FORMULA FOR HOW MUCH CONCRETE YOU NEED ⬇️ Multiply - Length x width x height in feet and divide by 27. This will give you the cubic yards. Then divide that number by .022. That is the cubic yards in an 80 lbs bag of concrete.

Professional concrete form carpenter here: Concrete finishing can be tricky and large projects can quickly get out of hand when you have a fast cure. You have essentially eliminated the two greatest pitfalls for the first timer. Love the paint roller. Well done.

45 year construction vet upnawth in Virginia here - I can't see not laying 4 inch or smaller mesh or making such a pad less than 4 inches thick, but if it works - I say good for y'all down there. But ONE THING that is important to point out and that is the dust in concrete is very, very bad because it is so very fine and it's like inhaling tiny bits of glass that go deep into your lungs and don't come out. What I always did was put on safety glasses and pull my arms out of my t-shirt and pulled it up so the neck of my t-shirt went under my eyes and I tied the sleeves behind my head, which covered it all with the t-shirt hanging down my back like the Sheikh of Araby. Beneath that I had on a dust mask. Also, concrete and mortar dust is really bad for your skin - it'll suck the oil right out, and it is a strong alkali. So what I always did was apply Palmer's Shea Butter to my hands and wrists. I suggest having a squirrel-tail brush to dust yourselves off with and laying the bags on the ground and cutting them open to minimize the concrete dust that gets stirred up. I always keep a 5 gallon bucket half full of water to plunge my hands in to get the dust off. It's a good idea to have such a bucket of warm water on hand for drywall or painting work, also. What's most important is you enjoyed doing the project together and are pleased with what you made. That's all that counts.

Beautiful work, what’s more beautiful is loving husband and wife working together and encouraging others to try new things ♥️ love the accent too

Extremely helpful videos !!! I survive off of KZfaq videos lol. After my husband passed away I’ve learned not to rely on anyone but myself so videos like these are much appreciated!! Thanks so much !!❤

You shared your tips with us. I'll drop mine while passing trough. ;-) - Given the chance, park your truck closer to the pouring site. Less dragging of all that weight. - When dumping the bags content, don't cut the top of the bag. Cut it in the middle lay on the ground. And lift both sides equally. Less weight (again). ;-) - Last but not least. Unless you're in a rush, leave the forms in place for a longer time. Even a week, or more if it's a large concrete pour! Reason being that it preserve moist, allowing for a better cure. And better than that. When the concrete cure/dry it will contract and release from the form, naturally. Less cracks or potential for damage. Less work also. Hope you enjoy my "lazy" tips. Cheers

I almost cried at the end when y’all said something like don’t be scared, try it, get creative. I’m a home improvement gal who had no dad after age 10. You Tube helps me get courageous. Keep inspiring people like me. ❤️ from Nashville, TN.

We just have enclosed our patio and I have been planning to build a concrete ramp in front of the door. This video is an inspiration and huge encouragement... this tells me I can do it myself and not spend a lot of money paying someone. Thank you very much! You have a new fan in Northwest Florida!

Been around construction all my life I’m 71 years old and today I say that is so true your never to old to learn something new great job thanks for sharing loved it

I built a brick sidewalk using dry concrete. I set all the bricks an inch apart in a pattern, poured the dry concrete, swept it into the spaces and watered her down. That was about 30 years ago and there have been no problems.

I absolutely love it! My husband was a builder for 30 years and we always worked together like this for home projects. He passed away last month from a brain tumor. Blessings to you both!

Wow, just wow! How I wish I'd known how to do this years ago. The hours I've spent mixing spreading, sore hands, covered in cement mud, the clean up, all of it. I just want to hug you both!!! Absolutely brillaint. ❤

Thanks for this video! I am currently in the process of dry pouring following your steps. This was easy to follow. Sir you have a voice that gently implores people to listen to you. Explore that and thanks again.

We have a large patio and walkway of flagstone that the sand between the stones was basically gone. We had someone give us a $2000 quote to repair it. I saw your video about the dry concrete and we removed all the old stuff ourself and poured dry mix in all the joints and topped with a 1/2” layer of polymer sand to match the stone better. It has gone thru one zone 6a winter and it is beautiful. We spent less than $100. Thanks so much for the tip!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH. I saw your videos and I decided to Dry pour my patio slab 11X15 110 bags of 80lbs. It was a lots of work took me 4 days but It came out Great. You guys are Amazing Im turning 70 years next month and i am going to have friends over for a Barbeque and Happy times once again YOU ARE AMAZING THANK YOU

We just did a slab to put our new wood rack on. It turned out awesome!! Thanks so much for all the great tips!!

We (My son and I) tried this method over the weekend. I cannot wait to remove the forms. He hated the many times we had to scree, but I think he will be proud he helped create an awesome patio in the front of our house. Thank you so much! We deliberately made it thick as we live in NE Ohio. .cold and alot of snow. Be well.

As an engineer on several large construction projects I have inspected a lot of concrete placed and finished and this is the slickest method that I have seen for a light application like a sidewalk or a pad. That final paint roller finish method is genius !!

Love that paint roller trick! Minor tip - position the unopened bag in the form, so all you have to do is score the bottom of the bag with a blade and lift up, then spread - will save you the risk of spilling outside the form!

Great video. This has given me exactly what I needed to get my own concrete idea done for my backyard. Great work!!!

My daughter and son-in-law have something that need done and this will help us immensely that we can do it ourselves. Thank you for the video.

I drove a concrete mixer for several years and this is a first! One thing that I did learn about concrete finishing by watching the finishers in my rear view mirror is that finishers like concrete to be very wet because the concrete is easier to work with. However, excessive water weakens concrete and causes it to crack. Your dry method is a lot drier and therefore allows the concrete to be stronger when it dries. You folks may be new to KZfaq, but you all did a great job! I look forward to seeing more of your videos and I would love to have more good people like you as neighbors. Great job guys!

I am a seventy-one year old widow. With help from my DIL we completed a 3’x7’ slab in a few hours. It looks great. Thank you so much for a great couple of videos on dry pouring concrete. Anyone can do this!!

I live in the uk I am a retired construction worker and there is nothing that I couldn't do after 58 years. I loved watching this THANKS. BARRY

Great job I never realized you could pour concrete dry like that. I was told many years ago, the longer you keep concrete wet and keep it from drying, the stronger it gets. I poured concrete stairs in a restaurant basement and kept the concrete wet for 5 days. To this day (40 years ago) there's not a single chip or a crack, and it's as hard as steel.

I'm a tower Crane Operator of 23 years & all I do is pour. So naturally when ever I pour a slab around the house I use the same method as I've seen for so long & spend thousands doing it. I stumbled across this video today & I gotta say I kinda want my money 💰 back 😆 🤣 Thanks for sharing

I thought I was the only one when I realized how easy it was to do dry pour concrete I made sidewalks, slabs, I went concrete crazy LOL. So easy and you're right I poured one slab up to 6 in thick and it hasn't cracked ,saged, deteriorated,at all. over 10 years now. Best kept secret in concrete.

Me and my brother's work together every day pouring concrete slabs and footers and driveways patios sidewalks we do anything and everything but working with family it's hard sometimes but being around my brother's and my nephew every day working it's a blessing

WOW. This is by far the best method I've seen used for DIY concrete projects. I'm definetly going to be testing this method out for an upcoming project.

You guys have just saved me so much money and stress. I’m a 5’-1” female @ 112 pounds, but try and do all I can in my own to save money and make my house and yard pretty. I’ve done toilets, sinks, floors, paint, coffee tables, tile, but I have been so afraid to try concrete at all cost. I’m not strong enough to carry giant tubs of wet concrete, etc. I don’t have the money to pay a contractor. I can not wait to try a small slab in my yard for practice and thenI might jump head first into my sidewalks😃 this is my first video I’ve watched of you guys and I love it!!! There have been so many things when I started out 20 years ago without all the videos online that I didn’t know what I was doing, but I did it anyhow and learned from my mistakes. Now that I have people like you guys. I’m gonna kick butt! We can’t be afraid to try things or I would have never remodeled the entire interior of my house and some of the outside. Your channel is my new tv for the summer. Thank you so much for this idea!!!! BTW I love that you don’t get angry at the chickens and roosters and laugh when they crow. It made me laugh every time they did it and saw your smile

I have to admit...I need to rethink pouring concrete now. I didn't think it was going to turn out right, but I was proven wrong. I'm sold on this method! 💯 It looks amazing.

I've poured my fair share of concrete in the military & it's a lot of work. This is mind-blowing how much less back-breaking work & mess there is. I'm trying this soon! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for creating and sharing a nice and helpful video. I have been dry filling support posts for fences and decks for years but never attempted a large area slab. Since you were so kind to share I will pass along a trick to you. After you mark and frame your area (remembering to measure from corner to corner to maintain square) place most of your sealed bags of concrete in the location and number that corresponds with the volume required (ie more bags where the slab is thicker fewer where it is thinner), when you think you have it about right cut the bottom of the bags (not the top) and pull the bag off. This allows for less lifting and dumping, correspondingly less dust and drift and keeps much of the aggregate away from the top for an easily smoother surface. (It also keeps the dust out of your Crocs and prevents your foot sweat from making concrete in your shoes). Thanks again

After seeing your first video on this , we used this method for our 12' x 20' shed . We went about 3" deep and used wire mesh in it . That shed is now storing thousands of pounds of old parts in it and no issues . Thank you very much for sharing this with us .

The fact you could pressure wash the slab after 1 1/2 years and it not fall apart is a great indication of the slab integrity. I used this same method for the grouting between the bricks on my patio, and 8 years later, it still looks good.

So glad I came upon your video. I’m definitely going to do this!

You are so clear, specific & well spoken with your details! Great job !!

Cool! When I was a kid, I read in Popular Science magazine an article about using dry concrete mix to make concrete slab sidewalks just like your project. The author of the article claimed that this method resulted in stronger concrete than a wet pour. Nice to actually see your work successfully demonstrating this method all these years later.

Been in the construction industry for going on 12 years and never seen this done before. When I first started watching and saw you form up the 2x4s the “wrong way” and without any stakes. I was like oh no. Than I kept watching. Learn something new everyday and while this wouldn’t work for all applications it works well for any application that won’t have a lot of weight on it. Pretty much you made one large paver. Thanks for sharing, great video. Your absolutely right about taking risks and trying new things. Creativity and taking chances is good for the soul. One tip I could offer is you can use stakes to support the forms just cut them off flush with the forms with a sawzall after you screw them to the forms or pound them in until they are flush with the top of the form.

did my first patch today after installing cleanout under sidewalk. I was having doubts until doing the edging and paint roller, then the magic happens. so far so good and so easy

I followed this for a 8'x8' 3.5" deep and it worked great! Thanks for sharing!

Great job. I'm 62 years old . Disabled and need to do some concrete slabs . I love this ideal . This is the way to go . For someone on fixed income . And the handyman ability. Thank you so much. Loved watching . Thank you

For a quick sod cutter, use an old blade on your circular saw, set deep-,cuts a nice straight line-repeat every shovel width then slide shovel under each row- sod comes right up-easy-peasy !!!

I own the home repair business for about 10 years and I love the way y'all do y'all's jobs y'all do such great work

Thank you guys for this video. I've been going backing and forth on whether I should dry pour or wet....and now after watching this video I know that dry pour is for me...And It will save me and my wife a whole lot of money. Awesome video. Thanks.

I did a patio slab 23 years ago like this, it is still good uncracked to this day.

I was skeptical at first been a concrete finisher for 25 years I have never seen this before you guys taught me something new today. Look great

I'm planning to do a lot of slab-work by myself when I move to my new farm land. Your dry-pour method will make things go much easier for me doing this solo or just with a friend! Thank you!

I have to say I am impressed! I have never seen this method done in 30+ years in the construction industry. Great job! Now you can come to South Carolina and do a patio in my back yard. For real..

I poured a slab for my 5x10 shed in the backyard after seeing your first video last year. No issues and it looks great. 😊

THIS is what the whole world needs to see....Family working together! Great video!

BRILLIANT! I've always wondered why dry concrete couldn't be mixed within the forms... rather than pre-mixing and then pouring...

Thank you for the video I have a sidewalk slab I have to pour I wasn't looking forward to mixing all that concrete looks like a pretty good way to go I'm going to try it much appreciation

My mom taught me this years ago. She poured a slab for a shed by using a truck bed to get close, cut the bags then empty it on the ground. She couldn't carry the bags. It's lasted for well over a decade. Didn't think about dry smoothing it though. Great job guys!

Im new to home ownership and i have alotta stuff i wanna do, country living. Yall have inspired me. Thank you soooo much.

Now i feel comfortable doing dry cement slabs in my back yard…. Thank you

I used to build fences and I would often dry pour my posts, and then water them all at the end of the post grade. I never had a problem and 25 years later those fences still stand straight as an arrow. Great job!! Never again will I mix concrete.

I'm a brick, block, and stone mason, but I do some concrete work too. This is actually amazing, honestly. I don't know why I haven't seen this done already or thought of it myself. It's easy enough that anyone can do it, and i guarantee it's just as strong as the traditional way too, for smaller pads. I would just make them no thinner than 3- 1/2 to 4". Especially if you live in colder climates with freeze and thaw issues. Well done!!

We are "older" homesteaders (chicken farmers) but this was very encouraging - we bought a mixerva few years ago but with our back problems (sooooo much work) !! Thank you for this !!

Thank you so much for your videos. Being a DIYer myself, I have learned a lot from your videos. My next project is extending my patio and building a shed. The dry pour method is new to me, but if I have a smaller project, I will remember this video! I like to see people creating!

Worked concrete on and off my whole life. And learned stuff I've never even thought of!! Trying to think where I need a slab right now!!

As a kid my Dad dry packed fence posts but never seen it done on a slab before. I love the positivity and words of wisdom at the end. Well done ya'll!

Thank you, Great project, Great job

I live in Buckner AR I just found you!!!!!! I am almost finished restoring a tiny house you have just inspired me so much!!!! I love to be inspired by out side of the box people.

Well, I’ll be gobsmacked! Never would have thought concrete mix would set up this way. Not only timesaving, but you avoid the effort of mixing up wet concrete with a mixer or by hand with a shovel. And by the way, you have solved my problem of how to grout a 1000 square feet of laid brick. Instead of working the wet grout into the spaces between the bricks, I can pour dry mix onto the surface, carefully sweep it into the cracks, and then lightly mist with water. This will also save time and effort by not having to remove wet grout from the bricked surface. Perhaps I’ll do a KZfaq video of the process and with y’all.

This was so helpful, I'm 65 years old and wanted to put a walk way in front of my tiny house. I know I can do this. Thanks for the step by step video.

This was a phenomenal video and the information is priceless, I have a two formal degrees a JD and a PhD and they have nothing on this channel!!! This is the most amazing University I have ever attended! LOLOL Thank you I’ll be using this for my tiny house!!! And thank you for your positive words at the end of the video!!! So worthwhile to watch you guys in action.

you guys were the simplest for an old gal like me. I'm doing it all by myself and see I can do it. thank you.

Great DIY video! I like that no shortcuts were taken throughout the process with explanations. Very detailed explanations throughout, did not leave us guessing any gaps like I see on my other DIY videos. Your enthusiasm and enjoyment to share this, definitely bleeds through. This made the exception of me just fast forwarding through the video.

I LOVE it! And LOVE what you said about believing in yourself that you can! That's how I built my 5000sq ft house with NO blueprint and most of it with NO scaffolding! And, mostly only ONE Man and myself, just like you two. WE DID IT! It has stood the test of time also. Been standing with no issues since 1998. We mixed our concrete traditionally, (for footings) so I LOVE what you're showing here. We'll use this for the BIG BARN project we're starting now. I want to lay my own barn floor. Oh Yeah!!!! BTW, we're also almost 69, this year and going strong!

Thanks for the motivation. I have a project or two that I am gonna use your techniques. And I like the fact that I can save money!

Thank you so much! Yesterday I was able to extend my new sheds floor to the new size by using your technique. This 66 year old grandma was able to do it with your help and my little brother. I also shared this with a friends who said “It worked!”

FYI for those that don't know, doing concrete this way makes the overall pour actually stronger then if water was added. As mentioned when the concrete wicks water from the ground it allows the concrete to harder in an unconventional way which is why it actually turns out stronger. I learned of this decades ago building decks for a living. I used to use all sorts of bracing and pored the concrete wet and of course it was dry the next day; then I had to remove all the deck bracing. When I started to pour it dry and tamp it solid there was almost no need for bracing as the dry concrete was able to hold things steady. The next day the concrete was hard and all the bracing was very strong. I got this idea from a person that did Fences and I asked way he was filling the holes with dry concrete... Concrete is amazing stuff...

My mom and dad did lots of home improvement projects like this together. They practically re did the entire house together. The couple that works together, stays together. It seems to be true every single time (Just about)

I loved your advise about don't be scared to do something just do it. Ok I already have all the materials I need so, I'm going to start boarding out my loft using loft legs, Cheers

Amazing! I live in the north so I will need to adjust thickness due to frost heave but what a GREAT idea for a few relatively small areas i would like to have concrete. Thank you for making this vudea....great work and detail!

As I watched this video I kept thinking to myself it would have a rough finish but would serve the intended purpose. When y'all started prepping it for a smooth finish I started scratching my head on just how in the world you'd keep it that way after adding water. I wrecked my head over the many thoughts I had, especially when you broke out the roller. I figured there was no way in hell it would stay that way and that you'd have to refinish it after adding water. And then, BEHOLD, mist! I never in a million years would have thought of misting the slab in stages causing a "scab" if you will, to protect the finish before soaking it. Dude! That was f*cking genius!! There's a reason why I have never done something like this before, I was just too ignorant to even think of tackling such a project! Unfortunately, now I'm old and decrepit and can only do stuff like this in my mind, OR watch you two do it! Thank you so very much. I just happened across this video but have subscribed, will share it and look forward to watching your other videos.

I really like how she explains things thoroughly and walks through reasons of doing things. She'd be an excellent teacher.

Thanks from France for this new video. I saw your previous one and this more detail video is cool and useful.

Having poured 10s if not 100s of thousands of yards of concrete building roads, airports and such my hat is off to pure simple genius of this method! For the purpose intended, this brings the value of concrete to a diyer at an enormous savings of money and effort. You guys rock! Best hack ever. I'm guessing this is going to take off like crazy.

I wasnt looking for a new project, but I think you just created a new spark for this summer. Concrete for the fire pit and for my garage. Thank you for showing me the simple way to do what I always envisioned to be a difficult task. I can measure. I can cut. I can build it.

I have NEVER seen a dry pour slab before! that turned out well! and I like the addition of showing the previously dry pour slab you did for the chickens!

Great video never made a slab before but have patched a few with various results. I do have a fairly small step I need to make I think with the tips you guys showed me I'm pretty confident I can do it!

I've been following your progress since your first project, and I'm glad you've updated us on its success. I just bought my first house, and I'm excited to try this project for myself. Wish me luck!

You guys have clearly started a trend. I will most DEFINETLY give props the minuet I start recording my own dry pours. I have several larger projects I've been putting off due to the cost of concrete these days. I no longer have that fear after watching several videos of using this method. Thx for sharing what you do as it's a great help to all of us budget minded DIY folk. 🙂

27 years as a concrete subcontractor. This both intrigues and fascinates me. There is such market for this application for small slabs, stoops and pads for equipment. Love to see how it holds up to the drips from the roof. 👌🏻

Thank you so much for posting this. I have been thinking about doing it this way for a sidewalk I need badly but I don’t have a lot of money to pay all these companies to come in and laid me a sidewalk. My husband recently passed away and I don’t have a lot of money I am doing good by just making it, and I have no help so I have to do everything on my own unless I want to pay $3000 and I don’t have that. So thank you very much for posting this you don’t know how much I appreciate this. I just turned seven years old and I have what they call crippling arthritis. What they told me was one day I could now I say could not be able to walk at all. God bless both of you. 🥰 🐾

That's an excellent method. I'm going to use it for a walkway around my raised vegetable beds. Just love the cajun country accents, y'all

I've always known the dry method workd well for post holes but now, after seeing your video, I am excited to try this method for a sidewalk pathway I've been putting off! Outstanding job and love the great teamwork on the project as well 🇺🇸

you know what's greater than the marvelous job you did - it's two of you!

Love this method The slabs under my shed have moved causing rot to the floor I will definitely try this method but next summer as it rains a lot in Scotland

Talk about shattering myths and legends in one small video! Love it!

I'm watching from the concrete jungle known as The Bronx. I don't even have a need for a concrete slab but I admired your work and your can-do approach. Also, so refreshing to see a beautiful young couple working together in a family friendly way without trying to get unnecessary attention or twerking. Just peace. Thank you!

Ty for this video! As a single Mom on a budget I can now do my own small projects that would have cost me too much money for something I can now do myself! Ty guys so much and God Bless You for teaching us practical and low cost ways to get things done for ourself

Thank you for sharing this method with us! I have been reluctant to pour my own concrete, but now with this method I am going to try it! Thanks for this great video!

Awesome video,I've been thinking of ways to extend the side of my driveway luke 2ft on each side, and this is what i was wondering to do. But you guys answered my question... thanks again and great video.

Wow! What an easy way to pour a concrete slab! I love your positivity and your final words about trying something new.

Nice work, it gives me lots of ideas. Thanks for sharing. Big kiss from France

Interesting.. I am a concrete truck driver for the last 19 years. I don't know everything about concrete, but I think you are alright with walkways and porches.. thanks for the video. I enjoyed it

I absolutely love this. We've discussed prices with multiple contractors and just could not offord it. My brother in law is a contractor and he told us the long hard way. This is simple & you did it over grass. We were going to have to rent an excavator or borrow from his brother. We've done an amazing job with the house, it's the landscaping that looks horrible(we have 5 dogs though & kids). I'm sooo happy to have come across this video!!!❤