Extension of small concrete walkway

Hello Folks,

There is a concrete walkway in front of the main house that is in ok shape. But it ends with a patch work of small (12x12) and thin concrete blocks. So I decided to excavate with a shovel and pour some concrete (about 5” thick). Firstly, measured, cut and laied some 2x6 small form box, added some gravel, pour half of the concrete, added wire remesh, then poured more concrete; but then something happened and my wheelbarrow simply broken when I was pickup the remainder of the concrete (concrete settles rather quick in this weather), so I ended up with a concrete that is not perfect even


(this wheelbarrow is not worth the dirt in it, it broke while I was loading a 80LB bag of concrete)


(could not top of the box, so the end result was an uneven surface)


(since I did not have enough time, simply tried to even it out with a trow, edged it, and used a broom for a finished texture)

So, I was wondered if it would be ok to simply add some extra concrete while the concrete is cured with an additive to help in bonding it? Does a 2" thick concrete sounds too thin for a small walkway (I know driveways have to be at least 4")?

2” thick for a paver to walk on that size should be ok.

bud16415 said:

2” thick for a paver to walk on that size should be ok.

Click to expand...

But I will probably make a it little bit bigger and go for 3" just in case.

thks

You stand the risk of having the top not make a good bond to the bottom, which will make the slab more fragile. You can try a bonding agent before the top is poured. Another potential problem is that the stone in the concrete mix may not allow you to get a smooth surface on the top patch. All in all, it may be in your best interest to just break the slab you previously poured and start a new one.

slownsteady said:

You stand the risk of having the top not make a good bond to the bottom, which will make the slab more fragile. You can try a bonding agent before the top is poured. Another potential problem is that the stone in the concrete mix may not allow you to get a smooth surface on the top patch. All in all, it may be in your best interest to just break the slab you previously poured and start a new one.

Click to expand...

Too late, I already topped it off. It was topped off with about 2 inches of new concrete so it is fairly thick thus the stones in the new concrete should not be an issue. I did not use concrete patch because it would be more expansive and often the maximum thickness per application is about 1" (so it would require multiple applications).

It is no big deal, if it seems weak, frail or failing I simply remove it and put a new one in its place; but since the bottom layer is not really old concrete and likely it is still curing (most mixes fully cures in 28 days, even though it sets in 24 or 48 hours) as well it may be fine at the end. Only time will tell