The trex deck boards look really nice! Excellent solution using reclaimed materials. And I love the idea of using the lattice to tie it all together. Well done
I personally like the look of the deck board fix. It matches the shed well and used what you already had. I've been watching the dry pour videos because as a woman I've done the pavers to make what I've needed for small projects and they shift and grass grows between them. I might be able to convince my husband to try this with me and get something better done. Thank you.
Great idea with the deck boards. For what I would need in my very rural setting the concrete work you did looks great but with your situation your project really adds a great touch to the yard.
I preferred the dry pour over the gravel but the boards were a total win-win! Thankfully the boards came with the house, cannot complain about the price and it looks great. New Subscriber.
I like the Trex over the top of the cement. Although the cement was not horrible, the Trex gives it a more finished look and I think you will like it much better!
First time here, I think I've found my people! Do stuff, make mistakes, learn, do it again. Years down the road you'll find you have a good working knowledge of just about anything you can get into around a home.
Trex deck is a great fix. Along with the lattice, the Trex is non-organic so it will not rot, and will last forever, has a solid base in the slab, and the lattice will allow the concrete to dry after rain. Well done.
That's a really good salvage. Good job and thank you. I'm worried I'll end up with a rocky top when I go to fix and level out one of my slabs. I was thinking it had to do with the thinness of the slab not letting the rocks work themselves down enough.
Nice save!! You don't know till ya try. The deck board leveled it up! Great use of product on hand, always a happy dance saving funds and it comes out looking that good!! Thanks for sharing even when things don't go the way we planed it.
The Trex looks a lot better! I would like to put decking on top of the 3’ concrete pad that runs around my house (built in the ‘60’s) but didn’t have the clearance because of a screened-in-porch next to it. Using the lattice is genius and I’m definitely going to steal that idea! Thanks!
Looks Great I watched a Guy who had Done Flat work for 30 plus years, he Showed how simple it is to get the measurements right to Do it like it Should be Done , mixed. I'm not Knocking you or anyone Doing Dry pours, I Get it!! But to mix it all together and have it last isn't as bad as people think. I was a child when my Pop and uncle Did a slab , hell theirs has been there 45 years with Out a Crack in it. We live in Michigan so that's Really something. The Rest of the Driveway that the Pros Did Didn't hold up that Good. But you Know Don't be hard on yourself the best way to get good at things is Doing them and messing up!! But I Really like how you Saved it. Looks Really Great
I saw another video where they did a large slab with dry pour and they did it in sections and they switched to Quickrete half way through and said it was a much easier product to use for dry pour and had a much better surface result and was easier to screed to get that result... I've seen others doing all kinds of complex things to get the top to be smooth... one thing is you should oil your forms and if you are in a dry/hot area you probably need more water, a lot more, after it sets up after the misting... one video showed it bubbling up because they are in a dry hot area and the surface was drying faster than the rest of it... this happens with wet pour too if you don't keep it wet during the cure period... so even with wet pour you should keep it wet during the entire curing period, they call it wet cure and some people do it on wet pour for up to 28 days totally under water, but for dry pour first you have to get it to set up before you do the wet curing process. So the secrets are to use Quickrete, over fill so you can screed down the aggregate, vibrate if needed to drop down the aggregate, don't proceed until the surface is perfectly how you want it, then mist it as directed to get it to set up and then keep it wet until it's fully cured so it can fully hydrate, and more water depending on the temperature, humidity, and climate.
I think the wood surface looks great. If possible, I would stain the whole deck to one color, the darker is nicer, in my opinion. Great job. Both videos were well done. I would like to see if mortar mix would have been better for smoothing than the Portland cement. Gerry
Final (2nd fix) looks great. I know you mentioned that you were just going to walk on it but wondering if you moved any heavy material in and out? Did you feel a difference in stability? All in all, GREAT job, great video and explanations.
Thank you! No, I haven't moved anything large or heavy over the slab but it does still look nice. I don't have any regrets in trying the dry pour method.
The deck looks great! Congrats. I wish more people would practice before they do a video on dry pouring. It may be giving dry pour a bad name when its not done right. There are a lot of videos out there where people did great jobs of their dry pour like the couple in Louisianna (I think). I will not be making a video of my first pour 😂. Maybe after some practice. One thing i saw that you didnt do correctly that others seem to do better is screeding. looks like you have to take your time with it for the aggregate to go down which would give your surface a smoother finish. Also you have to tap the edges of the form for the wholes to fill in on the sides...and edging works wonders... Anyway... deck looks good but slab wasnt a failure.
The end result looks great - and I'm thinking to copy your overall method for my small 8x12ft yard patio Do you have any concerns, or issues about the decking not having joists underneath?
Looks good, i prefer the deck look. but what if you had to buy all materials used? What do you recommend dry pour or just make a deck? We have no materials so can't afford both and can't afford mistakes. Thinking we might just go the deck straight up, what's your thoughts. Thanks for your vids, very informative.
I personally prefer the decking over the concrete. The decking is pricy and I wouldn’t have gone with it if I didn’t already have some on hand. I only used it because I had it and it was free. If I were to do another dry pour I would make it three inches thick and use mortar mix for the top 1/2” so I could get a smoother finish.
Totally magic “ Mr Resourceful “ saves the day …after much work…slippery when it rains or ice ? catch you by surprise as you leave the shed (may be carrying something) ? ? Take care and good luck from 🇬🇧
Both good ideas I think. If you are interested here is a video showing what I did to give my dry pour a better appearance. So far it's doing well and I really like the look. th-cam.com/video/zjSK9tEIW6o/w-d-xo.html
I think the trexs looks awesome the dry pour isnt something i see value in, as you can rent a mixer and some tools is way easier in my opinion but to each there own. I really like the trex though and how you made it all work. I mean lets say you just have an old slab that is looking terrible then you have shown a way to give it a refreshed look.
Man that looks amazing. I just did my first dry pour this weekend. A small pad for my trash cans. I had the same problems with the surface that you did great video. I love the follow up and do the Trex panels rattle when you walk on them or does the lattice take care of any movement or vibration?
Thank you! I haven't noticed any rattle from the Trex Deck boards. They seem to have a pretty consistent contact with the surface of the slab all the way across. It feels solid to walk on. Honestly I don't think this project could have come out any better if I had planned it this way from the start. Sometimes I just get lucky! 😀
I wouldn't sweat it, 99% of drypour vid uploaders don't follow Country Cajun instructions to a "T" resulting in a rougher finish. The deck looks great btw, great match to the shed.
Expensive is right! These Trex Deck boards are about $33 each where I live. I would have never purchased them new for this project. Luckily I got mine with the house but they are quite faded and some are warped. If someone wanted to use them for a not so critical project like mine, you might find some salvaged Trex boards in the local market place for cheap.
Improvising is good, but only if you don't have to purchase the deck boards. I probably would've learned more about doing a dry pour first (which is why I watch videos like this), and try to avoid the mistakes. That said, I think it would've been possible to do another layer of concrete over the existing, seeing as how it was quite rough. A finish concrete should've worked fine. However, I am not a concrete guy, so I could be talking out of turn, it's just something I would've tried first.
Whenever I do an outside project i have to consider the bugs. Lots of cracks for bugs to hang out in. Hope you can keep on top of them. Fire ants, spiders, you name it. Maybe washing regularly will help keep them at bay? Otherwise . . . thanks!
Expensive is right! These Trex Deck boards are about $33 each where I live. I would have never purchased them new for this project. Luckily I got mine with the house but they are quite faded and some are warped. If someone wanted to use them for a not so critical project like mine, you might find some salvaged Trex boards in the local market place for cheap.
Would have bin a lot less work stress and headaches if you had just used a mixer or even a wheelbarrow and hoe to mix it right to begin with. The lesson of this project should be LAZY PEOPLE WORK HARDER !
See the "Dry Pour Concrete Slab FAILURE" video with the "BIG MISTAKE" here: th-cam.com/video/FrYwFm4QE80/w-d-xo.html
The trex deck boards look really nice! Excellent solution using reclaimed materials. And I love the idea of using the lattice to tie it all together. Well done
Thanks so much!
Wow, amazing 'decking' cover for your slightly-ugly concrete. Good job. Thanks for the video.
Glad you liked it!
I personally like the look of the deck board fix. It matches the shed well and used what you already had.
I've been watching the dry pour videos because as a woman I've done the pavers to make what I've needed for small projects and they shift and grass grows between them. I might be able to convince my husband to try this with me and get something better done. Thank you.
Thank you, I like the deck board overlay better too. I wish you the best with your project if you decide to give it a shot.
I like the overlay and your creativity to dress up your "failed" dry pour. Nice job.
Thanks so much! 😊
Great idea with the deck boards. For what I would need in my very rural setting the concrete work you did looks great but with your situation your project really adds a great touch to the yard.
Thanks!
Great save, i`m gonna steal my other fav TH-camrs (FabRats) saying here : We do it nice cause we do it twice!
Great quote by Paul and it’s the best way #FabRats
The final version is better, in fact, very nice. Thank you.
I preferred the dry pour over the gravel but the boards were a total win-win! Thankfully the boards came with the house, cannot complain about the price and it looks great. New Subscriber.
We agree! Welcome aboard!
I like the Trex over the top of the cement. Although the cement was not horrible, the Trex gives it a more finished look and I think you will like it much better!
Thank you, we like the Trex too.
Great job on fixing that problem. After watching this video, you gave me some ideas of what I am going to do to my entrance of my home.
Excellent! I wish you the best with your entryway project!
Love that you were able to save your slab!! Very nice.
Thanks 👍
TREX DECK LOOKS AWESOME 👍
We think so too!
First time here, I think I've found my people! Do stuff, make mistakes, learn, do it again. Years down the road you'll find you have a good working knowledge of just about anything you can get into around a home.
Well said and welcome!
Looks great with decking.
I think so too!
Trex deck is a great fix. Along with the lattice, the Trex is non-organic so it will not rot, and will last forever, has a solid base in the slab, and the lattice will allow the concrete to dry after rain. Well done.
Thank you, I appreciate and agree with your comment!
Looks good Bruce and glad to see that you didn't give up with 'not good enough', but looked for another way to make it work!
Thanks 👍
That's a really good salvage. Good job and thank you. I'm worried I'll end up with a rocky top when I go to fix and level out one of my slabs. I was thinking it had to do with the thinness of the slab not letting the rocks work themselves down enough.
The Trex overlay looks great!
Thank you I think so too!
Nice save!! You don't know till ya try. The deck board leveled it up! Great use of product on hand, always a happy dance saving funds and it comes out looking that good!! Thanks for sharing even when things don't go the way we planed it.
Very true!
Great save!!
I agree, thank you!
Nice fix. I like it. Good use of repurposing material you had.
Thanks 👍
The Trex looks a lot better! I would like to put decking on top of the 3’ concrete pad that runs around my house (built in the ‘60’s) but didn’t have the clearance because of a screened-in-porch next to it. Using the lattice is genius and I’m definitely going to steal that idea! Thanks!
Thanks for stopping by. I wish you the best with your project!
Smart and very well done. It looks great!
Thank you I appreciate that!
Trex Deck looks good!😊
Thank you!
They both look good… thanks for sharing your experience.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing your project, the good, the bad, and the better.😅😊
Thanks for stopping by.
i like the idea of the trex over the slab. me personally, i'd paint over the slab with a slip resistant finish. but looks good either way
it came out beautiful.
I think so too! Thank you.
Love what you did here the after fix is really nice
Thank you! I like it now too!
Great fix!
Thank you!
I really think your fix is excellent. Gives me some ideas. 🙃
Awesome, thank you!
Looks Great I watched a Guy who had Done Flat work for 30 plus years, he Showed how simple it is to get the measurements right to Do it like it Should be Done , mixed. I'm not Knocking you or anyone Doing Dry pours, I Get it!! But to mix it all together and have it last isn't as bad as people think. I was a child when my Pop and uncle Did a slab , hell theirs has been there 45 years with Out a Crack in it. We live in Michigan so that's Really something. The Rest of the Driveway that the Pros Did Didn't hold up that Good. But you Know Don't be hard on yourself the best way to get good at things is Doing them and messing up!! But I Really like how you Saved it. Looks Really Great
Thank you!
Looks good using the boards. I have done a couple of dry pours and I really like the look that I get.
Thank you, I appreciate your input!
I like the decking over lay; it really looks nice and was very smart thinking. Cool job.
Thank you very much!
I saw another video where they did a large slab with dry pour and they did it in sections and they switched to Quickrete half way through and said it was a much easier product to use for dry pour and had a much better surface result and was easier to screed to get that result... I've seen others doing all kinds of complex things to get the top to be smooth... one thing is you should oil your forms and if you are in a dry/hot area you probably need more water, a lot more, after it sets up after the misting... one video showed it bubbling up because they are in a dry hot area and the surface was drying faster than the rest of it... this happens with wet pour too if you don't keep it wet during the cure period... so even with wet pour you should keep it wet during the entire curing period, they call it wet cure and some people do it on wet pour for up to 28 days totally under water, but for dry pour first you have to get it to set up before you do the wet curing process. So the secrets are to use Quickrete, over fill so you can screed down the aggregate, vibrate if needed to drop down the aggregate, don't proceed until the surface is perfectly how you want it, then mist it as directed to get it to set up and then keep it wet until it's fully cured so it can fully hydrate, and more water depending on the temperature, humidity, and climate.
that turned out really nice
Thank you!
Hey that looks Great, Good recovery
Thank you, we are very happy with the results.
I think the wood surface looks great. If possible, I would stain the whole deck to one color, the darker is nicer, in my opinion. Great job. Both videos were well done. I would like to see if mortar mix would have been better for smoothing than the Portland cement. Gerry
Great idea 💡. Looks great too.
Thank you! 😊 We like it too! 👍🏻
Decking looks good! Thanks!!
Thank you!
Final (2nd fix) looks great. I know you mentioned that you were just going to walk on it but wondering if you moved any heavy material in and out? Did you feel a difference in stability? All in all, GREAT job, great video and explanations.
Thank you! No, I haven't moved anything large or heavy over the slab but it does still look nice. I don't have any regrets in trying the dry pour method.
Nice save. Looks much better!
I think so too!
Great recovery!
Thank you!
Looking to attempt a dry pour patio in the near future. Looking to make it 4 inches deep and a 10X10. I’ll use the calculator and add 10% more bags.
I wish you the best with your project!
Just mix the dang concrete with water man. 10x10 is nothing and it will be so much better in the end
The Deck finish looks good Bruce. I personally would have tried exterior grade self levelling compound to give a smooth hard wearing finish.
Thank you Thomas. I did consider doing that many times. :)
great fix!
Thank you!
The deck looks great! Congrats. I wish more people would practice before they do a video on dry pouring. It may be giving dry pour a bad name when its not done right. There are a lot of videos out there where people did great jobs of their dry pour like the couple in Louisianna (I think). I will not be making a video of my first pour 😂. Maybe after some practice. One thing i saw that you didnt do correctly that others seem to do better is screeding. looks like you have to take your time with it for the aggregate to go down which would give your surface a smoother finish. Also you have to tap the edges of the form for the wholes to fill in on the sides...and edging works wonders... Anyway... deck looks good but slab wasnt a failure.
Thank you
2nd one,cover up awesome.
Thank you! We are also very happy with the finished look.
Brilliant work-around.
Making a mistake look intentional.
Thank you!
The end result looks great - and I'm thinking to copy your overall method for my small 8x12ft yard patio Do you have any concerns, or issues about the decking not having joists underneath?
Thanks! No concerns at all about not having joists.
Great idea !
Thank you! Cheers!
looks great!
Thank you! Cheers!
Looks good, i prefer the deck look. but what if you had to buy all materials used? What do you recommend dry pour or just make a deck? We have no materials so can't afford both and can't afford mistakes. Thinking we might just go the deck straight up, what's your thoughts. Thanks for your vids, very informative.
I personally prefer the decking over the concrete. The decking is pricy and I wouldn’t have gone with it if I didn’t already have some on hand. I only used it because I had it and it was free. If I were to do another dry pour I would make it three inches thick and use mortar mix for the top 1/2” so I could get a smoother finish.
Totally magic “ Mr Resourceful “ saves the day …after much work…slippery when it rains or ice ? catch you by surprise as you leave the shed (may be carrying something) ? ? Take care and good luck from 🇬🇧
Thank you
I saw someone else fix their dry poor with paint and stencil. Someone else threw an outdoor rug over the dry pour. 😊
Both good ideas I think. If you are interested here is a video showing what I did to give my dry pour a better appearance. So far it's doing well and I really like the look. th-cam.com/video/zjSK9tEIW6o/w-d-xo.html
nice fix
Thank you
I like the dry pour 😬😬
Grate idea with the boards
But concrete wasn't that bad as well ,
You can't have glass finish when you going for snow blower there 🫠
Nice recovery 👍
Good thing you Had the Height Clearance to add the Trex on top.
I think the trexs looks awesome the dry pour isnt something i see value in, as you can rent a mixer and some tools is way easier in my opinion but to each there own. I really like the trex though and how you made it all work. I mean lets say you just have an old slab that is looking terrible then you have shown a way to give it a refreshed look.
Man that looks amazing. I just did my first dry pour this weekend. A small pad for my trash cans. I had the same problems with the surface that you did great video. I love the follow up and do the Trex panels rattle when you walk on them or does the lattice take care of any movement or vibration?
Thank you! I haven't noticed any rattle from the Trex Deck boards. They seem to have a pretty consistent contact with the surface of the slab all the way across. It feels solid to walk on. Honestly I don't think this project could have come out any better if I had planned it this way from the start. Sometimes I just get lucky! 😀
You’re too hard on yourself. You’re crafty and clever. But the overlay you came up with is a definite high end look!
Plus you had the intuitive downstream vision to protect from any future problems or needs.
Thank you, I appreciate that!
I wouldn't sweat it, 99% of drypour vid uploaders don't follow Country Cajun instructions to a "T" resulting in a rougher finish. The deck looks great btw, great match to the shed.
Thank you
The LATTICE WAS BRILLIANT IDEA ..
How did you Think of Using LATTICE .
Again .. BRILLIANT IDEA 💡 👍
Thank you! Cheers!
yeah, that works.
Expensive, but works!
Expensive is right! These Trex Deck boards are about $33 each where I live. I would have never purchased them new for this project. Luckily I got mine with the house but they are quite faded and some are warped. If someone wanted to use them for a not so critical project like mine, you might find some salvaged Trex boards in the local market place for cheap.
Nice great idea and looks nice but ya know for me I like concrete but real mixed right and pored.
I understand
It does look great,so if you’re happy that’s all that matters
Thank you, I agree!
To be honest, the concrete didn’t look that bad. But they both look great. The boards were a great idea.
I agree, thank you.
Improvising is good, but only if you don't have to purchase the deck boards. I probably would've learned more about doing a dry pour first (which is why I watch videos like this), and try to avoid the mistakes. That said, I think it would've been possible to do another layer of concrete over the existing, seeing as how it was quite rough. A finish concrete should've worked fine. However, I am not a concrete guy, so I could be talking out of turn, it's just something I would've tried first.
Thanks for your input
Very clever Bruce. Definitely like the “deck” look!
@markashlock9017 - Thank you Mark! We like the "deck" look better too.
Definitely the after picture with the decking by several thousand%.
I agree! Thanks for the input.
I watched the dry pour first. The deck board looks a lot better.
I agree! Thank you!
Whenever I do an outside project i have to consider the bugs. Lots of cracks for bugs to hang out in. Hope you can keep on top of them. Fire ants, spiders, you name it. Maybe washing regularly will help keep them at bay? Otherwise . . . thanks!
Nice recovery from a not so good start.
Thank you. It’s holding up well and we like it too.
I would stick with the dry pour top.
Thanks for the input
oh my
HI AGAIN , THE WOOD LOOKS GOOD BUT,,,,,, AND THERES ALWAYS A BUT,,,,
BE CAREFULL WHEN IT RAINS AS WILL BE SLIPPERY IN A FEW YEARS TIME
Yes it will and good point.
It was lucky you had some vinyl planks. Buying them you just could have had a pad poured.
Expensive is right! These Trex Deck boards are about $33 each where I live. I would have never purchased them new for this project. Luckily I got mine with the house but they are quite faded and some are warped. If someone wanted to use them for a not so critical project like mine, you might find some salvaged Trex boards in the local market place for cheap.
Trex vote
trex deck
Piling on can lead to slot of labor...I'm tired of watching...its OJT learning as you go is always a step in the right direction.
Would have bin a lot less work stress and headaches if you had just used a mixer or even a wheelbarrow and hoe to mix it right to begin with.
The lesson of this project should be LAZY PEOPLE WORK HARDER !
I like the concrete looks better but not that dry pouring technique you did- it looks so bad.
Thanks for your input.
Pretty awesome!
Thank you!