Y’all, we laid a gorgeous patio a few weeks ago and we are loving how it has turned out. If you’re looking for how to make a QUIKRETE WalkMaker patio, you’ve found your final spot. Our friends at QUIKRETE sent us the supplies for this build and we were proud to use them. Last week we told you about how we were removing our old patio, so the next step was to lay the new one, using QUIKRETE 5000 and their WalkMaker forms in the Country Stone pattern. The Country Stone WalkMaker has an awesome look that gives our backyard a rustic feel with the simplicity of pouring concrete.
Here is how we did the final step of this project, adding polymeric jointing sand.
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How to make a QUIKRETE Walkmaker patio
The QUIKRETE WalkMaker is a super simple product to use. The WalkMaker comes in a number of different patterns to elevate your basic concrete patio or path into something really special.
Click here for basic Quikrete Walk Maker Instructions.
Each WalkMaker form is designed to take one 80 pound bag of QUIKRETE, but we ended up needing a little less. For us, it was about two bags for three forms.
The process is simple. First mix a bag of QUIKRETE in a wheelbarrow or plastic tub according to the instructions on the bag. Properly mixed concrete will hold it’s form immediately, which is essential for using the WalkMaker forms.
Make sure your concrete isn’t too wet or dry or it will crumble or mush apart when you remove the WalkMaker. You want the consistency to be that of wet peanut butter.
Add water bit by bit until you get that consistency. If you are doing a lot of molds (for a patio or large path), be sure to track the amount of water that you use the first time to make subsequent bags go faster.
Lay your WalkMaker in the first place you want your form. If you’re making a patio like us, we recommend starting along the house in a corner if possible. This way you can work from a straight spot.
With your WalkMaker in place, start scooping your mixed concrete into the form. Start by pushing the concrete into the corners and along the edges of each stone in the pattern. If you don’t get the concrete all the way into the gaps, the mold won’t look right. You will have air bubbles.
It takes a lot more concrete than you think that it will! Continue to add concrete, pushing it down around all the edges and filling in the middle. Pack it down well and then smooth the top as best you can.
Now is time to remove the WalkMaker form. There are little tabs on each side that make it easy to pull up. Remember, if your concrete was properly mixed, there shouldn’t be any problem here. Simply pull the form straight up and it should easily come loose from your stones and the concrete should hold it’s shape.
The next thing that you want to do is smooth out the tops and edges of your stones again. Here you can simply level them off or even bevel the edges a little bit to give them a more natural stone look. Don’t forget this step!
The final step is to rotate the WalkMaker form a quarter turn. Then, set it down right up against the stones you just made. Continue to do this as you do each form. Rotating the pattern makes it harder to tell that your patio or path is a repeating pattern of the same mold. You don’t want it to look like a grid!
QUIKRETE 5000 is a great concrete mix for this project because it solidifies pretty quickly. It’s walkable within 10 hours and holds its form very well. The concrete was easy to mix and formed well in the WalkMaker forms. There ended up being 48 forms and it took about 7 hours.
It took us one day to lay our Walkmaker patio. The beauty of these forms is that you can do a few in an evening if you don’t have a long period of time. Or, you could do an entire patio in one day. We loved using both of these products and think they would work great for anyone else doing the same thing.
So that was how to make a QUIKRETE WalkMaker patio. Stay tuned next week for when we will finish off the project by showing you how to use QUIKRETE’s polymeric jointing sand to fill in the gaps between the stones and give our patio it’s final finish!
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Hardscape benches and fire pit
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Madeline says
Hi! The patio looks great! What steps did you take to prepare the area before laying the concrete with the walkmaker?
Morgan says
we basically just cleared and leveled the space. the concrete is self-leveling so it doesn’t have to be perfect!
Morgan says
here’s a post about it: https://www.charlestoncrafted.com/2018/02/05/removing-our-old-patio/
Sara says
Can I ask what your budget was for this project?? We LOVE the result. It looks so good!
Sean says
Thanks Sara! So the cost is going to really depend on the size of your space. We had a 12×14 patio, meaning we needed six molds across and seven the other way, so around 85 bags. Bags of concrete cost about $5. Then we ended up needed about six bags of the polymeric jointing sand, which cost about $20 each. The molds cost about $25 and we used two so that we could be doing two areas simultaneously. So it was around $600. But it will vary based on your plan, space and costs in your area.
Trish says
Your patio looks beautiful, but I am a little confused on the amount of concrete you used. At the beginning of the post, you said you used two bags for three forms, and at the end you state you used 48 forms. Based on your previous statement, I would think you used 32 bags of concrete, but then in the comments you state you used 85 bags. How did you use 85 bags if you only made 48 forms and made three forms out of two bags? Did you mean to state that it took three bags to make two forms? Thank you!
Judy says
I’ve a spot that I’ve been looking to do something similar with. Adding to my list of alternatives!
Morgan says
Thanks Judy! If you make your own, please share with us!
Wendy says
I love it! I would love to do this as a decorative option for a small drive way. What are your thoughts? We live in Eastern Idaho. How well would it hold up? I really want to try it out. The current drive is asphalt.
I want to place over it.
Thank you, Wendy
Sean says
Should work great! Just get it done before you get your snow for the season!