What's the Best Type of Bagged Concrete to use for a Walkway?
“If you want to get your walkway back into
service fast,” says concrete expert Frank
Owens, “your best choice is ‘high early
strength’ concrete.” This type of concrete
has a higher percentage of cement in the
blend so it sets up faster than standard concrete
mix. You can walk on it within 10 to 12 hours,
compared with several days.
It also generates more heat than standard bagged
concrete mix, which means you can tackle your walkway
project earlier or later in the season, in temperatures
as low as 35 degrees F, with less chance of
setting and hardening problems.
However, if your walkway has many steps or landings
with exposed edges, Owens recommends fiber reinforced
crack-resistant concrete mix. It contains
thousands of little plastic fibers to make it more resistant
to shrinkage cracks, edge chipping, impact damage
and scaling during freeze/thaw cycles. Crack-resistant
concrete takes three days to set up, so your walkway will
be out of commission that long, but it can make concrete
steps more durable under harsh conditions.
“The right concrete for a project is a matter of tradeoffs,”
Owens says. “Consider setup speed, surface
durability and the amount of weight the surface will
bear.” No matter which product you choose, Owens
recommends using as little water as possible. “The
lower the water-to-cement ratio, the stronger the concrete
and the better the shrinkage resistance.”
Editors’ Note: Visit
quikrete.com for
an excellent comparison
of bagged
concrete choices
and to check out
its video library of
tips and techniques
for working
with concrete.
Meet the Expert
Frank Owens
has more than
28 years of
experience in
the concrete
industry and
has been with
The Quikrete
Companies for
the past 25
years.
