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DIY Parking Curb

Easy to knock out

Making a curb comes down to making a form, pouring in a concrete mix and letting it cure. The size doesn't matter but you likely want something at least 6-feet long, 7 inches wide, and around 4-5 inches high.

Diagram of the curb

Materials

Supplies

Gear

Making the Form

The form is made upside down so that we can pour in the concrete mix and later flip the form to get the curb out. You can use whatever wood you can find but you'll want it strong enough for the heavy concrete mix to not cause the form to buckle. Cut out a base plate and four walls to make a basic box for the form, and then you will need to make some beveled pieces to form the top of the curb.

Diagram of the mold

Picture of a concrete parking curb
The assembled form

Start Cookin'

  1. Put some water into the bottom of the bucket/wheelbarrow then mix in the concrete mix and additional water. You can find the water-mix ratio on the bags of Quikrete but go for something oatmeal-ish. Make sure to continuously mix the whole time.
  2. Pour the mix into the form partially and then set the rebar into the center of the form, length-wise.
  3. Continue adding dry mix and water to achieve a thick oatmeal-like consistency. If you have the right amount of water, the wet mix should be able to hold its shape.
  4. Even out the top of the form with the float.
  5. Let the block dry for at least 24 hours.

Once you've made the form, you can just keep re-using it to make more curbs.