DIY Concrete Stairs
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- čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
- Today we get to finally start molding the actual stairs with the chiseled stone concrete form
***Link to chiseled stone edge form and concrete stamp
www.amazon.com...
Email us at hometownacres@outlook.com
Adam, stairs are looking great! I always appreciate that you show us the learning process on projects. I'm sure it gives people more of a can-do mindset as they are considering tackling their own projects themselves. You definitely took some of the trepidation away for me when it comes to concrete. Also, it's great to see how much it means to have great friends and family to help.
i do like these videos. He is really just a regular dude giving stuff a shot. He has no problems showing and telling us his concerns issues and mistakes. He values the learning process that creates. This is really a wonderful channel. I am glad it popped up in my feed. ( now sub'd)
Just wanted to let David and Mr Thorpe know I read both of these and appreciate you both recognize the realness of the channel. Thanks!
Adam
Hometown Acres
The stairs look amazing so far! But I also want to make note of how well the pond is filling up and looking so much better!!
Looking good! As a concrete guy myself, I'd suggest making sure you wet the ABC before you pour on top of it. The dry rock is pulling water out of your concrete. Also fill your bucket full before you pour for a more homogeneous mix. Lastly, round the edge of your steps for durability, any amount of rounding is better than a sharp square edge.
Thank you for the great content over these years! In a world of bad news and drama, you are a breath of fresh air!
That’s what I was coming to say. Mix it one bag at a time for a better and quicker mix, fill the bucket, then run it down the hill. It would be less work in the long run and provide a better pour.
Thank you both for your suggestions… he will be wetting the rock below the next pour. We just got back from Home Depot and got the edging trowel.
We are coming up on the learning curve!!!
We figured that the top step will be really nice -LOL!
@@AdamsMom921 nice to meet ya! Can't wait!!
The beauty of You Tube. Some good advice from pros. And mom approves! Great job with this, Adam!
Repurposing the old tote cutouts = Genius.
My grandfather showed me how he used old box spring frames to reinforce the pad of his new garage/barn. free plus better than rebar. Thanks for recycling whenever you can.
Since you have the mixer, you may want to mix your own mix. Would be much cheaper. I use the 1, 2, 3 mix. 1 part cement, 2 parts sand, 3 parts stone. Put sand & cement in mixer let run dry a little to coat each grain of sand with cement then add stone and water. I use a shovel for my measure device. I have a mixer that is over 65 years old. It is used hard and still works great. Hope you have a Great day!
Somebody would have charged you probably $7,000 - $10,000 (I'm guessing) to do that, so you were smart to buy the equipment to do it!! You'll always have the equipment to do all your other projects!! Your pond is looking good, too!! Great video, as always - great editing, as always!! Love seeing your daddy helping and, of course, neighbor Doug!! God bless y'all!! 👍😍🙏
This is great! I like how Doug is in the background in a few of the shots, just chillin while you're making the video and working. Could be fun to put Easter eggs in your videos of "Where's Doug?" Great job on the steps, looking good and the pond is filling right up!
Great idea to repurpose those tote cutouts! No idea how they will hold up, but nice to reuse them.
So I assume next week One Eye Customs will have the cement mixer on a mount for the backhoe. I can see Doug making it work!!
That would be cool!
Don't forget to go OLE SCHOOL and get the kids hand prints/foot prints/date on one of the steps. A GREAT memory to have!
We just got the Bauer mixer as well. Mixed 50 sixty pound bags with it. Went well.
about 60 yrs ago my father used old hospital bed frames instead of rebar when he pored our back yard patio it still looks great.
Adam, you're doing a good job on those steps.
I'm not sure if you did this, but make sure you're pitching those steps forward so water drains forward and not back into the steps. Since you're pouring one step at a time, water can get under them and cause them to freeze and lift.
I'm sure between you, your dad, & neighbor Doug, your steps will turn out great. 👍
Looking good! Excited to see the finished product.
I bought the little steel mixer ~ 15 years ago, worth every penny.
I build a "ramp" out of scrap in front of the drum to lay the bag on so I can easily control how fast the dry mix enters the mixer while its running.
Hi Adam. I just mixed 99 80LB bags of Sakarete yesterday in the other Harbor Freight mixer without an issue. I used 1 gallon of water for each bag and ran two bags thru it at a time. Looks just like ready mix. Doing 78 more bags today. pouring a sidewalk across the front of my house and added another step to the porch. Never again mix by hand :)
Happy to see that you are measuring your water.
Check out Concrete With The Hauses he uses a liquid.then pressure washer it off also. Awesome job Adam. You will also see how he clamps the stone edge on.
Look at that pond!
Great project. I really love how your place is coming along. We bought an old farm 20 years ago and did the same thing. Changed things here and there, one project at a time and now it suits us. Cheers from eastern Pa.
You’re getting to be a Jack of all trades. Another Doug in the making. Your CZcams channel is a great way for you to ‘Pass it forward’
Get a rubber mallet to beat the drum while mixing. It will release those dry caked on pieces of concrete. Also I believe that most electric mixers say not to start the motor with a full barrel.
adam i would not worry to much for someone who has not done this before it looks good you done well
Looks good, I suggest putting a small round over on the nose of the step or it may want to break off
Adam, if you get dry spots in the back of the mixer, turn it more horizontally, just before it falls out, so that way not al the concrete is on your bottom, but more on the sidewalls, where it should be. And when you pour, keep the mixer on, that way you clean it out better. And when you're pouring a batch, use the vibrator strait away when it hits the edge of your step, so you know it's still wet enough. I've been pouring concrete for many years now, so just a little piece of advice. Love your videos though, keep it up.
Looking good, Adam. By the way, that pond looks good in the background, too.
The pond is looking really good. I'm not sure if I've seen the water level so high before. It will look really great when the stairs are done and you can casually walk down for a quick dip in the pond.
Thanks for the video Adam ! I've done quite a bit of DIY concrete work myself ! You are progressing quickly from the point of being nervous about the prospect of dealing with a pile of wet concrete to being comfortable with the stuff. I've thought about getting an electric concrete mixer but have been too cheap and stubborn to part with the cash so far. Nice job on the steps !
going to be a good-looking set of stairs you should be very proud of yourself ADAM
Looking great! You can be proud of yourself.
And it seems like someone is going to have the most amazing ice skating court in the entire planet very soon!
Adam, you should be very proud of what you have accomplished with the concrete stairs. Slow and easy until you are certain and ready to speed up the process. Kudos to you and your help!
Try adding 1/2 bag on the second bag, some water, mix, then add the rest of the second bag and water. Worked well for an inground pool I did several years ago- 125 80 lb bags. That was with the old HF mixer.
Great job, Adam. The steps look terrific. You should enlist the help of neighbor Doug to reduce your physical strain😉
Pond is looking good.
Over in the England we would buy x amount of loose aggregate, then separate bags of cement. It would work out a lot cheaper than just buying ready mix bags of concrete.
Looks very good Adam. I think you can do anything. The pond is looking great too.
I appreciate it bob
looks great, and the pond is filling up
Checking out the pond in the background---looks like it's filling
I've got the cheaper orange mixer from and have thrown well over 100 bags through it. Other than assembly being a 3 armed bear and having to tighten the drive belt one time, it's been flawless. With the orange mixer, it's able to be vertical, to allow dumping the bags in a little easier, I would think. A real nice part of having a mixer, is that if you're not ready for the next batch, you can just let it keep mixing until you're ready for it. Stairs are looking great! Can't wait to see the finished project.
Adam, just take a slurry of the concrete with the colorant in it (sans the stone) and work it into the face of the step where it is flawed with a sponge float. Just scope some of the slurry on the end of the sponge float and work it into the face. You can then come back with an old (clean) paint brush before it sets and work the material into a pattern that matches the rest of the step. Don’t use the other product you mention as it likely won’t match. 40 years of concrete work and that process has never failed me!
Believe a trowel ran vertically on the front form after pour and just prior to vibration would help. Place the second bag ingredients in a two step process would also help. Great work attacking a job you are unsure of!!! Love the videos!
Antislip coating. I would be afraid of ice in a Pa winter. You do have southern exposure. Great video. Thanks
Great job. Not only did you save money, but years from now, you will have the memories with your family and friends about doing this together.
Excellent job with your steps Adam well you can say I built those and it didn’t cost me a arm and a leg ❤😊😮
Looking great!
Thanks Neil
Nothing like taking deep breaths while in the middle of a cloud of concrete dust.
Excellent, many thanks for the guidance! Be well, be safe!
Alan, y used a similar mixer from a friend. He put the front wheels on top of 2 x8 piece of wood. That add stability and avoid spills while mixing.
i know this is about the stairs but at the 8:20 mark,,,, ooooo that pond is looking pretty nice!
Very nice job on the steps Adam. They look great. As for the concrete mixer, it sure is nice to have the proper tools for the job.
Nice job Adam . Looks great.
I think it looks great Adam!
Looking good Adam.
Adam, watch Concrete with the Hauses for everything you ever wanted to know about concrete, he is a pro, and gives lots of advice !!!
I think the irregular front edge looks more natural and actually enhances the look
A big money saver, especially when you have a mixer, buy sand, gravel and bagged cement, not dry mix.
Looks nice!!!
Looking good..
Lots more to do.
Can't wait to see the finished product.
Re: Vibration. Again, a Civil Engineering degree comes in super handy; vibration is the technique for consolidating cast-in-place concrete into formwork. As for workability (fluidity), higher water to cement ratio is more workable and weaker, lower water to cement ratio is stronger and less workable. Be careful of bleed and overworking the surface. It can lead to cracking.
Looks great, you should watch Concrete with the Hauses he has a lot of great videos and is very good at it too!
The steps are looking great.
Good morning Adam, they are looking great, it will be a Eleven Step learning program. 😀👍👍👍
Looks nice! Great addition!
Adam looking great! The excavator makes the job so much easier.
Great looking steps looking forward to seeing the completed project cheers my friend
Steps look great!
I would think you would want to round off the leading edge of each step. They look kind of sharp. Great job! I would never have tackled this on my own.
You'll learn that the amount of water will change depending on heat and humidity, etc. I've mixed my share of quickcrete and just eyeballing the water as it mixes is just as easy. Dump in the bags and just spray in the water as it spins.
Looks great so far!!! That excavator really helps so you don't have to wheel barrel 2 bags down each time!
That is looking great !
If you are mixing always keep the mixer with water to keep clean and if you are going to mix two bags first pour the water and pour the cement
Starting to come together and look really nice. Well done sir.
"A dry-shake color hardener or powdered colorant for concrete is a powder that's mixed into the surface of freshly laid concrete before the concrete dries. The concrete color powder is evenly distributed over the surface of the concrete, then it's worked into the concrete using a float or trowel."
According to this, you actually trowel the coloring into the concrete while it's wet.
Cool. Now you need to make them all 7" or the different step will be the tripping step.
Good rule for steps - 7/11. No more than 7" high & 11" or more deep. Mom really likes 4/12 steps I made for her, with walker width hand railings.
Maybe add the reinforcement closer to the top. ????
Let's see the cleanup of the equipment next time. Bucket, mixer, & hand tools.
Your property is looking better with every month that goes by. Great that you are doing everything you can yourself too
When I tried to do a 8x8 pad I figured 10 bags would be enough. 43 bags later was crazy. I ended up renting a mixer.
The pond is looking amazing in the background
Looks good Adam
Looks awesome Adam!!
I like how the steps melt into the border rocks.
I don't know anything about concrete just heard someone say some colors you trowel in to the concrete then so release and stamps but that was victory outdoor services on CZcams I think! Either them or Mike day concrete! Great video I loved thank you for sharing this!
If you want the color to be better you want to take a little bit of the release and trowel that in with a mag and get it into the top layer of concrete. Also don't want to be that guy but on outdoor concrete you don't want to use a steel trowel the top layer will start to pop off more with the freeze thaw cycles. Steel trowel cap off the concrete and don't let the bleed water get out of the top layer of the concrete. A mag should be the only thing you use with stamped concrete.
To help the front edge look better too I would recommend mixing up enough bags with the mixer and filling you excavator bucket the mixing that a little bit by hand so that you have one solid layer that has the same consistency on the face where you really can tell how hard it is setting.
Just my 2 cents. Otherwise I like what you are doing
Looks good! The sealer should make the color pop.
I learned a lot watching this video! Thank you Adam for taking the time to share your experiences. Never would I have thought that would be a DIY project. You're doing a great job 👍
Come’n along fabulously! Thanks for sharing!!
Well done Adam. Looks very professional.
Stairs look Great!! They will be a Great asset to the house!! Stay Hydrated and Have a Safe Day
Adam, love the stamped concrete! Great job! God bless.
Adam mate when mixing, I always add sbr that really helps. You can't go by numbers, the look of it. An old timer bricky told me, it needs to have a surf then you know its mixed. I was shouting at screen saying you need a mixer lol
It looks awesome! Great job!
Nice job!!! Good machine!!! Chip
Looking good Adam! Can't wait to see the rest of them.
As I said in your first video, I don’t know how stable that hillside is, so here’s a question: what keeps the steps from swaying towards the grass? As a concrete contractor I would have dug a “keyway” at least 12 inches below the first step to lock them all to the earth. And it’s not too late, you could do so before pouring the next step, thereby transferring those forces into the ground rather than onto the previous steps you’ve poured.
The finishers I've delivered concrete to use a stamp mix and they usually either trowel or in the case of slabs and driveways they'll fresnal float the color into the top layer before stamping. Of course they make a color dye that you can mix into the concrete before pouring. Also,spray some release onto the stamp pads. With concrete trucks loading out of a dry batch plant were required to mix the concrete at charge speed(17 rpms @ min.)for 70 revolutions adding water while looking at the concrete and hearing it and using the slump meter to get the slump at the required slump. I'm the case of concrete truck loads of concrete if the initial slump isn't reached while mixing I've seen concrete dry up too fast. Sometimes due to the batching process not being right and other times if not enough head water was added it will have a head pack situation where concrete has stuck to the head of the drum and won't release until almost at the job. Air entrainment will make the concrete easier to finish but don't add too much as that will weaken the mix. On some jobs I've seen finishers use 12 oz cans of soda placed on sides of steps being poured to later facilitate adding metal handrails. When the concrete sets just extracate the cans and cement the rails into their respective holes.
Looks great 👍
Hi Adam, good job, I was just thinking that when your house is sold someday in the far future your buyers will have a complete record of all the work on your property!
Never thought of it that way because I never plan on selling, but hopefully my son will some day live here and he’ll have record of all the work we’ve done here
@@HometownAcres hi, thought that would be the case, but an you imagine how much you children will love your videos in the future? Take care
Good morning, keep the mixer on all the time, add water, cut the bag on top and empty it inside, but don't stop the mixer, if you load it and turn it on you will break it soon.
Flipping the blue mold may be worth while so the pattern alternates and isn't exactly the same on the front leading edge of each step
Yep I agree
It looks awesome.
Nice Job !
Very good Adam.
I mix my own using the 3-2-1 mix. Cost is just a portion of what premix bags are.
I was thinking the same. If I wanted to DIY this much cement I'd get a couple tons of gravel and some cement powder. Way cheaper.