a table and chairs, a grill, a walkway to the yard.

We also look at where water goes now. The way rain runs off the roof and across the yard shapes the slope of the slab and where it can safely sit.

Excavation and a compacted base on Yazoo clay

Yazoo clay moves. After a wet spell it swells and lifts, and in a dry summer it shrinks and pulls away. Concrete poured straight onto that soil goes up and down with it, and that is where cracked, tilted patios come from.

We excavate the area, remove soft soil and roots, and build a gravel base that is compacted in layers. The base spreads the load, lets water drain away from under the slab and gives the concrete an even, stable surface to sit on. It is the part of the job you never see once the patio is poured, and the part that matters most here.

How a patio installation runs

From layout to curing, most patio jobs follow the same steps.

• Layout and measurement, marked out on the ground
• Excavation and removal of soft soil
• Gravel base placed and compacted in layers
• Forms set to the finished height and slope
• Reinforcement placed in the slab
• Concrete poured, leveled and finished
• Control joints cut or tooled to manage cracking
• Curing, with forms stripped and the site cleaned up

Control joints, slope and drainage

All concrete shrinks a little as it cures and moves with temperature. Control joints are planned lines in the slab that give that movement somewhere to go, so cracks form in a straight line inside the joint instead of wandering across the patio. We space them to suit the size and shape of the slab.

Every patio we pour slopes gently away from the house. Water should run off the surface and away from the foundation, never back toward the door or the slab under the house. In a place with heavy Mississippi downpours, getting the slope right is as important as the concrete itself.

Pouring and curing concrete in Mississippi heat

Concrete needs water to cure and gain strength. In Jackson summer heat, the surface can dry out too fast, which weakens the top of the slab and invites surface cracking. We schedule pours for the cooler part of the day where we can and keep the new slab from drying out too quickly while it cures.

Rain is the other risk. A heavy shower on fresh concrete can mark the finish, so we watch the forecast and plan the pour around it.

When you can use your new patio

Concrete keeps getting stronger for weeks after it is poured. Plan on about 7 days before light use such as patio furniture and regular foot traffic, and about 28 days before the slab reaches full strength. Heavy items, such as a large grill station or a hot tub, should wait for full strength.

We give you the exact times for your patio in writing, since weather and temperature during the cure can move them a little.

Options after cure: stain, coat or leave it natural

A plain broom finish is practical, slip resistant and easy to live with. If you want color, concrete staining works into the new slab and is sealed to protect it from sun and rain. If you want a uniform, easy to clean surface, an epoxy floor coating is another option for covered areas.

Either way, the slab needs to cure before anything goes on it, so finishes are applied after the concrete has had its time. If you are also thinking about the garage, a garage floor epoxy coating can often be planned around the same visit.

Every floor carries our workmanship guarantee. Where the coating product carries manufacturer coverage, we pass that along too.