Pour a Concrete Driveway: Best Complete Time (35 Days)
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How Long Does It Take to Pour a Concrete Driveway?
It takes both time and manpower to pour a concrete driveway! It takes 4 – 6 hours of real hard work by a team of 3 – 4 professionals to pour, place, screed and finish 10 – 12 yards of concrete on a driveway.
A 6” thick 24’ X 24’ double-car driveway requires 11 yards of concrete.
The curing process of concrete starts as soon as water is added to the mix. The ACI guidelines are that the concrete should be poured within 90 minutes of water addition.
Pouring concrete on a driveway is a tough job. Concrete waits for no one. So the workers get little or no breaks once the concrete truck arrives.
Pouring concrete on a driveway is a tough job, in any weather. But it can be really tricky pouring concrete in winter.
Pouring and placing the concrete is certainly a very important step in the entire process of installing a driveway. But there are several other steps that need to be taken prior to pouring. And some others after the pour. All of them take time.
You will be able to use your driveway only after 10 – 15 days after you start your driveway project.
You can scroll down to the last section for a summarized timeline or read the entire post (a less than 5 minute read)!
How Long Does It Take to Excavate Ground to Build a Concrete Driveway?
The time taken for excavation depends on:
- The excavation volume
- Type of equipment used
- Soil type
The excavation volume can be calculated using the following formula:
Excavation Volume (cubic yards) = {Length (ft) X Width (ft) X Depth (ft)} / 27
Excavation volume for a 1’ deep hole for a 24’ X 24’ driveway (add 6” to each side)
Excavation Volume (cubic yards) = {25 X 25 X 1} / 27 = 23.15 cubic yards
Were you to excavate this much earth manually (using shovel & wheelbarrow), it would take 10 – 12 days of back breaking work. Using a mini excavator you could get the job done in less than half a day.
Time taken will vary with the soil type to be excavated. Rocky or clay rich soil will take longer. Sandy and loamy soil will take less time.
Follow up the ground excavation with subgrade preparation by tamping or compacting the soil using a vibratory compactor.
How Long Does It Take to Build the Base for a Concrete Driveway?
The steps required to build a base for a concrete driveway involve:
Laying out the Geotextile
I do not recommend skipping the step. Geotextile laid over the subgrade will prevent the loss of sub-base aggregates.
When the water table rises due to precipitation the subgrade can get mushy. Without a geotextile, the crushed stone or gravel in the sub-base can migrate into the soft subgrade and get lost.
The depletion of aggregates will compromise the structural integrity of the sub-base. The result will be that your concrete driveway may start sinking in some spots after a season or two. The appearance of large cracks is another possibility.
RECOMMENDED PRODUCT
The Best Geotextile Driveway Fabric for Your Driveway & Patio Base
Geotextile driveway fabric is a supportive layer that is laid between the compacted subgrade and the sub-base aggregates to prevent the migration and loss of the aggregates in to the subgrade. It helps stabilize the ground, permit drainage and prevent weed growth.
Here is the Geotextile Driveway Fabric I recommend.
Happy Buy Driveway Geotextile Fabric
A woven polypropylene fabric that is durable and corrosion-resistant, and can withstand a grab tensile strength of 600 pounds.
Preparing the Sub-base
The sub-base should be at least two layers of crushed stone or gravel. Each layer must be compacted using a vibrator compactor.
The entire process can take 1 – 2 days.
Preparing the Base
The base is also made up of two layers. The first layer is made up of pea gravel that is spread and compacted. The second layer should be either coarse sand or stone dust. This layer also needs to be spread and compacted.
The base preparation can be completed in one day.
Laying out Vapor Retarder & Reinforcement
Vapor Retarder is not required in a driveway by code. However, it is quite helpful to put one in. The vapor retarder will prevent ground moisture from permeating into the concrete. Moisture ingress into the concrete will hasten the rate of concrete degradation.
RECOMMENDED PRODUCT
The Best Vapor Barrier for Under Concrete Slab such as Driveways, Garage Floors & Patios
A concrete vapor barrier is a material that prevents moisture from entering a concrete slab from the grade below. This helps in controlling the concrete curing conditions in the initial stages. Subsequently it prevents the wicking of moisture into the concrete slab from the damp earth.
Here is the Vapor Barrier I recommend.
Farm Plastic Supply-Concrete Vapor Barrier (10 mil)
Heavy duty durable plastic sheeting engineered from low-density polyolefin. Primary application is as a vapor barrier underneath concrete.
A 4” thick concrete driveway should be reinforced with steel wire mesh. The wire mesh should be set on chairs on top of the vapor retarder film.
A 6” or thicker concrete driveway should be reinforced with steel rebars. The rebars should be set on chairs on top of the vapor retarder film. Rebars take a bit longer to set up.
The entire process should take less than a day.
The total process of preparing the ground for the concrete pour will take around 5 days.
How Long Before You Can Drive on a New Concrete Driveway?
As mentioned before concrete starts curing from the time water is added to the concrete mix. Water and cement react to form a web-like crystalline structure that encapsulates the aggregates to give concrete its strength.
The curing process is never ending but concrete is said to have fully cured 28 days after pouring, as it achieves 99% of its ultimate strength.
This is what you can do with your concrete driveway in the first seven days.
24 HRS : No walking by anybody
48 HRS : Foot Traffic
7 DAYS: Can Drive & Park on it
Estimated Timeline for Building a Concrete Driveway
ACTIVITY | |
DAY 0 | Planning, Layout & Placing Wooden Forms |
Day 1 | Ground Excavation & Subgrade Preparation |
Day 2 – 3 | Sub-base Preparation |
Day 4 | Base Preparation |
Day 5 | Placing the Vapor Retarder & Wire Mesh or Rebars |
Day 6 | Concrete Pouring, Placing, Screeding & Finishing |
Day 7 | Removing Forms & Cutting Contraction Joints |
Day 8 | Concrete Driveway can Support Light Foot Traffic |
Day 13 | Cars can be Parked on the Concrete Driveway |
Day 35 | Concrete Driveway is Fully Cured / Apply Sealer Coat |
Thank you very much for reading this post. I do hope you found it informative and helpful.